Might not be the most fashionable, but it is the most sensible.
There’s a reason many people love to echo a popular sentiment, “safety first.” It’s because safety should come first! Even if you don’t think that you’ll run into any trouble, you should feel better on the ski hills knowing that you’re well-protected and that you’ve done what you can to minimize risk. You won’t always be able to avoid every risk, but keeping your safety in mind will be crucial in avoiding serious injury and even death. Here are some reasons you should always wear a skiing helmet on the slopes.
Your brain is important. There’s a reason human beings have such thick skulls – they’re protecting our brains! Keeping your head protected is crucial – that’s why football players wear helmets, cyclists wear helmets, and even baseball players sometimes wear helmets. Wearing a helmet can prevent serious or even mortal injuries that otherwise might have been avoided or lessened in degree. It’s not rocket science: strap up a helmet and protect your head. It could save your life.
Wearing helmets is growing more popular. The trend for wearing a ski helmet is pointing upward, so it’s time to hop on the bandwagon. The group that least often wears a ski helmet is males of age 18-24, so lose the rebellious streak and strap that helmet on. It reveals more confidence and foresight if you wear a helmet because of your better judgment, not because of some pressure to look good.
Start and keep the habit. It’s much easier to wear a ski helmet if you’ve worn one every time you’ve been out skiing. Why? Because once you’ve introduced wearing the helmet as a habit, you don’t have to think about it as much before you strap on, and wearing it will feel natural. You should feel uncomfortable without a helmet on, so much so that you’re instantly reminded to put that helmet on and prevent injury. Start wearing the helmet every single time you ski, and you’ll start getting used to the idea.
The more risks you take, the more important it will be to minimize the potential for injury. We can’t always remain perfectly safe, but that’s no reason to avoid safety altogether. Instead, take precautions so that you minimize your risk. After all, these precautions – including wearing a helmet – can save your life.
Photo Credits: karen_d
Originally posted 2009-08-09 03:51:09.
Ski Snowboarder
Similar to a matchmaking service, the Volunteer Resource Center’s goal is to match specific interests of willing volunteers with a volunteer organization involved with their interests.
CU Independent
The process of choosing a helmet is similar to choosing skis or a pair of ski boots. Your choice will depend on how and where you ski. For example, a full shell helmet will provide you with complete head coverage. It will also protect your head from wind, precipitation and other elements that you are likely to encounter on the slopes.
Some of these full shell helmets are designed with venting, which helps regulate temperature. Vented helmets also do a better job at letting you hear what your ski buddies are saying. If your friend is shouting, "Don’t go that way!", you are more likely to hear what they are saying if you are wearing a vented helmet. Although helmets are recommended if you ski trees, spend time in the half pipe or if you ski at high speeds, even more conservative skiers can benefit from a full helmet. Keep in mind that not only do they prevent injury. Full helmets are the best way to keep your head warm on the slopes.
If for some reason you are not comfortable with a full helmet, you might consider a short shell model. These helmets offer comparable protection to full shell styles. However, they give less coverage and have a less constrictive fit. Many short shell helmets come with venting and removable liners
Competition or racing helmets are characterized by their densely padded liners and molded open ear zones inside the shell. The helmets that are designed for speed and slalom events feature jaw pieces. While these “bells and whistles” are not necessary for recreational skiers, they come highly recommended for ski racers involved in any form of serious downhill competition.
For more Skiing tips, visit http://Skiing.lifetips.com
LifeTips Skiing Tip of the Day
Safety first.
Skiing is a great way to spend a vacation or a weekend, but is it dangerous? The answer is possibly. Skiing can be dangerous just like many other activities including riding your bike, but like riding your bike skiing has a lot of non-enforced choices for you to make. This article will list some basic safety tips that you should consider before you go skiing.
Wear a Helmet
Wearing a helmet is not a requirement to ski, but it’s encouraged because many clubs and sport institutions think it’s in your best safety interest. While wearing a helmet isn’t mandated it’s very important to at least consider it. There are many ways for you to injure yourself while skiing, but by far the most dangerous things that can happen to you will happen if you’re not wearing a helmet.
