• Forums
  • Ski Gabber
  • Is learning to skateboard the same difficulty as learning freestyle skiing?

Member of the Month

GayWolf420
June, 2025

Online

Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!

Is learning to skateboard the same difficulty as learning freestyle skiing?

profile picture
pizzaman69
Posts: 36 - Karma: 3
i just started skateboarding and it brings the same ambition I get in the park to get tricks on features. But when I see a rail in the skatepark and imagine myself trying to lip on to boardslide, I realize how intricate every move is on the board and how much progress I’ll have to make before I can get on a rail. I was fortunate to learn skiing young. So I don’t remember how hard the learning curve was. But for those who do remember and are a decent skater as well as skier; which one is harder to learn?
5 years ago
6 1
profile picture
rubberpantaloons
Posts: 506 - Karma: 3,102
I do both about equally and i started them at the same time, skateboarding is harder imo
5 years ago
34 0
profile picture
pizzaman69
Posts: 36 - Karma: 3
How long was it before you could Ollie off things or across trannies?
5 years ago
2 0
profile picture
a_burger
Posts: 5257 - Karma: 21,143
one of the bigger difficulties with skating is how easy it is to pick it up for 20 mins then quit just as fast. At least with skiing your typically forcing yourself to go for 4-5 hours at least. A lot of skating is repetition, if you can force yourself to do it a lot you'll probably pick it up pretty fast.

Also keep in mind when most people learn park skiing they've probably been on skis for a few seasons if not longer. Think about how long it took to be comfortable with trail skiing and remember you'll also have the same process getting comfortable on a skateboard (don't sleep on learning to ride switch/fakie, especially if you want to ride vert/ramps)
5 years ago
16 0
profile picture
pizzaman69
Posts: 36 - Karma: 3
Is a good way to learn switch pushing mongo so it’s the same pushing leg? Or should I go for different pushing leg too?
5 years ago
4 0
profile picture
FruitBootPro
Posts: 3180 - Karma: 14,548
I blade but I'm pretty sure having the board not attached to your feet makes it significantly harder to do tricks than in skiing or snowboarding
5 years ago
15 0
profile picture
rubberpantaloons
Posts: 506 - Karma: 3,102
pizzaman69How long was it before you could Ollie off things or across trannies?

Assuming ur replying to me it took me about 2 years of skating before i could ollie 3 stairs and do tricks on kinda bigger quarters (4-5 feet)
5 years ago
8 0
profile picture
animator
Posts: 4576 - Karma: 26,432
pizzaman69i just started skateboarding and it brings the same ambition I get in the park to get tricks on features. But when I see a rail in the skatepark and imagine myself trying to lip on to boardslide, I realize how intricate every move is on the board and how much progress I’ll have to make before I can get on a rail. I was fortunate to learn skiing young. So I don’t remember how hard the learning curve was. But for those who do remember and are a decent skater as well as skier; which one is harder to learn?


Lip on to boardslide isn’t a trick just FYI
5 years ago
1 7
profile picture
270on420out
Posts: 7525 - Karma: 51,354
With skiing you can get away with progressing by just hucking shit. You can’t really do that with skateboarding.
5 years ago
9 0
profile picture
pizzaman69
Posts: 36 - Karma: 3
Hahaha. I kinda thought that. Backside then.
animatorLip on to boardslide isn’t a trick just FYI
5 years ago
1 0
profile picture
MoneyMakerMike
Posts: 1254 - Karma: 5,764
animatorLip on to boardslide isn’t a trick just FYI


Ya it is it’s called a lipslide
5 years ago
9 0
profile picture
animator
Posts: 4576 - Karma: 26,432
rice.chexYa it is it’s called a lipslide

Yeah a lipslide is a trick, a lip on to boardslide is not. Two different things
5 years ago
1 7
profile picture
MoneyMakerMike
Posts: 1254 - Karma: 5,764
animatorYeah a lipslide is a trick, a lip on to boardslide is not. Two different things


A lipslide is a lip on to boardslide it’s the same thing
5 years ago
5 1
profile picture
iced
Posts: 3070 - Karma: 17,986
You can't just send shit skateboarding, which gives people a sense of a lack of progression, but really when it comes to freestyle skiing, they both have a big learning curve where you suddenly go from 5 tricks in the bag to infinity and beyond
5 years ago
9 1
profile picture
DesertStix
Posts: 2543 - Karma: 15,021
Yeah it’s the same but when’s the last time you heard someone say they just did a “lip on to boardslide” while skating? No one calls a nollie a fakie switch Ollie
rice.chexA lipslide is a lip on to boardslide it’s the same thing
5 years ago
2 0
profile picture
MoneyMakerMike
Posts: 1254 - Karma: 5,764
DesertStixYeah it’s the same but when’s the last time you heard someone say they just did a “lip on to boardslide” while skating? No one calls a nollie a fakie switch Ollie


