The Stomp Pad: A Necessary Thing
The mountain is a place of hard angles. Of ice. Of speed. You are balanced there, between the fall and the ride. You need good feet. You need to know the board.
Some call it a "stomp pad." I call it the place where the back boot stays true. It is a little thing of rubber, or sometimes clear plastic, like a bug caught in amber. But this little thing, it is important.
A bare board is a lie. It promises grip, but it cannot always deliver. A boot slips, you go down. The mountain has no sympathy. You don't want sympathy. You want grip.
I have ridden boards with pads that are too soft. Like riding a marshmallow. You push, the pad gives, your boot slides. No good. And I have seen pads that are hard like rock. Useless. It must give some. But not too much.
The pad must be there. In the right place. Where the boot will always find it. Never wrong. Always a feeling that is true. This is where you anchor. This is where you stand when you look down at the mountain. This is the truth of your stance.
This one works well. It is shaped like a crab claw. Because it grabs you like a crab. Not too hard, not too soft. It is a place of holding. It is a place of grip.
These pads are not fancy. They do not need to be. They just need to be true. This is the only way.
The mountain will test you. It will always test you. The board needs you. You need the stomp pad. You need the grip. The grip is everything. You stay upright. You live to ride another day. That is all.