Wear Proper Clothing
Don’t show up to ski in your shorts and sunglasses, it’s very important that you dress appropriately when you’re going to a ski resort. The first thing you should do is make sure you have layered clothing such as a shirt followed by a sweater; this is the most important thing you can remember to bring before heading to your ski resort. It’s very likely that you don’t own your own pair of skiing goggles, a skiing shirt, or boots. While it’s not a requirement to wear these items, they can be rented from most resorts and will offer you a much safer and rewarding experience while skiing. The goggles are especially important because they can keep the snow out of your eyes making it easier for you to see where you’re going.
Be Instructed
It’s not a good idea to just show up the slopes and immediately start trying to ride down the advanced slopes. You should first hire a ski instructor or enlist the aid of a good friend to teach you the basics so that you can learn to ride down the more advanced slopes while you’re there. There are both individual and group lessons to accommodate whatever learning style or preference you may have.
Follow the Rules
A basic tidbit of advice is to follow the rules of the resort or slope that you’re currently skiing at. These rules may include not going off trail and not pushing near the beginning of the slopes. No matter how ridiculous the rules may seem they’re there for a reason and you should respect them no matter what the conditions.
If you follow these basic safety tips you can be sure that your ski trip will be a safe one for you and your family.
Photo Credits: s_mestdagh
Originally posted 2009-10-02 03:44:13.
Ski Snowboarder
There are more than a couple things to celebrate this week. Between St. Patty’s Day, Spring Break being oh-so-close and the arrival of spring (soon, anyways), we Boulderites deserve a little reward for all our hard work.
CU Independent
If you ever get the chance to visit the history museums of Breckenridge Colorado, you might see some rather amusing pictures of female skiers in the 1800s. Back in those days, women skied in their long dresses. Needless to say, there were no female-specific skis, just as there was no female ski apparel. It took the ski industry some time to come a long way. Female specific skis and boots only became popular in 1999. Nonetheless, skis and boots designed for women are definitely here to stay. Let’s take a look at their unique design.
Since women weigh less than men, for the most part, female-specific skis have a softer flex and a lighter weight than their male counterparts. In many cases, the core of these skis is made from lightweight wood or foam, which makes them easier to flex, and therefore easier to turn.
Because of women’s wider hips, smaller feet and lower center of gravity, they often have difficulty putting pressure on the tips of their skis. Some manufacturers have rectified this problem by mounting bindings 1-2 centimeters in front of the center of the ski. This brings the female skier’s center of mass closer to the tips, thereby allowing her to exert more pressure.
If you are a female skier whose bindings are not mounted in this forward position, you can speak to the ski shop about adjusting them. This can be helpful if you find yourself in the "backseat" while skiing. However, every female skier is different, so ask a ski instructor to evaluate your skills before changing the position of your bindings.
For more Skiing tips, visit http://Skiing.lifetips.com
LifeTips Skiing Tip of the Day
There’s been a lot of talk about how skiing and snowboarding will look in the next Winter Olympics and with the IOC talking about it rumours have been ripe. We’ve heard every story under the sun but there seems to be a glimmer of hope.
2014 isn’t too far away and there have been two meetings of the IOC that has made the internet stand up and take notice along with the rest of the ski world.
Back in June, the IOC received a request to include freestyle halfpipe and slopestyle. With this being an Olympic committee, they certainly took their time looking over everything before they came back for the next meeting. This meeting took place in mid October and the news was promising. All we managed to get out of the IOC was the line that they were “looking favourably on all of those for inclusion.”
That’s not bad right? Heck, that’s pretty good! OK, so they’ve delayed the decision until 2011 but that isn’t too far away and if we look at the FIS World Champs, the signs are even more encouraging.
But a mere few days ago, the FIS announced that they would be accepting slopestyle into the World Championships in 2011. That’s a huge leap forward for the FIS!
As they are an influential body in the snow world this will certainly be a step in the right direction and will push the IOC to take on the event as well. You can imagine in Sochi, 2014, we will be watching the best of the best take on each other in slopestyle and halfpipe. You’ll see athletes like Tanner Hall throwing down with the rest of them making 2014 the most influential year for skiing in Olympic history. In terms of progression anyway!
