Snowboarding Safety

The head

One blow to the skull and you might be "checking out" early - and I'm not talking about your room at the condo. Read my section on injuries. I'm uniquely qualified to speak on this subject as BOTH my kids have suffered head trauma. My son's case, he got a little over confident our second time out, caught the toe edge, and face-slammed. He was actually wearing a cheap helmet, but we think (no one saw it happen) his face actually took most of the force (cut lips, bruised eyebrow). As they used to say, he was knocked "silly". We managed to get him to the ski patrol center where they performed a field evaluation for concussion. All short term (last 24 hours) memory was wiped out. Ski patrol recommended immediate medical attention so off to the nearest ER we went. CAT scans, ruined day on the mountain, wasted money, big scare. Additionally, he also had to sit out of sports back at home for six weeks.

How could this have been prevented you may ask? Slowing down, a little closer supervision, a better helmet maybe? There is a possibility he was run over by someone (this has happened to me) because it was a crowded area. Like I said, we didn't see the accident. Naturally, next time out, I wanted to do all I could to keep it from happening again. I bought a much better helmet for him that included a face guard. Better safe than sorry.

The Tail Bone

This little vestigial appendage will take a terrific pounding when you first start snowboarding. In fact, it's pretty vulnerable even after you think you've got it all figured out. To protect it, you have to wear a pad over it. This is easier said than done because I've had a hard time finding products that do this. One is the "ButtPad" by WatchYourAss.com. It's just a simple pad made of thin foam that you slide into your pants before heading out. I found some "roller-hockey" shorts that provide excellent protection for the tail bone. Ice hockey pads are way too bulky.

The Wrists

When you are learning you will suffer a lot of embarrassing low speed flops. Instinctively you will reach out to catch yourself. This is when wrists are broken. Your instructor may tell you to make a fist when putting a hand out. This is a good idea, but you may not remember. To be sure, just buy or rent some wrist gaurds. Do not buy the kind for skateboarders - they won't fit under your gloves. Buy them where snowboards are sold. You can sell them on eBay once your past the learning stage.