Westbound Boarder

After a somewhat extended winter season, with many mountains out west receiving several feet of fresh pow in the middle of April, spring riding conditions have finally snuck up on us.  Personally, spring is my favorite time to ride.  As people begin to trade their boots for booties, the resorts are much less crowded, the vibe is super fun and chill, and the weather is great!  But there is one thing to always remember while shedding your outer layers and heading up to the slopes on a 60 degree SoCal day - sunblock.

Now, I always like to add a personal touch to my stories here on Westbound Boarder, so in an attempt to pepper some personal experience into this post I decided to embark on a mission of great detail - to head to Mammoth Mountain on a sunny, 60-degree spring day… sans sunscreen.  It was purely research! (Ok, so I simply forgot… so what?)  Hence… the photo to your right.  That’s right, I got goggle burn.

Yes, I’m sure you have read it many times in magazines, books and blogs; while sun is great and goggle burn is sorta cool, it does, in fact, cause damage to your skin, and the rays dispersed on the slopes can be much worse because they are reflected off the snow, actually magnifying the damaging effect.  This is why it is vital to always wear sunblock when you ride, especially on sunny spring days.

Despite my advice above and thousands of reports proving that the sun’s effect on skin is, in fact, damaging, many of you will probably ignore my advice and attempt to attain the infamous goggle tan anyway.  After all, we all know only legit riders rock the goggle tan, right?  So if you really feel like you must sport the goggle tan, below are some do’s and don’ts for achieving the perfect goggle tan:

DO

• Wear at least some form of sun protection to protect from UV rays and skin damage. SPF 15 will do just fine. Even better if sunscreen is already infused in your daily moisturizer. I really like Aveno Positively Radiant daily moisturizer (but beware, it’s SPF 30 - aka, not great if you’re going for the dark, defined goggle tan, as this will slightly lengthen the time it takes to achieve goggle tan perfection).
• Sport your goggles while eating lunch, without your hat and helmet on. This will prevent strange shapes and strap lines from appearing on funky places on your face, ultimately creating a nice, clean, and smooth goggle tan.
• Wear goggles, not sungasses.  Goggle tan = cool; 80’s Sunglasses tan = WTHWYT (What the heck were you thinking?!)

DON’T

• Wear your goggles in a tanning bed. That’s pretty lame. Okay, no, it’s really lame. Tanning bed goggle tan = way not hardcore.
• Use sunless tanner to half-ass your goggle tan.  Not only is it not hardcore, its also kind of weird.  Fake face tan = NOT a real goggle tan!
• Take a photo and photoshop in a goggle tan.  If you’re going to go that route, you may as well photoshop in Shaun White, while you’re at it.  If people don’t believe you and Shaun are shred friends, they probably won’t believe your photoshopped goggle tan either.
• Use a magic marker to draw on a goggle tan.  Hate to break it to ya, but I think people will notice.  And stare.  And possibly laugh.  Hey, if you pass out and wake up the next morning with a magic marker goggle tan (can we call it a mmgt?) that’s a different story.  But a mmgt on purpose?  Leave it to the 3-year-olds.
• Take goggles from kids. That’s just wrong; bring your own damn goggles.

Broken bones suck.  A lot.  Especially when they’re your wrists (trust me, I know; I’ve broken mine twice!  Once while snowboarding, and once, well…  Remember this story?)

Snowboarding and falling pretty much go hand in hand, so here’s a little rule we learned a long time ago that just, well, stuck: Fall on your fists, not on your wrists.

OK, I’ll just come right out and say what I know you all are thinking - The best way to protect your wrists is to not fall at all!  Duh moments aside, I really believe that if you’re not falling while riding, at least a few times, then you’re not pushing yourself hard enough or stepping outside of your comfort zone.  After all, we all want to become better snowboarders, right?  But another part to becoming a good rider is knowing how to protect your body from injury, first and foremost. And your wrists are your most vulnerable body part, so its good to keep this little rule in mind when using your hands to keep you from hitting the ground.

So next time you fall, don’t just fall; fall with a goal in mind - to fall on your fists, and then to get up and do it all over again.  Oh, and not come out with a broken wrist in the process.

Yes, yes, we know with several ski resorts beginning to open up nationwide, its easy to forget about that so-forgotten water sport surfing.  But fall and winter are actually prime time out in the surf!  The swells are bigger, the wind’s a bit more aggressive, and there are less people out, so as long as you can handle the colder water, late fall is a great time to hit the beach.  So grab a good wet suit and board, and hit the waves this fall, especially if you can’t make it up to the local mountains in the next month or two.

The ski/snowboard season is right around the corner, and with numerous resorts across the nation seeing their first signs of snow this past weekend, opening day is already in sight.  Which means… time to get your bootie in shape, so you can enjoy a full, tire-free day on the slopes (and not still feel it your next weekend up).

In case you missed our series on getting in shape for the upcoming snowboard season, definitely check it out:

• Establishing a Routine
  
• Beginner’s Workout
• Advanced Workout
• And a fun new toy to try… The Balance Board!

Enjoy!