Continued from page 1
If you're a beginner and if you don't have anything else, you can slide some bubble wrap down back of your pants. Use plenty! You'll hear bubbles pop when you fall and you'll be glad you wore them. And you will have saved a lot of jarring to your spine as well as wear and tear on your buttocks and tailbone.
Once you're convinced of need to save your posterior, invest in some real padding designed for snowboarders. A hard plastic shell outside with soft padding on inside is great. It will hardly be noticeable beneath your snow pants and it really helps.
Helmets for Snowboarders-- You might think (mistakenly) that helmets are only for people who ride in trees, or do big tricks. But first time you catch an edge and go CLUNK! and back of your head hits hard hard ground, you'll reconsider. A helmet also adds comfort of warmth and dryness, as well as cushioning for your brain. With a helmet on, you can ride in rain comfortably, and have slopes almost to yourself.
You should buy a helmet in person at a shop. Correct fit is mandatory and tricky. Get expert help at snowboard shop to be sure helmet fits. And have your helmet checked for safety and fit next season if you fell on it a lot or grew dreds or shaved your head since you purchased it.
Hydration for Snowboarders-- Snowboarding creates heat. That means you are perspiring, even when it's cold. Stay hydrated with water, and you will be able to ride longer and better. To replace water lost perspiring and breathing dry winter air, use a hydration system. It is a backpack with a water bladder, and a tube to deliver water to your mouth. Simple and efficient. Just grab tube, bite valve on end, and sip. You can easily do it while sitting on lift. You can wear it outside your coat, or even under it on freezing days.
You can do tricks and ride pipe while wearing a small hydration backpack, no problem. You can also throw an extra clothing layer, energy bar, tool set, or whatever in hydration backpack. The backpacks come in many different sizes and configurations.
Safety for Your Board-- It's just as important to protect your trusty ride when you get off it. Hardcore riders never let their boards out of their site. If you do, check yours at lodge, or lock it with a small cable lock that you carry in your backpack. Also register it online at http://www.SnowboardRegisty.com so if it does disappear, you at least have a chance of getting it back. And be a good citizen of snowboard universe. Before you buy a used board, check its serial number at http://www.SnowboardRegisty.com to make sure it wasn't reported stolen.
Ride Happily Many a Day-- Unlike with skating and surfing, you DON'T have to endure pain to learn and ride your snowboard. Respect yourself. Dress for safety and comfort on slopes, and you'll come back to ride happily many a day.
Read more about snowboard safety gear at http://www.snowboardsecrets.com/secrets.htm. Lauren Traub Teton is an avid snowboarder and the Editor of SnowboardSecrets.com and the Snowboard Events Calendar at http://www.WhatsonSnow.com. Get "16 Secrets for Successful Snowboarding" when you sign up for the Snowboard Szine at http://www.snowboardsecrets.com.