Helmets Reduce the Risk of Head Injuries by 35%

Some suggest that helmets may increase the risk of neck injury in a crash or fall, particularly in children because of their greater head to body ratio.

Skiing and snowboarding are popular winter activities. Did you know that head injuries account for up to 19% and neck injuries up to 4% of all injuries reported by snow patrols and emergency departments? Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death and serious injury among skiers and snowboarders. I know a lot of riders don’t like helmets because they’re uncomfortable or they don’t look cool, but trust me, hospital beds are pretty uncomfortable and very uncool!

An analysis of 12 studies conducted in Europe, Asia, and North America, found that helmet use in recreational activities is beneficial. However, the authors were unable to determine the effect of the design, quality, or fit of the helmets.

“The use of helmets significantly protects against head injuries among skiers and snowboarders,” write Brent Hagel, Alberta Children’s Hospital, and coauthors. “Risks of head injury can be reduced by 35%…and between 2 and 5 of every 10 head injuries among helmet users could be prevented.”

I don’t need a study to tell me something so logical, but for those in denial or are on the fence about buying a helmet, I hope this is a good wake up call. Here’s a link to the scientific study on helmets and head injuries.

Ski and Snowboarding Goggles: Buying Guide

Ask and ye shall receive. Or something along those lines. I’ve gotten quite a few emails asking about ski and snowboarding goggles (say goggles 50 times…), what to get, what to look for, etc… So I put together this handy buying guide to help you find a good pair of snow goggles.

Generally speaking, your choice of goggles is pretty straight forward. Regardless of your riding style, how low hanging your snow pants are, or how funky your head gear is, goggles are goggles. Things to watch out for in snow goggles are:

• Fit
• Frame Features
• Lens Features
• Lens Colors Explained
• Tips
• Recommended Brands

Fit

• Just like snowboarding boots, fit is very important. In fact, so important, brands have created ‘racial’ fit types for e.g. the ‘Asian Fit’.
• Make sure there are no uncomfortable pressure points from the goggle outline pressing against your face. Generally speaking, good quality goggles use better designed foam lining that eliminate these pressure points.
• Make sure there are no gaps between your skin and the goggle foam outline. Good goggles have air vents designed into them for a reason.
• If you wear a helmet, make sure you try on the ski/snowboarding goggles with your helmet on. I didn’t do this with my first goggle purchase and ended up with goggles too big to fit with my helmet on – money down the drain.
• Same goes for riders and skiers who need to wear prescription glasses under the goggles. Though, I highly recommend contact lenses or prescription snow goggles. It’s just so much more comfortable that way.

Frame Features

• Good goggles have well designed foam outline made from good quality foam (Yes, there’s good foam and there’s bad foam!) The test: 1. Press on the foam outline with your thumb, hold for 5-7 seconds, and release. If the foam reverts back to its original shape in 2-3 seconds, then that’s good foam. If your thumb’s outline doesn’t disappear quick enough, then that’s bad quality foam.
• Make sure your goggles have well designed and enough vents. These are foam covered air portals, to let air flow through the skiing goggle to keep them fog-free. Generally speaking, the more expensive a goggle is, the better their ventilation system is.

Lens Features

• Double lenses prevent fogging and create a thermal barrier to keep you warm.
• Cylindrical double lenses provide good optics for a reasonable price.
• Spherical double lenses provide superior optics and fog-free vision.
• Polycarbonate lens material is generally the most durable.
• Look for an anti-scratch/anti-fog coating on the lenses.
• Make sure the lenses provide 100% UV and blue light protection.

Note: Look at the packaging to tell which of the above the goggles have.

Lens Colors Explained

• Clear lenses are best for extremely stormy conditions or for riding at night.
• Lemon/yellow lenses are best for stormy conditions and overcast days since they increase contrast and brighten up the landscape.
• Vermillon/pink lenses increase contrast in most conditions. This lens with a silver mirror is ideal for most riding conditions.
• Citrus/orange lenses also increase contrast and are great for bright days. Choose an option with a mirror to get a darker lens for the brightest conditions.
• Purple lenses are good in low-light conditions such as overcast and snowy days, because they bring out shadows and contours in flat light.
• Modulator or photochromic lenses change from a light pink/orange to a dark pink/orange depending upon the light conditions. They are a very light, high-contrast color for stormy weather and dark enough for the brightest days.
• Polarized lenses can cut the glare that reflects from snow or ice.

