Overview
Winter 2024-2025 was epic! I rode over 57 days on the mountain and dramatically improved my skillset. I tried out a couple new boards and a bunch of different bindings, settling down on only a couple I would trust to carry me onward. I did a solid bit of night riding, which was extremely challenging (away from the lit runs). I took an avalanche training course, experienced an avalanche, and even got lost in the wilderness (ending up 3 miles away from the resort). Thankfully none of my mistakes were season-ending or life-ending.
I spent a good part of the season editing and posting videos of my runs, mostly to watch later but if you enjoy them as well, feel free to leave a comment. It's almost November and I'm still editing shorts from some of my favorite runs of the season! I've also been binging on my videos all year, soaking up the scenery.
Playlists
Most Memorable
With so many videos created this season, I probably missed a few, but here are some of my favorite runs of the season. Some are memorable due to excellent snow conditions, others cause of some trauma or lesson learned.
Full Season
All the runs from this season in one massive playlist. Endless snow action...
Shorts
Short action clips usually paired with music and/or commentary text. Shorts are scheduled regularly from now going on well into 2026. It's a way for me to continue having videos to watch through next season without pressure to put out 2026 videos during the season. I'm hoping to keep the posting steadily throughout the year, so stay tuned!
Riding
Style
My aggressive style of snowboarding may have calmed down a bit this season. Having seen my fair share of icy days and extremely sketch conditions, my posture tended to be more over-board and upright. I found it easier to drop down into edge pressure than to swing my weight out to a place that could be hard to recover from when the snow conditions change... and they changed constantly. I found myself playing a bit more with the mountain and feeling more connected to nature.. maybe even a little too connected; getting lost in the wilderness.*_*
The boards I'm riding and the conditions that I've ridden through have worked together to direct my riding style/preference this season... leaning into the "explorer" more often than just hard-charging through familiar terrain. Being able to read and adapt to changing conditions while exploring new terrain has been a wonderful learning experience.
A typical day for me involves getting warm and then training on challenging terrain... usually riding until exhaustion before heading out. A full day is rare, and half-days are plenty; two to three hours is usually enough for a solid workout.
Warming up
First lap is always a warmup but it can stretch out to the second or third lap, easily. The aim is to get warm and comfortable on the day's setup. First thing I focus on is finding where my edges are. This is typically done by feeling where board edges begin & end and the angles of pressure to apply that maintain grip. Easier said than done, but while in motion, taking mental notes of where the best edge control resides. I'm really just establishing a baseline here to work from.
Next up is to look for worse conditions to ride in; off-piste, into crust... stuff like that. Some modifications need to be made from the baseline, but once comfortable in the sketch, continuing further and further out into unfavorable snow conditions. Whenever the conditions get better, its just easier to ride through; but also, the sketch is less likely to cause a spill.
Training
For several seasons now, one of my training goals has been to be able to ride any conditions, specifically in steep consequential areas. This lands me on icy and crusty slopes trying to manage edge hold. I usually ride until the chatter in my knees tells me to chill or the exhaustion is too much to maintain focus and control. Most days in the season involved poor conditions and sketchy terrain.
When the snow is nice the icy crusty training pays off and I can push myself to higher speeds while minimizing spill-outs due to change of conditions. There are almost always crusty or icy patches randomly sprinkled around the mountain when the snow conditions are good.
Proper powder days are a treat and training turned into looking for extremely steep sections to ride through and build confidence. I dropped a few cliffs (10-15 feet, 3-5 meters) on steep angles slopes (>45 deg) and even 50-50'd a tree on Bobby Chute. Powder days are truly magical and training can feel pretty scary.
In practice, training ends up focused mostly on pushing my fitness level upwards throughout the season. Most days are ridden to exhaustion, typically as one of my legs tells me we should have left 2 runs prior. Several days had ended from leg cramps that made it tough to get back to the resort base but I did pretty well this season to start heading back around the right time. One saving grace has been my competence riding switch, which has helped me comfortably get out of sticky situations.
