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In general, the smaller the drop in vertical feet your mountain (or “mountain”) is, the easier it is to become bored with it. That’s what taking on new on-the-snow challenges is all about. For me, it was moving from skiing to snowboarding. For others, it’s taking on a new way of snowboarding.

Take riding switch, for example. Practicing riding switch can extend your enjoyment of the mountain, and develop and extend your skills at the same time.

It’s different enough to be a challenge, even on a green run that has long since become “ho-hum.” But it’s similar enough to what you know that you should have a higher comfort level than you had starting out on the board for the first time.

And of course actually having mastered riding switch has benefits as well. It’s quite helpful (and even necessary) in doing freestyle tricks of various sorts.

You may even find a more fundamental value of riding differently: it may actually turn out to be your preferred stance. After trying the regular stance for a while, and struggling, I “switched” to goofy, and have made a lot of progress since.

If you’re going to play in the halfpipe or do jumps in the terrain park, you definitely need to learn switch. But what if you’re a cruiser and not interested in leaving the ground? Riding switch is still your friend.

For one thing, riding switch on occasion can help you avoid fatigue. There have been times on the hill when I have been using my leading leg so much that it starts to ache. You know it; it’s he quad burn that you get from over-use. I had this problem in the West, and had to take the last run of the day slowly, with frequent stops for rests.

Now, some of this problem comes from an incorrect technique–riding too far towards the tip of the board, rather than being more centered from stem to stern–that over-stresses the front leg. And some of it comes from a fear of riding toeside while making tight turns.

So the best way to minimize a quad cramp is simply to improve one’s riding technique. But I also found that riding switch–putting the other leg in front and letting that leg take the weight for a while–helps as well.

I started my riding career in a regular stance, but have moved to a goofy one this year. I have something of a head start in “switch”ing my ride, though that advantage has been somewhat diminished by going from a 0/0 setting on my bindings to a 20/0 one. (Translation: I changed the placement of my bindings to make it easier to ride in my preferred direction, and more difficult to ride switch.)

Where have I found riding switch to be the most useful? On the relatively flat run-outs of a trail, as it approaches the lift.

Stopping in the middle of a trail is not good, especially if it’s at the top of a headwall.

Now I appreciate the desire to make a short stop and survey the landscape before proceeding. In some situations, that’s the prudent thing to do.

But I’ve also seen that practice abused.

I was cruising down a trail which split into two directions near the base, heading towards two adjacent lifts. One lift was closer to me than the other. To get there, I had to plan to ride down a headwall, and get there through a relatively narrow section of terrain.

So I’m riding, looking at where I need to go, and … right in the middle of where I want to be is a group of skiers. Three of them. They weren’t looking down the hill, examining their options. That would have simply been a case of bad luck on my part. No, these folks were amiably talking. In the middle of the trail! In other words, unnecessarily blocking my way.

I had to sweep around them, and take a less-than-optimal line towards the desired lift. As a result, I lost a lot of speed and had to skate a ways.

RETURNING TO THE SCENE OF THE CRIME
This being a Midwest resort, it took me all of five minutes to ride to the top of the lift, five minutes to return to the headwall.

Guess what I saw there? Yup. The social club. Still standing in the middle of the action, blocking my path.

Just as I was going to cut around them (again), one of the three skiers pushed off. I had to alter my path, yet again. Grrrr.

Now, shouting at someone on the hill usually doesn’t do any good, and I did restrain myself. I calmly but clearly said, in the direction of two skiers who were still standing, “Oh, NOW, you decide to go.”

I don’t know if they heard me or not. I hope they do now.

Some people compare snowboarding to surfing, with the rising and falling of the terrain.

Showing that even a green run can be enjoyable, I was making some warm-up trips down the mountain when the feeling of surfing kicked in. Finally!

The trail was fairly flat, but it had sufficient dips and rises in the terrain (some day I’ll find the technical terms for these things) to make the interesting. Actually, more than interesting–simply, a blast. Down … up … down … over … up. Woooh!

It’s hard to describe, but at some point, I did get the feeling that I was riding a wave: playing with and not against the terrain on the (snow) water on a sunny day, “catching” a ride up or down, depending on what was before me. Not that I fully understand what that is like, though; I’ve only been on a boogie board, not a full-sized surfboard. But I have a better “feel” now for why pro surfers enjoy snowboarding, and pro snowboarders enjoy surfing.

