i pretty much think it depends on your degree of skill on either skis or snowboards. ive personally never been skiing, only snowboarding, in alpine valley in michigan and once in utah, and just from seeing people go flying and flailing around on skis scares the hell outta me, and the thing about the skis popping off, thats like surfing, it just adds a sharp object flying around to whack you in the head, when i lived in hawaii i saw so many novinces out on the 10ft waves and getting whacked in the back of the head with their surf board. so since i know how to fall on a snow board i would more then likely cripple myself on skis