www.snowboard-women.com

Ahhh… as snowboarders, we hate those traverses (aka catwalks or cat-tracks.) I’ll say that the concept of them is great - they allow you to get across the mountain and to another set of runs without riding all the way down and taking another chairlift or series of chairlifts to get around the hill. But they were originally made for skiers, who find it easy to make their way across on these flat pathways by using their poles to push themselves along.

(Eileen coming out of a catwalk at Vail)

We snowboarders have to build up a lot of momentum from a previous downhill slope and hope like hell we make it through the flats with enough speed so that we don’t have to unstrap and do the one-foot shuffle (or unstrap our snowboard entirely and walk!) But you shouldn’t have to rely on hope and momentum alone… although that helps a lot. Here are some tips you could try to make your life on those lengthy traverses easier…

• Keep your board tuned up and waxed. I couldn’t believe how much I was sticking on a few traverses my first day on Whistler. Well, I had neglected to wax my board prior to this trip, and it made all the difference! A fresh wax and edge-sharpening should help you slide across even the flats just a little easier.
• When you know there is a traverse coming up, build your speed. Just gun it and go for it. You’ll need the speed on the flat.
• When you’re in the traverse, point your board straight ahead and stay on one edge. If you carve even a little bit, you’ll create friction and slow your speed down shifting from edge to edge. Unless you have plenty of speed, keep the switching from heel to toe side, to a minimum.
• When choosing which side to lock into, I personally prefer heel-side. It’s a little easier on the legs than toe-side, which for me usually creates intense burning in my calves. The bigger quad and glute muscles are better equipped than your little ol’ calves at holding static for long periods. If you can, go for heel side.
• Try to keep your weight on your front foot. Tuck your front shoulder forward slightly and picture hanging your front hand towards your front foot. This will help you subconsciously lean your weight forwards. If you lean too much on the back foot, that acts as a brake and will drag your speed down.

But, even trying all this, stalls on the flats happen to the best of us… So hurry up and unstrap, get over to the side and out of the way, and get yourself to the next downhill pronto!

Or just grab some snowshoes… heh…