If your holiday plans revolve around heading out on a ski trip with friends and family, then you’ll want to do whatever you can to avoid an injury on said trip. Doing so is not overly complicated, but it does require planning and slight alterations to your habits. A new report offers some valuable tips to anyone who’s going to be skiing or snowboarding in the near future.
The author breaks potential injuries down into different categories, starting with the type of damage that comes about due to faulty equipment. Rather than just relying on the equipment you’ve been using for years, he advises getting a professional technician to take a look at your boots and those bindings that keep you attached to them so that danger isn’t apparent.
You also can’t ignore the types of gear that can reduce the threat of an injury when some sort of accident does occur. If you go tumbling end over end down the mountain, you’ll be quite thankful that you invested in guards for your wrists and a helmet that can keep concussions and severe head trauma at bay.
The next type of injury brought up is that related to persons attempting to exceed their capabilities on the mountain. You should have some idea of what you can handle when you go skiing, and although we certainly understand the need to improve your skills, you absolutely mustn’t jump the gun.
If you’ve just started skiing, this isn’t the time to tackle the hardest routes you could possibly take. Don’t show off or think that you have to compete with persons who have been skiing longer and with more regularity than you, and don’t feel pressured by those who insist that you ski outside your comfort zone. This is a surefire way to make yourself susceptible to an injury.
The author points to a type of injury known as skier’s thumb that you may be able to avoid by learning to fall in the right manner. The temptation as you tumble is to stick your arm out with the fingers splayed in a bid to protect your core, but this actually puts your arm and your fingers at risk. Instead, you want to ball your fist up so that damage to each individual finger and thumb is minimized.
Finally, don’t underestimate the role that weather is going to play in skiing. Bad weather can turn a course for moderate skiers into an obstacle course that would challenge even the professionals. Know when to pack it in for the day or when to abort trips entirely so that you’re not endangered by circumstances outside your control.
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