Green trails serve many purposes, including giving beginning skiers and riders a place to learn how to turn. They also give more experienced snow sliders a place to warm up before taking on more challenging terrain.

But there’s one thing that green trails should not be used for: unofficial race courses for intermediate or advanced skiers or riders.

Out on a green trail, I sometimes feel the need to stop by the edge and wait for the upstream of unofficial racers to get past me. And if I, as an intermediate-level rider, am made nervous by such practices, what about the little kids who have graduated from the ski school area to a regular trail?

If you’re going to “blast it” down the hill, do it on a blue run, or at least wait until the greens are empty.

There’s a lost art on the slopes: singles matching up.

No, I’m not talking about “The Dating Game.” I mean a solo rider or skier finding another solo rider or skier in the lift line, and then riding the lift together. A shout of “Any singles?” would suffice.

Instead, I periodically see double, triple, or even quad chairs sailing away with one person on board, while the rest of us wait in line.

Matching up would make for less time in the lift line, and more time on the slopes.

Are snowboarders reckless? Some are. Then again, so are some skiers. The other day I saw a woman descend a moderately steep hill with poise and mastery. But I also saw a young man head down the same hill a very short time later. He was “bombing it,” and exhibiting little control.

Sure enough, about halfway down the two “met,” as the out-of-control skier clipped the skilled one. Actually, the encounter was more dramatic than that. The “bomber” had caught an edge, fell, and was rapidly sliding down the hill when he knocked over the other skier. Fortunately, she did not appear to be hurt.

While it’s useful and good to push yourself, be smart about it. Stay under control, and don’t endanger anyone else. Save your more strenuous outings for a time and trail where there’s nobody else around. And try to make one step forward at a time, not ten.

Here’s something that might make getting off the chair easier: sit “opposite” your stance.

If you ride with your right foot forward (“goofy”), sit on the left side of the chair, and ride towards your left when you dismount. If you ride with your left foot forward (“regular), sit towards the right of the chair and head towards the right.

If you ride the lift with your back foot out of the binding (as you should), you may find that coming to a stop off the lift is made easier by dragging your back toes over the toeside edge.

At least it works for me. I ride goofy, which means that I’m going to be dragging my left foot in the snow. I find that doing that is easier done when I am riding to the left once I get out of the chair.

Find something that works for you, and stick with it if you can.

UPDATE 3/20: Remember that I ride goofy, so my right foot is leading. Normally I leave the chair by aiming for a slight left turn, with my loose back foot (the left one) slightly dragging over the toeside edge.

Today I tried heading towards the right after dismounting. This put me into a slight heelside turn, which helped slow my speed. But how to actually stop? I found myself hopping a bit, and then digging my toeside edge into the ground. That almost lead to a face plant several times.

I’m sure I’m doing something wrong, but I’ll continue to rely to ride goofy (right foot first) and aim toward the left for a toeside turn. I suppose I could do a toeside turn while going right, but going left seems easier at the moment.

You may have had a great day riding, but it always ends sometime. But when?

I was thinking it was time to pack it in. The sun was moving lower in the sky, but I wanted to stay on. I flirted with trying out the night terrain. But then I was almost taken out by punk rider.

Often, you plan your day and act accordingly. At other times, you just have to respond to the situation as it changes, almost by intuition.

When I was almost hit, I took that as a sign from God: it’s time to quit for the day.

Seriously, injuries often occur when you push yourself just a bit too far. Maybe it’s best to leave just a little bit before you want to. Not only does it keep you wanting to go back, it may make the difference in you being able to go back.

On a recent outing, I suffered some sunburn and windburn from not having two simple items with me: sunscreen and a neck gaiter.

Ever since I added a hydration system to my list of equipment, it seems like keeping track of everything I need, and getting it to the car, is a big deal. In this case, it means forgetting two important things.

While I can’t recommend keeping sunscreen in the car–freezing temperatures are probably not good for those oily yet necessary chemicals–keeping a spare gaiter there car is probably a good idea. So may be keeping your sunscreen in the same room as your snow gear.

Simple stuff, I know, but sometimes it’s the small mistakes that lead to trouble.