It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye. Snowboarding is by far the safer of the two. I think not. For safety's sake, snowboard. Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage.
Skiers seem to have the edge when it comes to getting on and off the lifts.
The spears, er, I mean skis are strapped individually to each foot, so they can just mosey on over to the lift. The snowboarders, on the other hand, have to un-strap one foot and drag the board along in the aforementioned gimp walk fashion. Then upon getting off the lift, skiers can usually head right on down the slope, while the snowboarders re-strap their free foot to the board. The invention of step-in bindings solves the second problem, but leaves the gimp walk unresolved. But nothing is perfect, and much like Cindy Crawford's mole, the gimp walk simply adds character.