The snow decides the equipment

When I wake up in the morning on a ski day, I get dressed and then spend some time looking in my toy chest trying to decide what kind of day it is going to be. I have set-ups for all three disciplines (alpine skiing, telemarking and snowboarding) and therefore some choices to make. What ultimately makes the decision for me is the snow conditions. When the snow is falling or the powder is deep the only boards i consider riding are the tele skis. Its hard to explain, but the feeling of slicing through deep powder on what is essentially one long ski with two edges is definitely the best thing in skiing.
But not everyday includes face shots courtesy of the fluffy white snow. For those days when the mountain hasn't received snow for a few days and all the fresh powder is gone, its good to switch it up a bit. When you can get up early and hit the fresh corduroy/machine groomed snow (the time right after the hill has been groomed), its nice to have alpine skis on, especially carving skis that will allow you to rip. If the crowds are down, a good day of going really fast on less steep terrain is often in order. It reminds me again what it means to let the skis go with no fear. While I can't reach speeds near what athletes on the World Cup reach, it feels great to go fast. The other great aspect of alpine skis is their versatility in the terrain park and superpipe. Having your heels locked down gives you more balance when landing in the pipe or landing switch (backwards) that just can't be done on teles, although some of the best tele skiers are attempting such feats. These days often contain lots of sunshine and early apres beers.
For the days when there will be little snow, not much corduroy, little visibility for the park and varied snow conditions, I grab the snowboard. Those warm days when the snow resembles the slush we often find in Vancouver also call for the snowboard. It is similar to wakeboarding and the single edge can really carve through the slush. Granted I am still not at the level on my snowboard to truly enjoy the park or the deep powder, hopefully i will be one day.
But for now it is tele in powder, alpine on groomers and in the park and snowboard all other times.