One thing they have to be mindful of though is judging. The TTR has already hit out at the FIS for not allowing progression within the sport and if this isn’t taken on board, the whole sport could suffer.
We shall see but keep those fingers crossed and I’ll see you in Russia!
Homeboy Ski Blog
Water Skiing
When most people think about skiing, they probably think about hitting the slopes in Aspen or somewhere in the Alps, skis gliding quickly down snow-ridden hilltops. But that’s not the only type of skiing there is, and if you live near a lake, you already know this: there’s also water-skiing! Water skiing is such a different way to ski that it should be considered its own sport, but it’s a great summertime alternative for skiing that keeps you out and gliding.
If you haven’t been water skiing before, here are some quick tips for getting started.
First, you have to consider your “infrastructure.” What kind of equipment do you have for water skiing? Do you have access to water, and a way to tow yourself around? Water skiing is a very social sport, and you can’t exactly put on the skis and head out into the lake yourself, as you can with the slopes if you’re skiing in the snow.
You don’t have to buy everything you need, you just need to have access to the right equipment. If your friend has lake access and a boat, and another friend has the water skis, try to see if you can organize some water skiing excursions.
Second, start out slowly. You won’t have the hang of it right away, and while it may look easy to glide up on top of the water when that boat starts pulling, it can actually be quite the challenge. If you’ve never been skiing of any kind before, this challenge is further compounded. If you have been snow skiing, don’t have an overinflated ego before you get in the water – they can be two very different sports.
Have some patience as a beginner, as well, because it can be tempting to give something up after a failed session or two. You don’t have to be racing around the lake right away; just make sure that you work on the fundamentals and eventually they’ll come quite naturally to you.
Third, have fun. Even if you don’t get the hang of it right away, give it some practice and bring out a water tube that will allow you to get some fun out of the day. You don’t have to be perfect every time, so have some fun with it. The more you have fun with it, the more likely you are to come back to the lake – and that means you’ll improve as a water skier.
Photo Credits: evocateur
Originally posted 2009-11-10 03:13:50.
Ski Snowboarder
Okay, so you’re sold on the benefits and thrilling nature of skiing, but you’re still a novice. You might be looking to get involved with the sport for the first time, or you might have considered your first few jaunts to be successful and fun enough to warrant a further and deeper commitment to this wintertime hobby. Where do you go from here? Well, if you’re really looking to make an investment into your future in skiing, you’ll want to receive some proper instruction.
But where are the best instructors? And what should you expect? Here are four steps to finding the ski instruction that’s right for you.
- Do your research in advance – Research isn’t simply doing a Google search and finding the local ski instructors, but taking a more involved look at the quality of the instruction around you. Try finding a ski forum online that talks about skiing in your state, and then posting a question that asks where the best ski instruction nearby might be. Check testimonials of ski hills, and ask around. The more research you do in advance, the higher your chances are of finding the ski instruction you can best use.
- Don’t be afraid to use “trials” – And don’t be afraid to customize ski instruction for yourself. This is your life, remember, so dictate what you want to go on: tell your ski instructor that you’re shopping around and ask them to give you their best “comprehensive” preview of what you might expect to experience with them. And while you’re using trials, try a few different ski instructors. Don’t only look for the cutest instructor or the one you warm up to the most, but the one that also knows how to challenge you to improve in the fastest possible way.
- Review your trials – After a trial, which instructor gave you the most sense of personal progress? You’ll likely find that the instructor that pushed you the hardest will actually end up giving you the quickest and most comprehensive results. Even if you didn’t necessarily enjoy the lesson the most, you might find that the sense of personal satisfaction you get from exploring your boundaries is well worth the trade-off – and well worth the money you’re investing in yourself.
- Pick one and stick by your decision – Once you make a selection, let the instructor know you’ve chosen them and ask to have a schedule made up so that you can routinely work with them throughout the winter. Ask them the kind of goals you might expect to achieve, and whether or not they feel you might be ready for more advanced goals.
Originally posted 2008-12-11 13:00:45.
Ski Snowboarder