Here in the UK we’re still enjoying those warm summer months. After amazing weather in July we’re still doing OK in terms of less rain and more sun, but without wanting to sound like the prophet of doom, winter will soon be upon us. The fat man in his red suit will be belting out annoying seasonal songs and 2013 will be but a distant memory.

Time for the slopes! – Tez

If you’re like me and spend the majority of your time with perpetually wet feet and a little of sand in the bottom of your bed, then winter can be a bummer. There’s nothing more demotivating than waking in darkness, nipples hard from brass monkey digits and trying to man up enough to head to the beach for wind or surf session.

Cold weather is the bane of a water baby’s life and although winter in Britain is generally a mild affair, single figure mercury readings are never going to be cause for celebration.

Snowboarding

Snowboarding bridges the seasonal gap perfectly.

Carving up the white stuff is a way to scratch that never ending itch and make use of the winter proper. OK, I’ll admit that living on the south coast is hardly rich pickings in terms of mountainous terrain, but where there’s a will there’s a way.

Reasons to snowboard this season

If you enjoy messing about with boards, but still have yet to take the plunge then this coming season is the ideal time to get involved with snowboarding. It could be the complimentary discipline, to your regular H2O shenanigans, you’ve been searching for.

Popping one off – Tez

So stop thinking about how to while away the hours of winter, waiting for the next spell of warmth, and get strapped in!

Opportunity

The world is full of ingenious people who are happy to think outside the box. Coming up with ways to tackle problems in our everyday lives is their bread an butter.

The UK has a long and distinguished heritage within snowsports, which is surprising as we’re a little bit short on proper hills. And yet, dry slopes and indoor ski runs have been steadily popping up over the last few years in a bid to satisfy our snowboarding and skiing urges.

There’s loads of batty ideas coming out all the time such as titling slopes that eradicate the need for lifts – to name one! Plans for a massive new ski slope at Stratford Olympic Park is another.

Travel – still relatively cheap

We all know that economically the situation is still far from rosy and gone are the days of true budget travel. A snowboard holiday can cost an arm and a leg if you don’t do your research properly but with prior planning and preparation deals can still be had.

Getting a bunch of mates together to help ease the burden of resort accommodation and fuel costs, if driving, is one way to achieve an affordable winter snowboarding trip.

The wife heading over the precipice – Fi

Many tour operators and holiday companies still discount as well, particularly outside of high season. Look for those deals around the beginning of January and straight after February half term. You might be surprised just how little pounds you have to spend.

Winter Olympics 2014

Many will be aware that February sees the 2014 Winter Olympics kick off in Sochi. The great news is that Slopestyle has been confirmed for inclusion.

For those not already informed, Slopestyle is where competitors race each other along a course with obstacles – rails, boxes and kickers – placed at strategic intervals. Essentially this kind of course mimics what a typical snowboarders riding tends to be – albeit it in a more competitive and high performance setting.

With twice Winter X-Games winner, Jenny Jones, hopefully in contention for a medal and the UKs Joe Public still on a high from London 2012, Sochi 2014 may end up delivering a similar fever pitch atmosphere to that of the summer Olympics – OK maybe not quite, but it should still be a banger!

Leeds born halfpipe rider, Dom Harrington, will also hopefully be on show for Team GB and with this being the Olympics, who knows how the final result will pan out. Show your support by jumping on your own shred stick and going for a burn!

European winter

The past few winters have been bloody Baltic in the UK. Everywhere you turned there were reports of the Big Freeze.

From a snowboarder’s point of view, this is actually good news as the mountain escapes over on the continent have enjoyed a number of bumper seasons.

Fifi tweaking it – Fi

If the winter is getting you down at home then getting gone to somewhere you can actually make use of all this fresh powder is a sure fire way to keep stoke levels up and avoid the blues the rest of the country will no doubt slump into this coming season.

Do it!

If you’re still not yet convinced about giving snowboarding a bash then consider this –

Even as a totally beginner, you’ll end up with more riding hours under your belt from one week in a ski resort than you probably will get in six months of windsurfing and/or surfing.

You don’t have to wait around for conditions (good conditions maybe, but you get my point) as the snow is just there. Even on flat light days you’ll be able to find a place to slide, even if it’s just messing about on nursery slopes or building kickers with a bunch of mates.

Just one reason to head of snowboarding!

And let’s not forget the après, which depending on the resort you find yourself in, can be reason alone to head off on a winter snowboarding jolly!

Snowboarding – try it, you might like it…