Ya but it’s still a trick is all I’m saying. If someone new to the sport called a trick a little differently than the norm most would still understand what they were talking about.
5 years ago
4 0
profile picture
animator
Posts: 4576 - Karma: 26,432
rice.chexA lipslide is a lip on to boardslide it’s the same thing


No it’s not buddy 😂😂 a lipslide is when the back of your board goes over the rail/ledge, and a boardslide is when the front goes over the rail/ledge they are absolutely not the same
5 years ago
6 0
profile picture
MoneyMakerMike
Posts: 1254 - Karma: 5,764
animatorNo it’s not buddy 😂😂 a lipslide is when the back of your board goes over the rail/ledge, and a boardslide is when the front goes over the rail/ledge they are absolutely not the same

Do you mean the tail of the board? Ya so the tail goes over first which is the lip on part then your board slides the rail which would technically be a boardslide. For short you’d call it a lipslide. But a lip on to boardslide would be understood by nearly all skaters so idk why you think that’s not a trick. Kinda a stupid argument but I don’t think you understood what I meant when I was saying they are the same. Boardslides and lipslides are different tricks tho

**This post was edited on Aug 22nd 2020 at 8:45:38pm
5 years ago
1 2
profile picture
theabortionator
Posts: 52707 - Karma: 175,289
I feel like skating is def harder but it depends. I think learning either at a young age makes it massively easier. I was skiing since 6 and snowboarding at the mtn since 10(8 in the backyard) I remember being bad at them for a little but wasnt hard to get good. Im learning to skate now and its rough. Concrete fucking hurts.

That said building a mini and learning ramp tricks was super fun the last few months I lived in CA.

Probably depends on the person but I'd say skating is harder but getting really fucking good at either is tough. If you're flipping down 15 stairs and bombing hills, or ripping pools youre going to eat shit. If you're doing triples, or hitting steep urban quad kinks or big cliffs/gaps youre going to eat shit.
5 years ago
6 0
profile picture
DesertStix
Posts: 2543 - Karma: 15,021
No he means back as in backside lol you’re beating a dead horse
rice.chexDo you mean the tail of the board? Ya so the tail goes over first which is the lip on part then your board slides the rail which would technically be a boardslide. For short you’d call it a lipslide. But a lip on to boardslide would be understood by nearly all skaters so idk why you think that’s not a trick. Kinda a stupid argument but I don’t think you understood what I meant when I was saying they are the same. Boardslides and lipslides are different tricks tho

**This post was edited on Aug 22nd 2020 at 8:45:38pm
5 years ago
1 0
profile picture
theabortionator
Posts: 52707 - Karma: 175,289
Pretty obvious he meant lipslide when he said lip onto boardslide. Especially in skiing terms to board terms. It works. It wasn't like he was mixing uo frontside and backside.
5 years ago
1 0
profile picture
MoneyMakerMike
Posts: 1254 - Karma: 5,764
DesertStixNo he means back as in backside lol you’re beating a dead horse

Well no cuz a frontside lip is a trick too
5 years ago
1 0
profile picture
Young_patty
Posts: 3348 - Karma: 39,361
Skiing is honestly way easier than skating
5 years ago
11 0
profile picture
animator
Posts: 4576 - Karma: 26,432
rice.chexDo you mean the tail of the board? Ya so the tail goes over first which is the lip on part then your board slides the rail which would technically be a boardslide. For short you’d call it a lipslide. But a lip on to boardslide would be understood by nearly all skaters so idk why you think that’s not a trick. Kinda a stupid argument but I don’t think you understood what I meant when I was saying they are the same. Boardslides and lipslides are different tricks tho

**This post was edited on Aug 22nd 2020 at 8:45:38pm


Ohhhh so you were saying a “lip on to boardslide slide” is just a dumb way of saying lipslide? My b I thought you were saying that they were different
5 years ago
3 0
profile picture
pizzaman69
Posts: 36 - Karma: 3
I am so glad I asked that question this was fun.
5 years ago
3 0
profile picture
fredyferl
Posts: 2960 - Karma: 14,995
Skating is harder but I feel like if you skate everyday, or as much as you can, you'll get really comfortable on your board and eat shit a lot less. The thing that's hard with skating is that let's say you learn a kickflip on flat, and then want to do it on a bank or down a curb, it's like relearning the trick. There's a lot more steps and it can get frustrating sometimes
5 years ago
2 0
profile picture
BungHole.
Posts: 698 - Karma: 1,422
Skatings hard as fuck. I try do bunch type shit on little features. Makes it way more fun
5 years ago
6 0
profile picture
DesertStix
Posts: 2543 - Karma: 15,021
Skating has like no margin for error compared to skiing. The simplest flat ground tricks can end in broken bones concrete is fucked compared to bailing on snow.
5 years ago
7 0
profile picture
skiguy04
Posts: 1640 - Karma: 1,277
ROLLERBLADE
5 years ago
4 6
profile picture
FruitBootPro
Posts: 3180 - Karma: 14,548
skiguy04ROLLERBLADE


