Snow Boarding Safety

When it comes to snow boarding I always tell people that the most important thing that you have to consider is safety. Not just your own safety, but also the safety of others, please read through my tips whether you are an expert snow boarder that has never crashed, or if you are about to hit the slopes for the first time in your life. Whatever level you are at, snow boarding safety is important to everyone.

Tip Number 1

Snow Boarding Equipment Safety

Before you jump on a board you need to check that it is working properly and that there is nothing wrong with the board itself. You also need to check that it is the correct size, and that it is holding your snow boarding shoes properly. The fact is that when you are snow boarding, you rely on the safety of the board just as much as you do on your own skill.

Snow Boarding Clothing

If you are hitting the slopes you have to understand that looking great and being safe are two different things altogether. If you are considering what kind of glasses to wear then do not think that your average sun glasses will do the trick. When you are snow boarding it is possible to be blinded by the snow, or least get sore eyes, so make sure that you have proper UV protection for a start. The next step is to think about how you are going to keep warm. This is very serious as if you are not warm then it can do more than just ruin a days snow boarding. What you should do is wear warm clothing underneath your snow boarding gear, and you also have to 100% make sure that everything that you are wearing is water proof. Everyone has had a snow ball fight wearing gloves that aren’t water proof. Were your hands cold? Of course they were. That is why your clothing must be waterproof. The next step when it comes to clothing is thinking about your safety, and by safety I mean padding. Yes folks, looking like a football player when you hit the slopes is the best thing to do, you can be sure to have a lot less pain when you fall.

Snow Boarding – Food and Water

When you are snow boarding it is important that you eat and drink enough to get by. When you are going to the slopes it is not recommended that you eat too much before you start, but make sure that you have a healthy snack and be sure to drink plenty of water. People always think that because it may be cold, that they are not thirsty, however this a reason why many people get dehydrated on the slope. Did you know that more people suffer dehydration from skiing than from long jump, table tennis and dancing put together. Why is that? Because people need to think about what they need, rather than the usual signs that they may be thirsty. However, when people do go snow boarding accidents can happen and that is why you must be prepared. When you go on a long run you should take emergency food and drink. What I mean by this is around 1 litre of water and maybe cereal bars or something. What we are talking about is calories, fat and protein. This means that if anything bad was ever to happen then you could surely get something to eat and drink, and that will make you last longer in a bad situation.

When you are snow boarding safety is of paramount importance. Everyone can still enjoy themselves, but they should take precautions when they do. What I recommend is that people should take a mobile phone with them when they go snow boarding, and also bring a replacement SIM card. Why is that? Because if you do not get a signal out on the slopes then you will double your chances of getting one, if you have a phone that uses a different operator. A replacement battery is also a great idea, but only for emergencies!

Snow Boarding Holidays

OK so have you ever been on a snowboarding holiday? If so, then you must have enjoyed yourself. The thing about Snow Boarding is that absolutely everybody can enjoy it regardless of their ability. When I first went on a snow boarding holiday it was with my friends and they had all been snow boarding already. This was something that I had never done before, and I was obviously nervous about whether or not I could really enjoy myself when I had absolutely no experience on a board.

But the fact is that I enjoyed it just as much as them, if not more! When you get behind a board something special happens, that I cannot explain. When you are going down a slope, no matter how small, you feel something special when you start to speed up and the acceleration just hits you. I went on the starter slope with my friend who had also never been snow boarding before, but we really enjoyed ourselves. We were firstly given instructions and training by a girl who was an experienced snow boarder. She basically gave us all the hints and tips that we would need to hit the slopes ourselves.

After we had been given the training we also got taught one of the most difficult parts of snow boarding. Yes guys, you guessed it – How to get to the top of the hill on our own. It is really difficult because if you miss-time getting on the lift then you could fall, and if you miss-time getting off the lift then problems can happen just as easily. This is what I always noticed when I was snowboarding because I actually used to get really nervous before I approached the lift. Getting off a snow boarding lift is probably just as difficult for a beginner.

Now let me tell you more about what you can actually get up to on a snow boarding holiday. There is so much to do that it is unbelievable but what I really enjoy the most is how relaxing they are, if not tiring!

You get up in the morning and if you are staying at a hotel, then you really should try and get as big a breakfast as your stomach can handle! Next it is time to hit the slopes, and that it the part that takes up most of the day. When you are deciding what slope to go to you should ask people what slope they prefer and what kind of slope they enjoy. For me this was simple, as I was just a beginner. But as the week went on I did start to get a little braver I have to say. After you have spent your day snow boarding, there is usually lots that you can do on a snow boarding holiday. For a start, you can think of activities that you would do back home. Me and my friends are from the states and we had never been allowed to drink before. So when we went to Europe and we were 20 we could not wait to sample drinking in clubs and pubs around the slopes. This was so much fun, and I have to say that apart from the snow boarding this was the best part of the holiday.

A lot of people ask me if you have to hire out a snow board to go snow boarding on a snow boarding holiday but this is not the case at all. You can easily rent one out when you are over here and it really will not be that much cost at all. My friends are all snow boarders and they decided to hire out snow boards because it actually worked out cheaper than the cost of flying them over on the plane. Whatever you do go on a snow boarding holiday and I am sure that you will really enjoy yourself if you are anything like me.

Snowboarding Accidents

Snowboarding accidents happen every single day and the reasons for this vary from person to person, and from accident to accident. Despite this, one thing remains prominent. Of those accidents, many of them could have been stopped with appropriate care and attention from the snowboarders involved. This is why we have to realise that snowboarding is a dangerous sport, and therefore health and safety should always remain an issue to any snowboarder.

The first thing that any snowboarder has to remember is to wear appropriate protective head wear. Protective head wear may not look as cool, or even be as warm as a hat, but when it comes to going down the slopes wearing one could save your life. In 2003 15 people suffered fatal head injuries whilst snowboarding. This number could have been reduced to 0 if those 15 people had chosen wear a helmet whilst snowboarding. When people go snowboarding and do not wear a helmet, they do not take precautions based on this, and are still happy to attempt stunts such as jumps, slaloms which involve dodging trees, and other activities that could not be recommended. People have to remember that snowboarding is in the top 10 most dangerous sports, and I would call on the authorities within the sport to drive even further towards excellence in health and safety.

My brother is a keen snowboarder and recently broke his leg whilst snowboarding. Although this was not his fault, many of the complications that went along with the injury could have been avoided with due care and attention. This includes the fact he was stranded on a slope for over 4 hours before he was noticed by a boarder who was then able to go and get help. But how could this have been avoided. Firstly he should not have chosen to hit the slopes on his own. Through doing this problems arise automatically, if you do have to go snowboarding on your own then make sure you tell people that you are away. I would also call on snowboarding facilities to keep better records of who is on the slope, and for what time. This could certainly help with many issues.

I would secondly advice and call for people to carry mobile phones with them when they go snowboarding. Even, a mobile phone on its own may not be enough if you do not have a signal or do not have any battery left in your phone. This is why I advise that you ensure that your battery is full at all times, and that you also take appropriate care to ensure that you have a replacement SIM card. If you have a replacement SIM card that works on your phone you may be doubling the chances of you being able to contact someone if you phone does not work. This is why people also choose to carry a torch, a flare or an air horn. All of these can work in alerting people to a situation as long as they are near where you currently are.

Health and safety are prominent issues in snowboarding and that is why we all, have to be careful that we abide by them. Through choosing to take simple measure we can all choose to snowboard, and enjoy ourselves at the same time. Do not make yourself another statistic.