I love snowboarding. Getting out in nature with the crisp mountain air. The sound of the board swooshing through freshly dropped powder. The silky smooth feeling of gliding across the mountain. It is a great sport. Then it hit me. Riding an electric scooter feels a lot like snowboarding.

You’re outside getting fresh air. Digging into a heel side turn with the wind in your hair it feels like you’re carving up some freshly manicured slopes. That smooth feeling you get sliding across snow covered alpine trails is duplicated on an electric scooter. With an electric scooter you don’t need steep hills for the sensation. The more throttle simulates the steepest of double black slopes or lay off a little and cruise a green circle trail. The throttle is your replacement for steep declines. The sports are not exactly the same but lets go over some pros and cons of substituting an e-scooter for a snowboard.
Pro: No Offseason
Whether it is the dead of winter or the hottest day of summer, if the weather is dry the concrete slopes are open. You can only snowboard in the winter and the winter is cold.
Pro: Come as you are
If you own an electric scooter you are just feet away from the slopes. Grab a helmet and your scooter and you can be caving up some pavement in less than 90 seconds. You can scoot in a 3 piece suit just as easily as in a swimsuit. You can scoot in an evening gown or sweatpants. Scooting is versatile.
If you are going snowboarding this is simply not the case. You need special undergarments, socks, boots, gloves, uncomfortable pants, and a bulky jacket. In the time it takes you just to put on your snowboarding gear, you’ve already covered miles on an e-scooter.
Pro: Warm weather activity
I love snowboarding but I hate cold weather. No matter how good your gear is, at some point you are going to get cold and wet. Not the case on an electric scooter unless you choose to venture out in the rain or snow. You can ride an electric scooter to the beach and work on your tan at the same time. It gives you the same feeling of freedom as carving up the slopes while getting to enjoy the sun on your skin. Not the case snowboarding even on the warmest of slushy spring skiing runs.
Pro: Inexpensive
The upfront costs of the board and scooter are comparable. The pro to electric scooting is once you have the scooter a helmet the operating costs are virtually non existent. On the other hand snowboarding has incurable variable costs that you simply can’t eliminate. Lift tickets, travel, lodging…these costs quickly add each season, and increase each year.
Pro: No Lines
When you grab your scooter and smash the throttle you are figuratively looking at unlimited downhills. One of the great tragedies of getting good and fast on a snowboard is that you spend more time in lines and on the lift as you do on the slopes. You might burn a run in three minutes and then you’re looking at 15 minutes minimum before you are doing your next run. The scooter throttle extends your run times. It is like snowboarding from the peak of Mt Whitney to the depths of Death Valley with no kick pushing or waiting.
Con: No designated slopes
Snowboarding does offer a diverse variety of terrain and corresponding difficulty levels. The steeper and lower margin of error is a double black diamond and a wide open low incline trail is a green circle. Typical electric scooting is done on flat ground. Good news though! There is a work around. The throttle basically is the replacement for a steep slope. Max throttle and hard carving equals a double black diamond slope, and less throttle equals a beginner green circle slope. You choose your difficulty with the throttle.
Con: Car Traffic and Pedestrian Traffic
While the concrete slopes aren’t congested with other riders, you will have to share them with cars and pedestrians. Drivers are pretty good about being aware of cyclists and pedestrians but if you get in a fight with a car it will win 100% of the time. The best thing you can do to avoid a run in with cars is stick to roads with low speed limits, equip your scooter with front and rear lights, and bright colored wear clothing that enhances viability. As far as pedestrians go there are several steps you should take to keep them happy and create a positive reputation for electric scooters. Check out the 7 RULES TO FOLLOW AROUND PEDESTRIANS you should follow when sharing the roads with pedestrians.
Con: Battery Lifespan
This is probably the biggest con to riding an e-scooter over snowboarding. When snowboarding you are limited only by the sunlight and lift hours. When snowboarding, if you are lucky you can get so many runs that by the end of the day you are too tired to even think about going up the hill again.
An electric scooter on the other hand is not going to last a full day on one battery charge. You can get in rides in 1 or 2 hour increments depending on range and then you’ll need to charge again. Some scooters have swappable batteries for an additional expense or the option to quick charge. A quick charge is still going to lead to an hour of downtime for an 80% charge. A swappable battery might get you another hour or two but will discharge faster than a replacement battery will charge. To get a full day you’d need at least 3 total batteries and a whole logistics schedule.
Con: Less Forgiving
Falling on a snowboard is more forgiving than falling on a scooter. Wearing all that extra gear for warmth does have the advantage of giving you a cushion when you fall on a snowboard. Your skin is also not exposed so you’re unlikely to get any scratches if you take a spill. If you fall on an electric scooter your landing spot is going to be right on the asphalt and road rash has a high likelihood. With that in mind if you stay within your skill level on either sport falling is very rare. If anything you are more likely to fall on a snowboard than a scooter.
Conclusion
Snowboarding and Electric scooting are not exact equivalencies but they are pretty darn close. The feeling and sensations of riding an electric scooter is almost exactly the same and the barrier to entry is less. Snowboarding is great group activity for a family vacation or retreat but it is not a daily activity. If you want to carve up the slopes every day the better option is and electric scooter and concrete slopes.