inb4 downvotes
5 years ago
3 4
profile picture
oldmanski
Posts: 3642 - Karma: 27,262
Both have their degrees of challenges. I am going to have to say skating do to the fact you are on concrete trying to balance on a board with 4 wheels that can shoot off into any direction at any given moment. I started skating many years back, got okay but quit a year later. I have recently picked up skating again this summer and I have been trying to skate 4-6 times a week and I have noticed some huge improvements from just spending time on the board. I cant ollie off stairs yet but I am getting a few tricks in the bag. Stick with it and keep pushing yourself, you will get better each day.
5 years ago
4 0
profile picture
Adtmartens
Posts: 78 - Karma: 261
This question cant really be answered based on the two sports as a whole. Professionals in both sports probably put in a similar amount of effort and time into it meaning that the highest level of both sports are somewhat equal in difficulty. Its hard to compare because the sports have completely different tricks and a varying risk factors for each milestone. To answer this you would have to pick two tricks in the sports and compare them and the work it took to achieve it.
5 years ago
7 0
profile picture
DesertStix
Posts: 2543 - Karma: 15,021
...nah
AdtmartensThis question cant really be answered based on the two sports as a whole. Professionals in both sports probably put in a similar amount of effort and time into it meaning that the highest level of both sports are somewhat equal in difficulty. Its hard to compare because the sports have completely different tricks and a varying risk factors for each milestone. To answer this you would have to pick two tricks in the sports and compare them and the work it took to achieve it.
5 years ago
1 1
profile picture
Adtmartens
Posts: 78 - Karma: 261
DesertStix...nah

Why not
5 years ago
1 0
profile picture
skiguy04
Posts: 1640 - Karma: 1,277
Rollerblading harder
5 years ago
1 6
profile picture
Stuuuuuuuuuu
Posts: 380 - Karma: 2,080
Most people who ski park probably spent a ton of time normal skiing first where as most people who start skating try to learn tricks right away so that definitely makes a difference. I also think transition skating is way easier to learn than flat ground or ledges/rails. I spent years skating off and on a can barley ollie but then this summer I totally focus on minicamp/ transition tricks and I progressed super fast. Once you get the basics of pumping down and learn a few basic stalls you can easily learn a new trick/variation every day then you also get the progression of taking the tricks you know to bigger transition so it feels like you're constantly improving.
5 years ago
6 0
profile picture
skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7982 - Karma: 23,364
Skateboarding is so much harder. But I guess to an extent it depends on what your background is.
5 years ago
2 0
profile picture
snowfinder
Posts: 2941 - Karma: 34,924
I'm getting into downhill on my skateboard and it is gnarly and so much scarier than bombing hills on skis.
5 years ago
3 0
profile picture
FruitBootPro
Posts: 3180 - Karma: 14,548
skiguy04Rollerblading harder

🧢
being attached to your skates makes things a bit scarier but not being attached to your board makes it way harder to be consistent with your tricks
5 years ago
2 0
profile picture
Skiamon
Posts: 48 - Karma: 372
pizzaman69How long was it before you could Ollie off things or across trannies?


I just got into skating more and more. It took me a couple weeks of insane dedication, I sprained both of my elbows but whatever. The more you practice a day, the quicker you will learn. you just gotta skate everywhere.
5 years ago
4 0
profile picture
Mixy
Posts: 8358 - Karma: 50,505
This thread proves I need to learn my skateboard trick names
5 years ago
2 0
profile picture
Astrozap
Posts: 44 - Karma: 158
I think skating is harder to learn falling in concrete is scarier then falling on snow and to learn a trick on skis you can just kind of go for it but on a board it’s takes a lot of time to learn tricks because it is a lot of technique also when starting skating it will take a long time to learn even an Ollie
5 years ago
4 0
profile picture
broken_skier0
Posts: 132 - Karma: 288
I think skateboarding is harder. How long does it take to learn to ollie? Anyone who can ski blue runs can straight air off a jump.
5 years ago
3 0
All times are Eastern (-4); Currently it's 4:27PM