If the eyewear does manage to stay on, getting stuck in powder is still the stuff of nightmares. Who doesn’t remember the frustrations of pushing against the ground in an effort to stand up, only for the snow to give way? Not that it gets much easier over time. Even now, pro snowboarders regularly get themselves lodged in tree wells and unexplained holes in the ground. It takes experience to know when to roll over and lever yourself up, and when to unstrap and hike your way out of a tricky situation. All too often, you see powder debutantes wrestling with the stuff, like an ex-cage fighter taking on some particularly nasty and invisible demons. Ever seen someone punch the ground? Properly attack the floor like it’s an assailant? If the answer is ‘no’ then you’ve never taken someone out into the deep stuff for their first time.