Jonathan Tollefson

When you buy good snowboard equipment, you hope that it will never break or fall apart.  Well let me be the first to tell you that this is not the case.  No matter what kind of equipment you have, you are going to have to maintenance it at some point.  I want to help you get through the day without any snowboard issues because I don’t want you to have to cruise all the way back to the car from the back country with a loose binding or a missing strap saying “I’m an idiot; I should have brought my snowboard tool.”

Believe me it will happen.  Bindings come loose and straps fall off for no reason at all.  Take a look at the picture above.  This is me struggling to fix a loose strap on my binding with a screw driver that is used to fix skis.  At the start of the day, I always try to check my equipment before I get out on the hill, but for some reason I will still end up with a screwy binding screw that will come loose half way through the day.  This usually happens right before I am about to drop into an trackless powder bowl.  For this reason I have learned that everyone should bring a snowboard tool.

Tools are easy to find at your local shop, and they are fairly inexpensive.  Find one that is small, has many tools in one, and one that will fit nicely in your pocket.  Take it with you even though you might not want to.  It can save you an hour or two if you bring it.  You may never need it, and if this is the case, I say that you are lucky.  Take my advice, and make sure to thank me when you get to shred through the powder with tight bindings.  Loose screws happen to everyone.  Bringing your tool with you will only solidify that you will be able to snowboard all day, everyday.

Skinny, fat, black, white, big headed, ugly, cute, stupid, blind, deaf, crazy, addict, frugal, rich, blue, pink, albino, F-student, metal worker, horse manure picker upper, head in the sand, I hope I didn’t leave you out!  What I want you to know is that YOU can get behind a boat and wakeboard and wakesurf.

One of the best reasons I hear from people who don’t want to give these sports a try is “I can’t do that, I’m too old.”  Do you want to know what I think about statements like this?  It’s Crap!  Why don’t you just say that you don’t want to do it?  This is really what you are saying, anyway.  Don’t use an excuse, just say that you are not interested.  This will allow me to move on and talk about something in your life that you are interested in.  I won’t hate you, you can still be my friend, and I am sure that there is something we can talk about.  Do you like apples?

On the bright side, if you can get out of a chair, you can get up on a wakeboard or wakesurf board.  I know kids 5 years old that wakeboard, and I know people 60 years old that wakesurf.  So if you have the itch and think that you would like to give these sports a try, you should because you can.

If you don’t have a boat to get out on, or you don’t know anyone who has a boat, there are still many ways that you can Still Get Into It.  I encourage everyone to get out on a boat if you even have the slightest feeling that you would like to give these sports a try.  There is only one way to tell if you will like them or not, and that is to give them a try!

Do you have any stories or good excuses that you have heard.  It is always fun to hear how people get out of stuff that they really don’t want to do.  Please Share!!