Switch training is almost daily now, since I mostly ride twin and centered. On top of that, dedicated goofy-stance days have really helped improve my ambidexterity; being locked in mentally is a crucial skill. It's becoming clear that I would have to favor riding goofy (for a long while) to catch up to my level of riding regular. Only 4 days this season were dedicated to directional goofy riding but the progress made in those four days was noticeable... But I still watched my dominant stance create a bigger gap between my non-dominant side. #_# Some highlights from the season were committing to switch in powder and riding very bumpy & variable terrain.
Spins were still on the agenda this season but didn't get any dedicated days. I mostly worked on backside 180s and tried an occasional 3. Usually not down the fall line, but rather across a steep slope (where I feel most comfortable). I didn't always record my spin practice because I don't find it fun to watch, but it happened anyhow. Only got a few nights in the park trying them off jumps in slushy snow. One of these seasons I'll find my way to the park in the Spring to master some of these basics.
Stance
Didn't explore stance angles too much this season. 9|9 is my primary and then I just rotate that to forward facing for both regular and goofy; keeping that 18 degrees of separation. Directional days were typically due to deep snow or charging multiple days in a row. Here are my stance setups from this season:
Twin (48 days)
Stance angles were 9|9 and centered. Sometimes left foot first, other times right foot first; mostly to remember which way to get off the lift for the majority of the day. The mountain typically lends itself to one or the other and I usually used that as my primary direction driver... and sometimes upcoming obstacles would dictate which direction to face. It was fun to frontside 180 between regular and switch mid runs to adjust on the fly; even a few times in tight trees. 0_0
Regular (5 days)
Stance angles were 18|0. Didn't get too many directional days this season because they were restricted to snowy days. Riding switch was only to get out of somewhere safely or to catch a breather. I charge hardest in this stance and get to see the results of my training.
Goofy (4 days)
Stance angles were 0|18. This was mostly to mirror the regular stance and to ensure I'm getting similar mechanics developed on both sides. Being committed to goofy for an entire day is quite challenging but also very rewarding. I want to carry this forward and get at least 3 days goofy each season. Most goofy days were in prep for a regular day, because both days had great snow but my legs couldn't handle two consecutive days in one direction.
Setback
Mostly riding centered but on deep powder days, the Orca sometimes got set all the way back. Other boards were kept with narrowest stance widths possible to keep bi-directional float at a max and to turn tighter.
Forward Lean
Typically, I've been pretty aggressive with the forward lean, which makes it much easier to go from edge to edge. I dialed it back a little this season and rode the BMBW Transfer bindings at 18 degrees (3/4 on the lean setting). For the Bataleon Atom/Astro bindings, they were set 1 to 3 ticks past the mid-line, which angles them forward quite a bit (but not maxed out); it was hard to set them exact because of the lean being part of other alignment adjustments needed for a centered and comfy fit. The Burton Genesis was set to F4 or F5, which is still pretty cranked forward.
Boards
Gnu Headspace (25.75 days)
An aggressive park board. 155W
The go-to board. If I could ride this board everywhere, I would. It wants to charge all-day everyday. Unfortunately, deep powder is still difficult to do... but not impossible with the wide sizing! I was impressed at my progress this season in riding deeper snow with this board both regular and switch (always riding this board twin and centered). It's still a tremendous workout (in powder) but I managed to go full days without heading to the car to swap out for a directional ride. The edge hold on ice is unmatched, which is why it got so many days this season. It's hard to start the season on this board cause it wants you to be on your game, so the Riders Choice was a good way to warm into hard-charging.
Gnu Riders Choice (18 days)
A proper do-anything board in all conditions. 155W
Ice and crust, trees, groomers, powder, deep powder... it was all doable and fun. This board was a proper confidence booster this season and it did very well with night riding (typically icier). My biggest gripe is the camber profile which puts a pivot point between the feet, making it really easy to lose control on flats at speed; straight lining is something I don't even consider. The shaky feeling underfoot was unsettling at times (especially Glacier Road at Blackcomb Mountain).
