Best Things Skiers Should Know Before Hitting the Snowboard Slopes

If you're a regular skier, you should know the basic principles of good balance; however,snowboarding is a whole different world when it comes to staying on your feet. Instead of your stance being pretty straight forward, as it is in skiing, snowboarding has two different stances (also known as styles) to choose from:

• · Goofy Style - This means you have your right foot in front of your board and your left foot at the back. 
• · Regular Style - This means you have your left foot in front of the board and your right foot in the back. 

If you participate in other "board related" sports, these might sound familiar. Surfing andskateboarding also follow the same set of styles, so if you have any knowledge of either then it will definitely serve as an advantage.

Finding your style can be pretty easy. It's all about what feels comfortable to you. Stand up and picture yourself standing on a snowboard. If you can foresee yourself balancing better in one style better than the other then, chances are, that is probably your style.

Pad It Up Dude!

The most important thing in any sport, or anything for that matter, is your safety. I can't hence this enough to all of you out there who may be new to "extreme" sports like snowboarding or skiing, it's never a matter of "if" you will fall and get hurt, but it is a matter of "when" you fall and get hurt. I can only pray that when it does happen, you read a little guideline like this and the injury was just a few scratches.

The first thing you want to do is go out and get some decent safety gear. A few key items I suggest are:

• · Helmet - There's a reason why they make these and I strongly recommend them, remember, your brain is important. 
• · Rear Pad - You'll be hitting your rear on the ground a lot, so if you value comfortable sitting I suggest that you get some extra padding. 
• · Protective Eyewear - Anybody who knows anybody that participates in any winter weather sport should know that this is a given. 
• · Wrist and Ankle Wrap - This is very important because a lot of snowboarders face heavy wrist, finger, and ankle breaks. A good bracer such as a wrap is always good. 

These are just a few but you can never have enough safety equipment! Make sure to invest!

Let's Start Over

A lot of experienced skiers make that same old mistake by underestimating the differences of snowboarding and skiing. They will almost always try to go down the same size slop they would go down on their skis. That's a bad idea and anyone who has made that mistake will tell you the same. I have myself. There is nothing fun about spending all your learning time tumbling down an ice cold hill and getting a mouth full of fresh powder.

Try a small slope first, and then move on to a slightly larger one. Gradually go up in difficulty level before making it to the same level you are at skiing. It's almost like starting all over again when you move to snowboard, but usually people how have had experience skiing will advance a whole lot faster than someone who hasn't.

To Sum It Up - Snowboarding can be fun, but also dangerous. Make sure to take the proper precautions no matter how experienced you are at skiing or any other winter sport.