safety is a very necessary aspect of snow boarding not just to avoid injury to yourself but also to ensure the safety of innocent bystanders. Snow boarding safety ought to be the prime anxiety for all snow boarders, because it is considered an extreme sport and therefore more dangerous than average.
So, in the interests of safety for snow boarders and their fans, 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 particularly cracks and splits. The board comes under a great deal of stress when in use and you do not want it to disintegrate whilst 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 sure that the snow board is good enough, you should make certain that you have the correct protective clothing. One obvious concern is staying warm and another is being able to see where you are going. Whilst you are travelling at high speeds, small flecks of snow and debris can get very painful and even blind you temporarily, so make certain that you are wearing protective goggles.
However, the goggles should be of a sufficient safety standard, say, polycarbonate, and should also offer UV protection – UVa, UVb and UVc, if you can get them. Oakley manufacture safety glasses and goggles of this calibre.
Make certain that your underwear is warm and then it will not matter too much what outer clothing you don as long as it is waterproof and tear-resistant. Make sure that you are well padded, so that when you take that inevitable 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 concerned with Oakley safety glasses. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Safety Glasses Bifocal
