Ciara and I drove down to Halifax last Saturday to shred the ‘flex. It was hot, dry, and generally a bit poo.

Being there in the middle of the day when the sun is fully out is simply too much for the aged sprinkler system. They had some wax out, and I had my usual supply of washing up liquid, but neither availed. Dropping in from the ramp was fast enough, but by the time you hit the kicker it’s simply too slow. Pretty much unusable.

The best I managed was a sketchy backside 3. No photos, no videos, nothing to cross off the list. Wouldn’t have scored any points in a competition today.

The lift stopped also, which seems to be a common occurrence. It doesn’t bother me that much, but Ciara hates using the secondary lift!

So why then, am I looking forwards to going back? When it comes to a good Saturday afternoon session, am I being stupidly optimistic or are there other ways to unlock the potential of the slope?

I was talking to the guy who runs the place (I think); apparently the slope is totally different on evenings after the sun has gone down. I can believe that. The problem is that the opening times make it too costly for me to travel there, only to ride when the sun has gone in.

So I asked him about dousing the kicker with water. Apparently a solution of water and washing up liquid is best, which is what some of the regulars use. So next time I’m there, I’m gonna take a few buckets, plently of washing up liquid, and periodically lube the kicker.

I’m sure many people consider this to be a lot of effort. Especially considering that Cas’ is marginally closer and doesn’t suffer from a dry-slope… They may well be right – but I just really enjoy riding there. I like the kicker – when it’s running smoothe it can be awesome. So for now, I’m placing my faith in the ‘fax (and a handful of buckets).