How Surfing & Snowboarding Stack Up Against Each Other
Both surfing and snowboarding have continued to grow in participation levels over the last 10 years, to the point were they can be considered two of the most popular extreme sports around. Lots of people actually like taking part in both sports, despite the fact that the geographical locations of both surfing and snowboarding are often very different. But does the fitness and skill sets that you pick up taking part in one sport, go any way to help you in the other? Lets compare 3 of the main elements needed for these sports.
Upper Body Fitness. There is no denying that surfing demands large amounts of upper body strength and endurance. You need endurance in order to repetitively paddle surfboards out to see against breaking waves, and power is need in the pop-up phase of getting upright on the board when you have caught a wave. In comparison, snowboarding does not require anywhere near the upper body condition as surfing, as snowboarding is mainly a sport powered by the legs and torso
Timing. If you want to perform either of these sports well, then good timing is a must. Snowboarding requires very accurate timing of turns and carves, especially when your trying to line up for a jump where a few centimeters out on the take off can sometimes mean you miss your landing my meters. Likewise, catching a wave right requires great timing and knowing when to carve the board to pick up speed is a skill that can take years to learn.
Lower Body Strength & Agility. The legs play a very important part in both snowboarding and surfing, but it’s snowboarding that requires the most from the lower limbs. Snowboards require great skill and agility to turn and carve, and if your leg muscles are not in good condition you will simply not be able to ride well. Don’t for one minute think though that surfing does not require you to have good lower body fitness and flexibility, because it certainly does.
