Safety is a very necessary aspect of snow boarding not only to avoid injury to yourself but also to ensure the safety of innocent bystanders. Snow boarding safety should be the prime concern for all snow boarders, because it is considered an extreme sport and therefore more dangerous than usual.
So, in the interests of safety for snow boarders and their spectators, I have put a number of safety pointers together below.
The first thing to do is to check the quality of the snow board. Look for damage and especially cracks and splits. The board comes under a lot of stress while in use and you do not need it to disintegrate when you are travelling at speed.
While inspecting the board, check that it is the right size for you – in other words, is there enough room for you to put your feet on it comfortably? Using the right size board will allow you to exercise your skill without impediment.
After making certain that the snow board is good enough, you ought to make certain that you have the right protective clothing. One obvious concern is staying warm and another is being able to see where you are going. When you are travelling at high speeds, small flecks of snow and debris can be very painful and even blind you temporarily, so make sure that you are wearing protective goggles.
However, the goggles should be of a sufficient safety level, say, polycarbonate, and must also offer UV protection – UVa, UVb and UVc, if possible. Oakley make safety glasses and goggles of this type.
Make certain that your underwear is warm and then it will not matter very much what outer clothing you put on as long as it is waterproof and tear-resistant. Make sure that you are well padded, so that whenever you take that predestined fall, there is less likelihood of you breaking bones.
Next, make sure that your inner body is adequately maintained. Exercising in the snow and staying warm necessitates the expenditure of energy, so make sure that you have some. Whilst it is not recommended that you eat heartily just before exercising for fear of cramps, you do have to have eaten something with calories in it and you should make certain that your body is properly hydrated.
Think about taking some emergency supplies with you too. Snow boarding is a dangerous sport so it is easily possible that you could suffer a bad fall and have to wait for an emergency rescue, which can take a time and the weather could turn foul, so have some energy-rich chocolate and cereal bars on your person. You can eat snow to make water, but you may want to take a litre of water with you anyway.
And last, but not least, take a mobile phone with you – one that has GPS, so that you can accurately phone your location to the rescue services should you have to.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is now involved with Oakley safety glasses. If you would like to know more, please visit our site at Safety Glasses Bifocal