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LOVE ‘EM, THEN LET ‘EM GO: WHY I BREAK UP WITH MY SNOWBOARDS By Jen Sass


overwhelming number of people I talked to said they W


keep them. If you, too, hang onto your old skis and boards, I invite you to consider my approach: Break up with them like you did with your college boyfriends or girlfriends.


OPTIMISTIC AND READY FOR FUN After all, our relationships with our gear bear an uncanny resemblance to those with signifi cant others. Skis and boards come into our lives at random times, maybe the introduction is made through a friend or parent – or maybe the new object of your on-snow aff ection catches your eye while you’re out on the town. Some you quickly form a connection with and others… not so much. T ey can instantly feel right, responsive, and reliable, while others are unpredictable and knock you off your feet. Some last for years, some only a few weeks. No matter the case, at the beginning you’re always optimistic and ready to have fun. And just because a newer model


comes along doesn’t mean we upgrade. We have all hung onto some boards for three seasons and others for just a demo. And, yes, we’ve even borrowed some from a friend’s throw-away pile to judge for ourselves.


TIME TO MOVE ON? Once you were the coolest thing on the mountain, and pretty rad as a duo. But inevitably there comes a time when things just aren’t working out like they used to. Maybe your goals changed, you lost interest, or maybe you grew out of a phase. Regardless,


66 | 32 DEGREES • FALL 2015


No bitter break- ups


for with author


Jen Sass. She’s all for sharing love


the other


riders who want to have a good time with her old boards.


the energy you put in is not what you’re getting out and it becomes time to adjust or move on. See the similarities yet? Just because that old board isn’t right for me doesn’t mean it isn’t right for someone else. Why should I put it in the basement to collect dust, when someone else can get as much joy out of it as I once did? I want that board to keep enjoying the winter and bring a smile to someone else’s face. T at’s why when I break up with my boards I allow them to move on to other riders; a good, devoted rider who will treat that board right. Instead of mounting those well-loved Völkls on the wall, or putting that K2 board behind the TV, pass them along and let them start a new life. Okay, so there’s no Match.com for skis and you probably don’t want to put your snowboards on Tinder. Why not


hat do people do with their used skis and snowboards once they buy new gear? I started wondering about this last winter, and the


love ‘em, then let ‘em go by giving your gear to a friend or return student for whom it’s well-matched… or donating it to a local swap or ski/ride program for disadvantaged groups. Even a sports consignment store might relish your cast-off s. As for my old gear fl ames, I’ll always


have the memories of our adventures together in my heart... and documented all over Facebook. To my ex-snowboard and its new companion: I wish you the best of luck with your future adventures.


Jen Sass, a Level II snowboard instructor with Freestyle Specialist 1 and Children’s Specialist 1 credentials, teaches at Minnesota’s Afton Alps Ski School and New England’s Mohawk Mountain


Discovery Center. Email: Sass.


Jen.L@gmail.com; LinkedIn: https://www. linkedin.com/in/jensass; Facebook: www.facebook.com/jen.sass


https://


Are you a board hoarder... or do you make sure your castaway gear fi nds a good home. Join the conversation at tiny.cc/80qc3x


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