Although the battle between skiers and snowboarders seemed it would be everlasting, skiers might have come out on top because of the drop in the numbers of riders. With opening day having just taken place, skiers and riders are all gearing up for the season ahead of them, but the question is, are people going to stay true to their sport?

D&E’s Ron Morehead has noticed a dramatic decrease in snowboard rentals recently. Ron has worked for the Ski Co. for seven years now. Since then, he has seen a 10-15 percent decrease in snowboarding rentals and increase in skiing rentals.

“The decrease in snowboarding has been gradually happening nationally for the past six to seven years,” Morehead said. “The percentage of boarders coming into the store has decreased by about 10-15 percent and the amount of skiers has raised about 10-15 percent.”

Recently, skiers have been venturing into out of bounds territory that would be tough to bring a board on. Adventuring through Snowmass and the Highlands Bowl with abundant powder has gotten much easier, thanks to the new technology in the equipment in skiing. Also, the ability to skin up a mountain and then ski down is something you can rarely get with a snowboard.

Nine times out of ten, kids learn how to ski far before they learn how to snowboard. For many kids, such as sophomore Ford McClure, skiing is their true passion.

“I’ve been a skier my whole life. Growing up in Aspen, I learned how to ski when I was just three and I’ve never once thought about switching to boarding,” McClure said. “My favorite part about skiing is the freedom I have to explore new terrain.”

Other kids, such as sophomore Stella Kaplan, have tried both and clearly picked their favorite sport.

“Since I was two years old, I’ve been a skier,” Kaplan said. “I tried snowboarding for one season and that’s when I decided skiing was the only thing for me.”

Much of snowboarding’s appeal was the “swagger” that came with riding in baggy clothing. Although, another main reason snowboarding has lost its edge is because skiing has now appropriated these trendy clothes. Skiing is now just as “cool” as snowboarding in every aspect.

“I’ve seen so many young people, my eldest son included, who have been boarding for the past six or seven years and are now switching back,” Morehead said. “This fall back has even reached the X-Games level. Pros are realized that you can get more speed, power, and height in skis.”

Whatever the preference, skiing is taking over by storm, and snowboard companies are all trying in desperate attempts to become more innovative in the hopes of getting people back into boarding.