By Guest Blogger: MATT SCHEXNAYDER

Spring is upon us, and although that means flowers blooming, birds chirping, and warmer weather, it also means we are nearing the end of snowboarding season (tear). When this time of the year comes, most riders will haphazardly toss their boards aside and not think about them again until that next snowfall comes. While most of you may think there is nothing wrong with that, this practice can eventually lead to some serious problems come next season: warping, delamination, and rusting, just to name a few. Thankfully, there are a few quick and simple steps you can take to prevent this from happening. It will be a good six months at least until most of us can enjoy the pleasures of fresh-fallen snow again, so when you store your board, you want to make sure you do it right.

Last February, the SpareFoot team actually took a little trip up to the mountains of Park City, UT (just outside of Salt Lake City) to test out our slope skills. Not too many of us had our own equipment, so we sought out a ski and snowboard rental shop that could provide for our then 30-person company; Ski ‘N See came through in the clutch.

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For those lucky souls who live very near several ski resorts – as a few hundred thousand Utahns do – it’s easy to get spoiled and only head out on a huge powder day or wait until the sun is shining bright. With spring skiing in Utah you often hit first chair with a new blanket of overnight snow and people in shorts or bikini tops. Here are a few things to keep in mind to get the best of the bluebird:

‡-Sunscreen! As they say, apply early and often. The reflection of the snow will burn quicker than any suntan face reflector

‡-Layers – The day will start cool and finish cool, but in between you will most likely want to shed some layers. If a locker isn’t handy, consider brining a backpack for your layers

‡-Don your dome protector – Don’t forgo your helmet because it might be warm, just make sure you get one with vents that open and close and you will get the breeze you need

‡-Sunglasses or goggles – The bright sun bouncing off the bright snow is not what your eye doctor ordered. Make sure to you have polarized lenses and the right colored lens for the reflection

‡-Seek the sunshine – Although you might run in to slushy patches, shadowed slopes can get icy in spring