Struggling to accept that the snow season is actually over? You’re probably still in the denial phase, let us guide you through the six stages of grief and how to cope with each

One minute you and your goggle tan are hooning through spring slush in a t-shirt with best buddies as far as the eye can see, the next you’ve been cruelly transplanted back to planet greydom. A summer of concrete gazing and a job you hate awaits, plus the inevitable piss-taking from friends and family who don’t “get” snowboarding and have zero concept of a world in which the words sick and stoke are used non-ironically.

We feel your pain. All six stages of it. Here’s how to cope with each step of the post-snowboard season grieving process. You’ll be ok we promise.

1. The Denial Phase

The clouds are dark and stacked low in the sky. You squint at the horizon and smile. Are they mountains? Has my city had an Alpine backdrop this whole time? If you’re still wearing snowboard pants about the house, saying board, boots, helmet, goggles, gloves whenever you leave it, and trying to lift (or lower, depending on your height) your left leg to pass through public transport barriers, you’re still in the denial phase.

The remedy

Go with it for now. Play the tunes you heard most in the mountains, ride the bus with a switch stance, perma-picture your best tricks in your head and watch a lot of snowboard movies. This stage is actually quite fun, it’s the next one that really bites…