The snake behaviour almost plays exactly the same as mouse-man in the Dragon's Trap. If you are landing on a stickable surface while holding the direction towards it, it will stick...otherwise, he'll fall. Kinda hard to explain, but it sometimes take a little bit to get used to. The decision to make it play exactly like mouse man I'm sure would have been intentional :)
Persevere with it, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it and it certainly isn't a reason to hate the entire game for.
Right after I posted this, I got through that section with no problems. These areas are difficult, but fun in a "I haven't had to do anything like this elsewhere in the game" kind of way, which makes them pretty memorable after the fact. Anyway, two gongs down. I'll hopefully finish this area tonight. :)I last played two nights ago, and it legit took me a few hours to fully clear the Volcano. Loved, it though.
And the sequence immediately after. Man. lol