In this day and age it is not uncommon to come across skiers and snowboarders on the same side of the mountain, trying to peaceably have fun in the snow. However,peaceful fun is not always the case with the unique relationship skiers and boarders have developed.

“There are two types of snowboarders, either (awesome) or in the way,” Junior Chance Blalock said. Blalock has been skiing for six years and has tried snowboarding, but prefered skiing because he felt more in control with two skis under his feet.

“Skiers try to act cooler than they are, by saying they are better than snowboarders,” junior Donovan Rommel said,  who was drawn to snowboarding recently because of the adventurous nature of the sport.

In this relentless feud, the main reason behind many of the disputes is the stereotypes that have developed. In the past snowboarding attracted a specific personality, consisting mostly of thrill seekers and “punks” that were drawn to the new sport because of its similarities to skateboarding and surfing.

This brought a new class of people to the mountains who did not understand the strict ski-slope etiquette that was already in place. These boarders sought to bring the tricks and enthusiasm that skateboarding had to the mountains. Skiers, who had been traditionally upper class kids, were unamused by snowboarders antics. They saw snowboarders as reckless, disrespectful hoodlums.

Today this struggle between the two does not hold the hostilities of before, but consists more of skiers and snowboarders pushing each other to be better.

Senior Ben Smith, who went to the national competition in snowboardcross, said that he has developed an appreciation for the relationship that he has developed with those that ski, because they constantly motivate him to push the limits.

Even though some are able to welcome the challenge, there are still problems in their relationship. When agitated they will not hesitate to give the opposition a piece of their mind. Junior Logan Marten, a skier of 12 years who has also tried snowboarding before, said that he doesn’t like snowboarders because they “cut me off and take out the moguls.”

“Snowboarders tend to irritate me,” Blalock said. “Especially boarders that aren’t very good, because they stop in the middle of the run.”

On the other side of the argument, Rommel said, “skiers are ignorant because they lack an open mind to snowboarders.”

Smith also said skiers bother him because they think all snowboarders are terrible, when really, “skiers judge all of us (snowboarders) on the few that slip and slide down the hill.”

Despite this awkward relationship they have, they have grown to share the mountain like siblings share a toy, not necessarily because they want to, but they have learned to accept the fact that neither side is going to disappear anytime soon.