Lib Tech Orca (5 days)
A powder-specific board with excellent edge hold. 153 cm
The go-to on deep powder days. The nose is notably longer, which helps with float but takes some getting used-to in the trees. I clipped a couple trees with poor timing of my turns. The turning experience of this board continues to be sharp and fun, but I had to be somewhat cautious in steep tight trees. Some of the craziest runs of the season were on this board, when the powder got so good that we had to go directional and even set it back a bit. Riding goofy is a treat on this one.
This board is an all-time favorite. It's on its last leg with the damage it has taken from season to season, which is a bummer but I'm looking forward to the next Orca taking its place! The edge hold on icy crusty terrain is impressive and its crazy nimble. The nose can be a bit soft and fold in heavy snow, so maybe the Apex Orca can sort that one out.
Yes Greats Uninc (4 days)
An asymmetrical twin board. 159 cm
I was excited to get this board in a bigger size (159 cm) with hopes that it would be kinda like the Riders Choice but stiffer and without the pivot point. What I was looking for was a similar turning experience and edge hold with increased float in deep snow. I got one really solid powder day on this at Revelstoke, which somehow ended up with edge separation behind one heel. I took it to the shop to get it glued but got it back in time for only one more day at Revy. The next day on it was my last day at Revy and the other foot's heel edge started to separate as well. Bummer that I had to warranty the board after only 4 days of riding... and I wasn't doing anything crazy either. Earlier in the season, I got a day at Alpental on it, which was variable conditions and gave me an idea of the edge-hold. Hopefully the replacement (warranty) board this upcoming season delivers!
Weston Hatchet (3.25 days)
A very wide, powder-specific directional board. 152 cm
Maybe my biggest disappointment-purchase second to the Arbor Brian Iguchi Pro Camber board I rode several years back. If I could return this board I would, it really only suits me on days with bottomless powder, which are few and far in-between. On extremely steep slopes, this board became a liability... I had to go to the car and swap it out a couple times. I would never leave home with just this board in hand. The width of the board makes it very slow to turn (for boots under size 12?) and the edge hold is mediocre on crust; the combination of these two is straight hazardous.
Having said all that, I had an amazing day getting to know this board at Mt Baker this season. We got a deep powder day with refills midday that let me really explore the steeps with this board. It provided a great platform for landing massive drops (~15 feet, 3 meter), but with my narrow stance it required a fairly precise centering of mass.
Riding this switch was extremely overrated and I would not recommend this for making turns switch in powder. Landing switch is fine but the turning experience of switch in deep powder (which is where you want to be riding this board) is lack-luster. It's probably great at carving groomers, but that's not where I find myself very often.
Lib Tech Son of Birdman (1 day)
A directional all-terrain board. 165 cm
A special treat for the last day of the season. The specs are kinda wild and I sized up to the 165 cm since the effective edge is hella short (98 cm). It turns sharp and rode pretty well on variable-conditioned Alpental in the Internationale area (experts only). Initial impressions are high but it's definitely not a switch turning board, despite Mervin hyping it up to replace your twin. -_- Very much a directional board because there's so much nose on it. I'm looking forward to getting more days on it next season!
Bindings
I tried out a lot of different bindings this season and learned a lot about the binding to board matchup process. I was in search of bindings that match my riding style and which boards to pair them with and came out with a decent understanding of the setup I want to take into next season.
Bataleon Atom (20 days)
My highest performing bindings, ideal for hard-charging with mid to stiff flexing boards. The bolts can rattle loose on chattery icy slopes, so I found it best to do a gear check before every day on the mountain with them. I really enjoy the precision these bindings offer and they have a bit of playfulness in them but they are mostly for comfort and response. They paired up great with the Headspace and were also awesome with Orca and Hatchet. They were a bit of overkill for the Rider's Choice.
Bent Metal Transfer (10 days)
I was clicking into my bindings up near 7th Heaven (at Stevens Pass) and a rider sat down next to me and started sharing how much he loved his bindings, then zipped off into double diamond terrain. I had to see it for myself. These bindings did not disappoint in the least!
My first day on these was a special day at Crystal where the snow was buttery soft. They ended up as my second choice for most days and pair up nicely with mid to stiff flexing boards. Similar to the Atom bindings, I probably wouldn't pair these up with the Rider's Choice.
