iRide
Zaskoda’s Snowboarding Journal

June is here and the snow season is all but over. Nino and I went up to the Basin two weekends ago and did a bit of slushboarding. A-Basin officially closes up shop this coming weekend. I’m not sure what’s left up there, but it won’t be much.

We talked about getting one more day in, but decided to go surfing in Mexico instead. The time on the beach and in the ocean was much needed. I was a bit disappointed that Nino didn’t try paddling into any waves; but, honestly, the waves were in the worst form I’ve seen for Sayulita. Sets were rare and sometimes consisted of a single rogue wave. I still managed to get a few rides in, so I was content. Besides, it’s blissful just to sit out in the water bobbing on a board.

I have to say, I’ve fallen off the wagon this season. I’m less healthy now than I was this time last year. I’ve gained a few pounds and I didn’t push as hard. I don’t think I progressed this season much at all either. I’m landing 180s here and there, but they’re nothing compared to my face plants. I never had the courage to try a 360. I don’t think I’m ready. I need to start cleaning up the 180s first, I think.

With a little luck, the start of next season will be less than 5 months away. I doubt I’ll sneak in a snowboarding trip this summer. I’m planning a Burning Man. Beyond that, I think I need to travel less and focus more. It’s hard though. I’m already planning another trip to Mexico. I have trouble staying still. Locational A.D.D. or something…

I ride at Vail resorts because their pass is the best bang for the buck around here. Looks like next season, all the employees I see on the slopes will be wearing helmets. From the GJSentinal:

Starting next winter, all employees at each of Vail Resorts’ five ski areas will be required to wear helmets when skiing or snowboarding on the job.

I’ve long had the helmet debate. Personally, I hate riding with a helmet. I’ve had some close calls where I’ve almost hit solid objects (trees & rocks) where a helmet could potentially save my life. However, I have issues with my head overheating while wearing a helmet on all but the coldest days. I’ve had this issue to the extent of making me dizzy and lightheaded. I’ve also hit piles of soft powder in what would have been an uneventful crash only to have the helmet cause minor injury.

I can’t really sit here and argue against the value of a helmet. Still, I really can’t give kudos to Vail for requiring them. Snow sports are dangerous. If you’re there, you’re already risking your life. From an operations point of view, I can accept requiring employees to wear safety gear. I just worry this will soon be applied to all riders.

Maybe I’ll change my mind when I find a helmet that works well for me. Photo credit to kandyjaxx.

Nino and I have been working all evening on the Steampunk Snowboard. I hope to demo it tomorrow at A-Basin. I intend to get a run in down the bunny slope. Anyway, it’s late and I’m tired. I just wanted to post a couple of pics before bed.

I love getting a paycheck. I even like having responsibilities… But right now I’m getting dressed for work - in fact, I even have only one shoe on as I type this. While putting the shoe on, I reached up and shook the mouse at my desktop to leave the screen saver and see what my iGoogle homepage was reporting.

Sure enough: 3 new inches at Vail and A-Basin, 4 new inches at Breck and Keystone, and 5 new inches at Wolf Creek. It’s 8:30 now, lifts open at 9. I stopped futzing with my shoes to write this post. It’s sort of a quiet protest. By the time I get my cup of coffee and get settled in at my desk, folks will be taking the first lifts up for the day and cutting into some freshies.

Normally, it wouldn’t bother me so much - but this season we’ve had pretty crappy conditions. It’s also been over two weeks since I’ve ridden, and I’m none too happy about that. Anyway, I gotta tie my shoes now. Then, I’m off to work.

I recently took a work trip to Dundee, Scotland. It was my first trip over the pond. I did not get much play time. Overall, I don’t see Dundee being one of the places in the world that I’d like to live. Anyway, I poked my head in a toy store while there and saw this “snowboard”. I think I would have called it a butt shovel myself.

Overall, things have been slow this snowboarding season. Nino and I went up to Wolf Creek the weekend before last. We had wonderful conditions. It dumped the first two days we were there, and the sun came out on the third. I got to ride with good friends from Texas (and some new friends). Overall, it was one of the best weekends in a while.

The spring equinox is near and the snowboarding season is drawing to a close. I’m scheduling a surf trip to Sayulita soon. While chatting with friends, I realized I’ve gone to Sayulita every year for the past 3 years. I figured I should try to make it again this year.

I did not get to ride enough this season, but I’m happy I got in as many days as I have.

A few weeks ago I was at A-Basin with Nino and decided to troll through the park. I didn’t hit any of the big terrain, but I was knocking around on lips and edges a bit. I came up on a toe-edge jump and the felt good for a backside 180 attempt. Probably because I didn’t have time to think about it, I came off pretty clean. I landed before I got around so I finished it off on the ground. To that extent, you might not really call it a 180. However, it’s still the first time I’ve been in the air rotating with my back facing down the mountain. I tried it a couple of more times and found it to be pretty easy. However, I haven’t managed to pull one off on a flat jump. The toe-edge really makes a difference.

In other news, I haven’t been getting out nearly enough. I had to take a business trip to Dundee last week. It’s been nearly 2 weeks since I’ve been on the snow and it’s making me sad. Not sure if I’ve blogged about it before, but I’ve just come out of a stint of “self employment” and am once again “working for the man”…. This whole 40 hours a week in the office thing gets in the way of my play time. Not cool.

The hardest part is seeing the snow reports lately. This season has lacked snowfall. It was only recently that I started seeing 6 & 8 inch overnight reports. With as few powder days as we’ve had this season, I hate to miss one. Luckily, next weekend will bring 3 much needed days of riding down in Wolf Creek. Hooray!

The attached photo was snapped on a hike at Walker Ranch. There was a bit of snow covering some of the tails, but overall it was warm. I wore shorts and took my hoodie off from time to time. There were a number of mountain bikes out on the trails. It’s definitely a sign that the weather is unseasonably warm here. I may have to move further north. I hear good things about Whistler.

Now, I say that… but the idea of switching to surfing keeps poking at the back of my mind. I keep digging through photos of Sayulita and dreaming of living near the beach for a while. I could give up snowboarding for a few seasons if I could surf in my back yard. In terms of snowboarding, I feel myself getting closer to reaching a plateau. I’d like to master the 360 and get some deep powder / back country experience under my belt. Beyond that, I don’t expect to progress much further. However, I’m so extremely new to surfing that I’ve got everything left to learn. All I’ve done is catch a few rollers on a longboard.

Either way, I hope to spend less time in an office soon.