To skeg or not to skeg

There is a saying about the Inuit that they have an unusually large number of words to describe snow. Snow quality, from a snurfer's, skier's or boarder's perspective is just the same, though we may not have to words to express it. What happens to an accumulation of snow over time with varying temperatures, time between snowfalls, the amount of snow and the pitch or terrain you are riding, will shape what kind of ride you might expect on a snurfer. Over time, many different designs of boards have come out to suit the interest of the rider. In Montreal, I've had a fascination with an ideal board than could be dragged along on a city sidewalk covered in snow, hitting the odd snow bank, to get to a local hill. The original snurfer had at times, a fixed aluminum skeg at the back center of the board for stability. Some of the first snowboard had outboard skegs towards the back of the board. All meant to keep the board tracking where the nose was pointed. I figured retractable skegs would make sense, so I tried a few designs without true success. There have been moments when it seemed to work, and others when they were clogged with snow and heavy, that they were more than redundant. Just the same, it's been fun working on different designs, testing them, and reworking them. It's all for fun.