The feeling under foot is like a sports car on the road, definitely feeling the chatter come up through. I wouldn't recommend these on really icy days but they still performed well, just left my feet a little achy. I think it has to do with the stiff footbeds, but they are interchangeable with softer ones from BMBW. My only other wish for these is that the heel cup were a little higher up, to allow me to ride extremely steep terrain without heel drag. Overall, I was pretty happy with these bindings and look forward to more seasons with them!
Burton Genesis StepOn (9 days)
Probably the only StepOn bindings I would ride. I have the regular ones (gen-1) as well as the X and the lo-backs... all made by Burton before any other manufacturers got in the game. The Genesis just give that extra cush in the highback to take away some of the twitchiness of the StepOn system. I've been on these bindings for a few years now and they hold up well enough. On days that I want to really charge hard, I don't take these out, but that is mostly because of the boots, not the bindings. The responsiveness of these bindings is pretty high.
Burton Genesis (8 days)
These bindings were on their last leg. I love the way they feel and perform, until the toe straps start slipping. This led me to look at other binding designs, rather than buy a bunch of toe straps to replace each season. I can still ride with them, just not on very snowy days or when I really want to charge hard. They pair up very nicely with the Rider's Choice and are great for Mid and Soft flexing boards. I sometimes ride them on stiff boards, but the performance just isn't quite what I'm looking for. If they fix the toe straps, I may find myself back on a pair someday.
Bataleon Astro (7 days)
These ones are very similar to the Atom but a little bit more playful. Very very subtlely different. They were a great alternate set when I had a different board set up to ride the Atom and wanted to get set up for multi-day riding in one go.
My only complaints were the weight, notably heavier than the Atom, and they had a similar issue with the ratchets, which made my fingers hurt after constant use... they are kinda sticky and never pop off smoothly (but also never release unexpectedly).
Union Atlas FC (2 days)
A terrible disappointment. I was in-between sizes and went with the large. My feet would slip in the bindings while riding and after a couple days, I decided to drop them. I don't want to rant about how little I like these bindings, so I'll just end it there.
Rome Cleaver (1 day)
One day is all it took. I felt the ankle strap on my foot for maybe 3 days later while up in Whistler. They really weren't made for my style of riding, which was sad to discover. The performance of them was solid and I thought I would give them a few chances, but the foot pain I experienced after 1 day of "mild" charging made the decision to drop these easy.
Boots
Vans Infuse (50 days)
Got a new pair of these boots to start the season. They started to lose stiffness this season but overall I'm very happy with how they fit, feel, and perform. A truly excellent boot if you want stiff, supportive, but comfortable footwear. Finding a good boot is tough for me, so I keep an extra pair in stock in case my daily drivers kick the bucket.
When they get softened up a bit, they are still in very great shape but flex a little more than I would like and I start to feel my ankle straps a bit too much... they end up being a boot for park days or a more chill day on the mountain with friends.
I found a pretty solid routine for riding these daily which starts with loosely fastening them and getting in a warm up lap or two. Then tightening them down a little bit and riding a bit harder. By the third or fourth lap, they're fitting snug and ready to be tightened all the way down... leaving it there for the rest of the day. I rarely have to retighten late in the day, reserved for days where I'm really charging hard (less than a handful) for a full day.
Nitro Darkseid StepOn (7 days)
This was an experimental last ditch effort to not give up on the StepOn system. I enjoy the convenience but really need better performance and more importantly, comfort. Burton boots are notoriously uncomfortable... I had a pair of Photons that made my feet hurt, moved on to a pair of Ions that performed very well for a few seasons; tried to replace them but couldn't find any Ions that matched the fit... so I picked up DC Judge, which was more chill and playful; definitely not hard charging.
At the verge of giving up, I tried the Nitro Profile (extremely comfortable footbed) but they had a plastic plate inside the boot that irritated the top of my foot. This season I decided to give Nitro another chance and grabbed the Darkseid, which have a little bit of an issue with foot hold. It takes some getting used-to with these but I learned how to change my riding to accommodate them. Definitely not what I want for hard-charging; they require a bit of foot movement to get the response I'm looking for in steep consequential terrain.
