Wax!

You should start every snowboarding season with fresh wax on your board. And, as I remembered today, change the wax as required.

It should have been a great day for riding. The air was warm, but not so warm that you’d get hot wearing the usual clothes. One section of the “mountain” that has been open only on weekends (of late) was open, and hey, it’s late March and we’re still riding!

The sky was overcast, and that’s what fooled me into thinking that the snow was fine. But the snow was, well, challenging. It had a lot of water in it; while on the lift, I could easily make snowballs out of the snow that was riding on top of the board. (I’m a poor shot and only infrequently hit a lift tower.)

But the snow wasn’t, as was the case two weeks ago, mashed potatoes. That snow, though also wet and sloppy, was a lot easier to work with. You had to push stuff around, but the board slide through it. Today’s snow, by contrast, was unpredictable, alternately grabbing and releasing the board. You’re moving along–not too fast, but still, moving–and then bam, it’s like a dozen little fingers reached up from the ground and grabbed on.

And no, it wasn’t just me; other riders and skiers reported the same problem.

I adapted, though I’m not sure how well I did. The approach to some of the steeper runs is gently sloping, and very long. To keep the board moving to where the hill dropped off, I crouched very low and towards the tip of the board. It seemed to work.

Alternately, in “cruising” areas, I sometimes leaned as far as I could towards the tail.

Eventually the air temperature dropped a couple degrees, and that made a big difference. But I was ready to leave by then.