I think your additional analogies are pretty spot on!    Small, precise, changes which allow you to isolate and account for the effect of different variables really help underpin the methodical development of a PS account.  The only exception to this would be when you know you’ve got to radically depart from the status quo to affect an immediate change – in which case there is sometimes the rationale for a divergent strategy. 

I think the other snowboarding metaphor worth considering is that of “work hard/play hard” and when you’ve put the hard yards into optimisation make sure you leave time for some Apres PPC!

Expanding on your second point about making too big a turn too often, I agree that small, controlled tweaks in keywords / ads can often be more effective than large overhauls. Guess it’s like trying to control a skidding car by frantically turning on the wheel, or controlling a shower with rapid changes from hot too cold – small tweaks often allow better control and measurement. It’s also easier to perform analysis when the number of turns (or changes) are minimal.

One other snowboarding metaphor you could perhaps add is to avoid stopping when evaluating under-performing PPC campaigns. When faced with an under-performing campaign, it’s all too easy to start afresh, research new keywords and write new ads. But the campaign could have already been 80% there, so using the momentum and speed you had previously built up (to keep the snowboarding metaphor), and instead performing in-depth analysis on how it failed, could be a better choice than starting again from stationary.

Looking forward to the next post on ballroom dancing…