The most challenging warmup this season was on a shorter day where I went straight out to a double diamond run (Bobby Chute at Stevens Pass) with these boots forgetting that they have some play in them. My feet shifted in the boots and bucked me on a mogul. It was funny to look back through the video and see ski patrol behind me just watching me fail epically. Thankfully, I recovered quickly in such high-consequence terrain. Definitely need a warmup lap to figure out the timing and take the transition to riding these boots more seriously.
Terrain
Steeps
Pretty much where I spend my time on the mountain. I usually start with a warmup on a black diamond run and then work my way over to double diamond runs. Whether conditions are icy, crusty, or favorable really doesn't matter... there's work to be done in the steeps. Typically looking to ride 45 degree slopes or steeper with my feet mostly on the ground.
Moguls
I know many snowboarders hate them but they are my favorite. I'm typically warming up in moguls if not getting a solid workout in them. The bigger and steeper the better, the more the merrier. Small moguls started feeling like flat terrain this season, so maybe I can learn to get some air in them next season. Icy moguls became a new affinity this season during the January drought, when riding in the trees was treacherous.
Glades (trees)
After a good mogul warmup, I'm off to the trees, as long as the snow isn't diabolical. Nothing quite compares to being immersed in nature, so tree runs are pure bliss... I'll be here until I start to fatigue; never riding exhausted in the trees because the risk is just too high. Wild Katz run at Stevens Pass is my all-time favorite gladed terrain, because it's 45+ degrees and densely forested with enormous old-growth evergreens.
Cliffs
I scouted several cliffs this season but only dropped a couple. Looking to tackle more of these in the upcoming seasons but the impact to the hips and knees has me progressing cautiously. Powder days are really the times to let loose, where steep slopes feel like a playground.
Conditions
Wet and Heavy
The PNW gets many many days of wet and heavy snow; especially at lower elevations. Mid-mountain and below is likely to be wet and heavy even on some of the best snow days, it really depends on the temperatures. Riding through this type of snow is a crazy leg workout and a quick way to shorten the day on the mountain.
Variable
With my terrain choices, this best describes most of my riding: patches of nice soft snow with sections of crust and ice... always changing the feel underfoot. This terrain keeps me on my game, never sleeping at the wheel. My riding stance has conformed to this and I am mostly upright over the board and dipping down with my knees to maneuver.
Dust on Crust
So-called powder days where we get 2 to 5 inches of snow. After an hour or two, most areas in-bounds have exposed crust or are just lightly covered with soft snow. Its great to ride on and sketchy to turn. Similar to Variable conditions, I favor riding for the worst and don't lean too hard on my turns because a crust patch might send me sliding.
Crusty
The overwhelming majority of days this season were crusty and the range is quite broad. From very dense to grabby, I found myself interacting with crust more than any other condition. The Headspace was the go-to board on these days because it charges through crust so well without biting into it too much. The Rider's Choice also performed really well on crust, so it depended more on how hard I wanted to charge that day.
Icy
Ice is rare on the mountain and is usually isolated to small sections. Usually when I hear about icy conditions, it's more of dense crust than proper ice. I only encountered a few solid ice patches this season: one being at night where I slid uncontrolled...which was terrifying... and the majority of them actually in a very similar location on the mountain. The Headspace is for sure my favorite board for ice, but the Rider's Choice performed moderately well (it was the board I had the scary slide with).
Powder
The days we all look forward to... they can catch you mid-week or if you're lucky (but also unlucky) on the weekend. Weekend powder days are super packed and runs can get congested. Most of my choice terrain only gets a few hours of attention before the crust patches scare folks away. My go-to for powder is the Orca because it performs really well on crust and ice. On the rare chance of a bottomless powder day, the Hatchet is an awesome choice.
To my surprise, the Rider's Choice was a solid choice on powder days, but there are some caveats. I ride a wide board that has more surface area to float on and my stance is super narrow so that I can lean onto my back foot in either direction. My switch practice in powder this season was mostly done using this board. Leg burner, but a joy to see the progress!
