Tips for Snowboarding Mauna Kea 

Tips for your trip up the mountain.
• Drive slow. Even new cars can overheat from the climb.
• Make sure you stop at the Onizuka Visitor Information Station
• Grab a Mauna Kea Visitor Guide while you’re there (free)
• Get hot chocolate (cheap but no longer donation-based)
• Take a look at the sun with the telescope
• Spend an hour and acclimate.
• Get all your snow board gear on. (Not as easy, at elevation)
• Get in some more water. Fill your bottles at the water fountain.
• Check fluids in your vehicle.
• Let your vehicle run for five minutes after you reach the Visitor Information Station.
• Ask about road and summit conditions.
• Signs to watch out for at the top of the mountain.
 • Sleepy or lazy behavior
 • Headaches, nausea, dehydration
 • Shortness of breath
 • Impaired judgment or impaired reasoning
 • If you or anyone you see is experiencing these symptoms, get down the mountain.

Tips for driving back down the mountain.
• Go slow, don’t try and keep up with any tour vans. (They have special brakes.)
• Stop at one of the two parking lots on the way down if your brakes start to smell.
• To keep from burning out your brakes, do the following;
• Put your vehicle in it’s lowest gear.
• Press the brakes hard and firm often but also let off the brakes often to keep them cool.
• Do not keep your foot on the brake pedal for more than ten seconds at a time.
• Turn on only your parking lights as you approach the visitor Information Station on your way back down. If it’s after sunset, there will be star gazing tours going on.
• Stop at the Visitor Information Station if you suspect your brakes need cooling. They also have a great video that starts a little before sunset if you get back in time.
• Stay awake. Many people don’t get tired until the drive back down the mountain after the 5,000′ mark -at the crossroads. Keep your friends awake when they’re driving you back down the mountain. The shoulders of Saddle Road are very unforgiving (think yard sale on lava).