Not all board sports are created equal

Growing up in a landlocked state, I didn't have many opportunities to surf. Sure, I loved watching Endless Summer and In God’s Hands with my Dad, but actually putting on my rashie and heading out into the break wasn't something I had immense opportunities to try. Now, having been traveling through countries that offer some of the best surfing in the world, I've realized a few simple truths: All board sports don’t necessarily relate.

While I've spent a good chunk of my life snowboarding, trying to master standing up on small waves in Indonesia, I think reality set in. I thought being able to say that I snowboard was equivocal to someone from a surf town they surf. Though board sports have similar fashions, cultures and followers, what I've come to realize is that they are, in fact, not interchangeable.

Though both sports are based on the mercurial hand of Mother Nature, the fact is, surfing is much more in tune with the earth. Humans, by this point, have mastered the ability to make fake (though terrible) snow. Even if it hasn't dumped for days, as long as there is a snow machine and cold temperatures, you can do some sort of riding. With surfing, unless there is a swell, you are just taking a nap on a plank in water. I always believed snowboarding’s reliance on weather related it to surfing, but I’m starting to understand this isn't the case.

One similarity I have seen, though, is that true powder riding and surfing have some similarities. The reliance on the back foot and the ability to pump your front foot to gain speed occur on both the waves and the champagne freshy. After my inaugural trip to a surf camp a few years back, I actually did see progress in pure powder riding. Surfing helped me become more confident in pumping and putting more weight and pressure on my back foot in the pow pow.

I won’t go as far as saying that skating, snowboarding or even wakeboarding don’t help in the pursuit of becoming a surfer, but I do think what translates is minuscule. The only way to become a good surfer is time spent in the water, and hopefully a little guidance from a good rider.

Photo courtesy of I Just Surf