9 Reasons to Stay Stoked When Fresh Pow is Lacking!

It's interesting how people's energy levels and attitudes can be so easily affected by weather conditions. A few epic days of fresh powder will have everyone brimming with stoke and smiling from ear to ear. But when Mother Nature doesn't feel like bestowing a fresh dumping of snow upon us, many people often choose not to ski or snowboard and instead lament about less than favourable conditions. Sure, we all much prefer to be riding powder, but I think it's really important to remember that you can't have perfection all the time and you need to make the most of whatever you've got to work with. Skiing and snowboarding is not dissimilar from surfing in this aspect. Like snow folk who become picky about what days they'll head up the hill, surfers often become picky with what days they choose to surf, reserving their surfing for when all of the prime conditions align a decent sized swell, perfect tides, offshore winds and sunshine. In a perfect world, this is what us surfers would be chasing everyday if possible, but the reality is that more often than not, this is not the case. It's how you choose to how to use these days that reflect whether you see the cup as being half full or half empty. Do you stay stoked and get out there and do the thing you love or do you complain and stay home while you wait for Mother Nature to work in your favour? We have no control over our fickle Mother Nature, but we do have control over our attitude and willingness to stay stoked, despite the conditions of the day. Given this is my first ski season, I'm just psyched to be seeing snow at all and I'll be aware that for all you seasoned skiers and snowboarders, it's easy to become complacent and a bit of a "snow snob" but I think regardless of whether you ski or snowboard or what level you'r at, here are a few reasons you should still get yourself up the hill when there ain't no powder!

1. Good vibes: The people who head out in less than perfect conditions are generally going to be the folk who like keeping the stoke alive, so you can be sure that the atmosphere will be one of camaraderie.
2. Less crowded: If everyone chooses to stay at home, you'll get to enjoy the benefits of empty lines and more space for you to work on your tricks off those side hits!
3. Chasing 100 days: We're all heard that in the hardcore snow enthusiast need to clock up 100 days each season, so how are you going to achieve that if you only ski/ride when the conditions are primo? The likelihood of 100 perfect days is pretty low, so you just gotta get up there in rain, hail or shine if you wanna crack the 100 day benchmark!
4. Exercise: You'll be moving and keeping that metabolism active, releasing endorphins and improves your mood.
5. Sleep in: You can relax in the morning when the rush for fresh tracks is not an issue! So you can enjoy an extra cup of coffee or an extra long stretch!
6. Makes you a more of a well-rounded skier/snowboarder: Being able to ski/board over ice, slushy pockets or whatever snow conditions of the day will boost your skill set and enable you to be more adaptable and shred when it's perfect to when it's average.
7. Finding treasure: Stumbling upon pockets of powder is like striking gold, so when there's no "fresh" powder, you can go exploring with your mates to hunt for stashes of pow! You'd be surprised that hidden gems await you!
8. It's better than being stuck in an office! With fresh mountain air, beautiful vistas to appreciate, at the end of the day, you're always going to have a good one no matter what and it beats being at work!
9. Don't be so SERIOUS: In surfing, the saying goes that "the best surfer is the one having the most fun". The same goes for skiing/snowboarding. So get up there, have a good time no matter what.

If you think of anything else I might have missed, I'd love to hear your comments!

All the best, Teash