I only got one powder day on the Yes Greats Uninc (asym twin), but having sized up, it performed really well both regular and goofy. Revelstoke wasn't really that steep for me, so I didn't get to test it properly in my preferred terrain.
I managed to ride a proper powder day this season on the Headspace (a park board), which was new and exciting. I even rode it switch and further leveled up my switch riding in the process. I wouldn't recommend trying this but I built up enough XP to make it work.
Slush
Usually don't ride much in the spring to avoid the slush but I got more of these days than I would like due to warm temperatures this season. Wax doesn't last for very long and the glide on the snow is inconsistent. Steep slopes help keep momentum going and the extra grip makes the steeps notably easier to ride... which makes the timing or turns a whole new experience. Still managed to have some fun runs.
Board Maintenance
Waxing
I mostly rode all-temp wax this season with maybe 1 or 2 cold days requiring proper low-temp wax. Almost exclusively Purl wax; the purple stuff. Typically go 2 to 3 days on mountain before reapplying wax, but have been using an infrared-iron which stretches out a bar five-to-ten-fold! A few days got warm enough to mix some graphite in with my wax but the purple stuff from Purl held up nicely on most days.
Sharpening
With regular waxing comes regular edge sharpening. I actually sharpen a lot more than I wax. Since almost every day is an encounter with crust and/or rocks, I tend to buff out burs pretty regularly and keep my edges sharp at all times. My one scare on ice this season got saved by sharp edges that I had done the night before, only furthering my commitment to being prepared for the worst of conditions.
Proper sharpening is done almost every time I wax, but I don't take a lot of metal off the edges. I have been using some diamond stones as well to buff the edges to an extra level of smooth, but typically only do the 500 grit with an occasional 1000 grit when I have more time to give. The sharpening technique is definitely improving and sometimes I run the stones by hand to not be so dependent on the angling tools. I run 88 degrees, which seems pretty typical for the PNW.
Some Memorable Moments
Avalanche (in bounds)
Ironically, a huge storm hit the day before my AIARE 1 avalanche course and I found myself in a D1 storm slab release on a steep slope (45+ degrees). Thankfully the volume was low and it only swept me down a short distance up against some trees. I paid really close attention in class to avoid finding myself in that kind of a situation again this season... mostly successful.
Out of Bounds (life-threatening)
This one was crazy. What could have easily been top 5 days of life turned into one of the worst of days. The snow as so good and the youth were out on the ridge above 7th Heaven battling it out in a freeride competition... you know its a good powder day when they close off areas for freeride comps. I was running lines up above Bobby Chute that connect down into it. While navigating the ridge, I drifted too close to the out of bounds and missed my turn to stay in-bounds... this is when the disaster started; around 10 to 11 am.
I thought I was traversing as I periodically checked my phone (no topo maps, no reception) and didn't realize how far from the resort I was until it was way too late to get back easily. The terrain was untouched & rugged and I found myself getting deeper and deeper into questionable covering. I lost my footing near a tree and fell into the canopy, clinging to a branch to avoid falling more than 10 feet down into the tree. Somehow I pulled myself up out of the tree and looked for a better path. As I got close to what I thought was a gully, I heard the rushing of a creek underneath the snow.
Rather than risking getting stuck in a creek, I decided to climb up to the nearest ridge in search of reception. The slope was 45-55 degrees of 2 to 3 foot snow. I spent 4 to 5 hours climbing around 900 feet to get to the ridge before the sun set. At the top of the ridge I was able to talk to ski patrol who sorta told me where I was and how to get out. They dispatched a rescue team, but as the cold front was moving in and the sun was setting, I started to get hypothermic and decided to take my chances riding down.
I traversed as much as I could in the direction I thought ski patrol told me to head, but the forest got super dense and I turned back and found a gully that wasn't rushing with water. I periodically sent an AirFlare to ski patrol so they could track me (even with spotty reception). I rode the (45 degree) gully until the snow was so thin that I couldn't... then slid down thin cover over fallen branches for a few hundred feet. I was relieved to see the highway at the bottom and was fortunate to get a ride back to the resort before the sun had fully set.
