Monday, April 30, 2012

Safety Tips for Skiing

Downhill ski slalom at the Kitzsteinhorn
By Brayn Edwards

For a person who has never participated in winter sports, both skiing and snowboarding are same things. But when it comes to safety, skiing and snowboarding have lot of distinction. Of course several things are common as well such as both skiers and snowboarders should wear helmets and stay within their abilities. The basic mantra of safety for any winter sport is to always stay alert, attentive, and prepared.

The popularity of winter sports has increased significantly in past few years. And with increase in the number of participants, the number of injuries has also increased. Head injury is the most common of all the skiing injuries and accounts for more than half of the death caused due to winter sport accidents. The next common form of injury is injury to the skier's wrists. Every season, an approximate of 10,000 wrist fractures is caused in North America alone.

The best step to avoid any form of sports injury is to take a professional lesson. During the lesson, a new player will be taught about the intricacies of the sport and about how to fall with hands in a fist position. Researches show that use of helmets, wrist guards, ski gloves and other ski gears can bring a 43 percent reduction in injuries. The following points will help skiers avoid wrist injuries:

• Learn skiing from an experienced coach. He will tell you about how to ski as well as teach you about boarding and falling techniques.

• In case of falling forward, try to fall on the forearms instead of the hands. During a backward fall, let the buttocks handle the pressure of fall and avoid using your hands to protect yourself.

• Whenever you fall, try to fall on fist instead of open hands. Making a fist offers some support and keeps your fingers from splaying out. A ski glove is a handy equipment that helps in cushioning your hand and reduces the chances of injuries. Some ski gloves also come with in-built wrist guards.

• Use your forearms to keep your wrist stable and prevent it from hyper-extending.

• Putting your forearms down also protects your face from hitting the ground.

• Using proper ski gears, such as gloves, wrist guards, tailbone pads, elbow pads, knee, pads and helmets are important. You may even consider buying a combo pack of all these products to get good discounts on them.

• Try to keep yourself in shape. You'll enjoy skiing more and more if you are physically fit and fine.

Brayn Edwards is an expert in article writing and writes numerous articles on various topics. Check his website, which gives people advice about the best Skigear as well as more information on ski gloves.

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