Different Gear for Different Snow, Moods.

If you really get into snowboarding, you will end up with several kinds of boards. One for the park, one for the mountain. One for snow, one for ice. Me, I've got two choices: a set of skis, and a snowboard.

For whatever reason, I had troubles with the snowboard today. After struggling with it for a while, I went back to the car and got out my skis. And then I had a fine time on the hill. The snowboard can wait for another day.

Maybe I just wasn't in the snowboarding mood today.

In Skating Without Pads, Falling is Not an Option

Over a Christmas visit with family, I went ice skating. It gave me a better appreciation for snowboarding.

I haven't been on ice skates in roughly 30 years, though I was on roller skates about 25 years ago. So it was a difficult, and scary event to head out on the ice. After all, sometimes when I am on skis or a snowboard, I come across some ice mixed with the snow. But by definition, a skating rink is nothing but ice.

And you thought that falling on hardpacked snow was painful.

Actually, I didn't fall on the ice rink. Not once. Since I was not wearing my impact shorts, falling was not an option. As a result of my fear-based way of doing things, I probably didn't skate with the greatest form. But I did manage to cover the rink both clockwise and counter-clockwise. I even managed to pull off some foot-over-foot turns. It wasn't the slickest of moves, but it happened.

While snow sports are almost always defined by the weather, the best skating occurs in climate-controlled facilities. So maybe I've found a cold-related sport to practice balancing and edging on, even when the temperatures start to melt the snow.

It's Official: My Board is 10-Year Old Cool

I took my board and new bindings out yesterday, and made an impression.

It's interesting to see what kinds of reactions the kids have to an old guy on a board. A 15-year old was a good encouragement on a day during my first season, giving me some useful advice. But usually, the kids stick with themselves.

Today I was out on my new board. As I rode away from the chairlift, a 10-year old (I'm guessing the age) boy said "How's the snowboarding today, sir?"

I've long ago adjusted to being called "sir." In fact, when it comes from a kid, I'm actually glad to hear it. A few manners, you understand.

The two of us got to talking about snowboarding, how long we had been riding, and so forth. Then he said "That's a cool board you have there."

So there you have it. Cool, as certified by a ten-year old.

Farewell, Strap Bindings

It was one of the best eBay transactions I ever made.

The package I bought a while ago included boots, a board, and bindings. The bindings were the strap kind, which I have never liked. My rental boards have been a variety of step-ins, though once out west, I took a lesson with straps. I didn't care for it then, either.

When I bought the gear, I thought that perhaps I would learn to use and work with the strap bindings. But it was not to be.

Thanks to the marketplace that is eBay, I found someone who actually wants strap bindings. The sale went a small way to recouping my original expenses.

Now I'm riding Flow bindings, which are a bit hard to explain. If you're familiar with old ski boots, they're very approximately like rear-entry ski boots. In any case, I find them much easier to use than straps. At this point, I'll sacrifice any alleged benefit of straps for the ease of use of these Flows.

Tune My Own Board? Thanks. I'll Pass for Now

Tonight I went to a class about how to tune your own board or skis. I think I'll pass for now.

It's not that I think that tuning and waxing are unnecessary. And it's not that I'm (too) afraid to spend the money for the equipment. I know that in the long run, I'll probably save money by doing some work myself.

It's simply that I don't want to work that hard in the "back office" functions of snowboarding or skiing. Hold an inventory of different waxes, to be applied as required by the changing temperatures? I'd rather not. Lovingly grind the edges and then polish them, all while not bruising the sidecoat that is just above the edges? Nah. Setting aside a shelf in my basement for a whole bunch of specialized gear? I don't think so; my basement is already getting cluttered with the specialized gear of both skiing and snowboarding.

Do-it-yourself can make sense. But in this case, at this time, it doesn't.