Well, your experience really depends on your experience. 😉 Skiing is harder to pick up than snowboarding. However you are more likely IMO to hurt yourself snowboarding. But your skiing injuries are gonna be worse if you do get hurt. So in short, If you know how to surf/skateboard, rent a board. If you wanna learn to ski, take a lesson.
id rent from a place just off the hill if you can. There are always a dozen ski rental places just below the slopes that rent for ~20% less than on the places directly on the hill.
If you just wanna take the kids to the snow, buy a sled and find a hill.