Near Collision
Had a close call with a skier who was sitting in a hard to see location on a trail that usually requires some speed to traverse up into the trees. Honestly don't know how we avoided contact but was happy to get out of there unscathed.
50-50 a Tree
On what was easily top 3 days of life... epic powder conditions fated me to 50-50 a tree on an extremely steep slope for my first run of the day. Truly madness... is what I thought as I stared at my line from the lift on the way back up. I had only thought to try it on the way up because I knew the landing was going to get amazing even if I crashed it hard. Most of the runs from this day were all-time for me.. the chutes were crazy to zip through.
Cliff Drops
Medium (night skiing)
I'm not sure why I thought it was a great idea but I found a gap in the trees that cuts across a super busy trail... but had much less traffic on it at night. So one epic powder night, I decided to shoot through the trees, dropping maybe 10 feet down into very deep powder. The first run through helped me set the landing and the second time through I was able to land the drop and ride away. Looking back, I could have easily collided with someone coming through a blind spot as I shot through the trees, so I really wouldn't recommend something like this without a spotter.
Big
This is a cliff (~15 foot, 3 meter) that I dropped last season; sketchily threading between some trees. This season the trees were all gone :( which made it much safer to drop. Getting to it through dense forest (in super steep terrain) is always challenging but (after a few tries) I found my way and got help from a skier down below spotting any oncoming traffic. Its so scary but equally as exciting to stomp the landing and rush out cutting across the entire trail... only on a really good powder day. The snow is very uneven in the runout since it crosses trails where folks traverse back to the Double Diamond lift.
Big
I scouted this intimidating drop at Mt. Baker from Chair 5 and had to give it a go. First attempt was an epic tumble, but I felt confident trying it again. It felt good to land it with very small margins for error (on a short board). The impact sinks the snow a solid foot or two underfoot so I had to backseat it a little to avoid catching my nose again.
Goofy on Wild Katz
This was one of my proudest moments of the season. I rode Wild Katz in a dedicated goofy stance. The entrance is super tricky and I usually charge it without hesitation when riding regular, but entering goofy had a whole different vibe. Internally I was trembling at the thought and went in pretty slow but was happy to have met the challenge head on and gotten through it safely. There is no comfortable section in this run, it's all high consequence and extremely intimidating. I'm thankful for such ideal conditions to push my progression like this!
Revelstoke Trip
This was a memorable trip because it was my first time at Revy; a 5-day trip. The top to bottom runs of this mountain are leg and back breaking... an epic descent. I made a note to go top to bottom every day for my last run, which left me needing a ton of stretching and bodywork in the afternoon/evening. The first day was pure exploration but also a sweet powder day... mixed with some sadness at how easy the terrain felt because I had hyped up how hard it would be after watching Natural Selection clips. Temps warmed up throughout the trip and I found myself sticking to higher elevations. A bit bummed that I never got to run the Kill the Banker trail cause it was closed... maybe next time. Overall enjoyed the mountain and found a few spots that were aligned with my preferred steepness and tree cover.
Looking Ahead
I'm excited for the 2025-2026 season to start! It's supposed to be colder and wetter than normal up in the PNW, so hopefully that prediction is accurate and we're in for a special season. I'm thinking a lot these days about how to progress my goofy stance and catch it up to my dominant side... because I really enjoy competency in both. Originally, the Son of Birdman board was just a bit of curiosity but with some more thought, it might be a good board for alternating between directional and twin days more consistently. I just need to convince myself to ride more directional days.
With the season fast approaching, I've started switching out of soccer training back into snowboard related workouts and will ramp that up more as winter starts to settle in. There is a lot of overlap between the two but there's also a clear transition between the two seasons where the focus needs to change. In a few weeks, it will be time to start prepping the boards for snow and finalizing plans for where to ride this season; can't wait!! If you haven't tried it yet, Barre3 is a great way to get your legs ready for snowboarding.