Tips

• The better quality goggles are more expensive and a good pair will run you anywhere between $100-150. But it’s a good investment. You’ll just regret getting cheaper goggles, as you’ll just pay more in the long run having to replace them more frequently.
• If you do a lot of park riding, considering investing in a cheaper goggles so you don’t worry too much about them getting knocked around.
• Always store your goggles in their protective pouch.
• Clean the outside of your goggle lenses with fresh water and a soft cloth
• Never wipe the inside of your goggle lenses; it can damage the anti-fog coating. If you get snow/ice on the inside, shake them out, put them back on and keep riding. As you ride, the lenses will air-dry.
• To keep your goggles from fogging, keep them on your face. Removing them while waiting in line for example can cause them to fog up, but don’t worry about that too much if the line is too long.
• If you’re goggles do fog up, just keep them on, and ride. The ventilation system will clear them up in seconds.
• Goggles with replacement lenses provide the benefit of being able to replace damaged lenses without having to pay for a whole new goggle.

5 Recommended Snow Goggle Brands

• Spy Optic – www.spyoptic.com
• Anon (currently using) - www.anonoptics.com
• Oakley (currently using) – www.oakley.com
• Smith Optics – www.smithoptics.com
• Bolle – www.bolle.com

Snowboard Stance: The Ultimate Guide

Whenever I’m trying out a new snowboard I always like to play around with the stance. Whether I change the stance angles, width or setback, it can prove quite rewarding testing out new ’settings’. There’s really no right or wrong snowboarding stance, because it really depends on what works best for you. It’s not like we’re all built alike and the same applies to different snowboards. More importantly, what feels right for me will be different from what feels right for you. This guide will show you have to determine the best stance setback, width, and angle for your riding style.

How to set your snowboard stance?

As alluded above, there are 3 elements to a snowboard stance (listed in the order they should be adjusted):

• Stance setback
• Stance width
• Stance angle

Snowboard Stance Setback

What is it: Stance setback is simply the distance between the center of the two snowboarding bindings is from the center of the snowboard. Zero stance setback means the center of your bindings align with the center of your snowboard.

Most snowboards come with metal inserts that have several holes, which are used for mounting your bindings onto the snowboard. That means they are not centred in the middle of the snowboard but set a little towards the tail of the snowboard. As a result, even if you put your bindings in the center holes, they will be a little closer to the snowboard’s tail. For example, most freeride snowboards come with some setback to give you a longer noise for added speed stability.

Note: The new Burton ICS snowboards and EST bindings don’t come with metal inserts as they are differently designed, but the idea is the same.

Why stance setback? Depending on your riding style you’ll need some setback. Essentially, the more stance setback there is, the more a snowboarder’s weight shifts toward the back of the snowboard. The longer nose provides better stability at higher speeds and control in powder. Freeride snowboards will usually have stance setback while freestyle snowboards wont.

When to have stance setback? Since stance setback is designed into the board, simply mount the bindings in the center holes. If you need to change them, the general rule is: 0 setback for freestyle riding, and negative setback (i.e. closer to the nose than the tail) for freeriding. You should never have a stance setback such that your bindings are closer to the nose than the tail.

General Stance Setback Options:

• Zero stance setback or centred stance – snowboard turns easily and you will have a good board control.
• 1 inch/2.5 cm stance setback – snowboard will have a shorter tail allowing more aggressive turns, higher ollies, and better float in the powder.
• 2 inch/5 cm stance setback – snowboard will have an even shorter tail allowing for deep powder riding but turning will be a bit harder.

Snowboard Stance Width

What is it: Stance width is the distance between the two bindings (i.e. how far apart they are). Stance width depends mostly on your height and should roughly be about 1 inch/2.5 cm wider than your shoulders. As long as you make sure you choose the right snowboard size for your height, then the default stance width will be just right.

Changing Your Stance Width?

• Wider stance – more stability, harder turn transitions, better for freestyle riding.
• Narrower stance – less stability, easier turn transitions, better for freeriding.

Snowboard Stance Angle

Regular or Goofy? First you need to find out whether you’re stance is Regular or Goofy. This is essentially which leg you have forward. If you put your left foot in front when you go downhill, you are regular and if it is your right foot you are goofy. Most of the snowboarders are regular. It’s important to have the correct foot forward as this will make snowboarding a lot easier to pick up.

How?

• The leg you naturally kick a ball with will be your forward leg.
• The leg your naturally use to stop yourself from sliding in your socks will be your forward leg.
• Finally, the leg that feels most natural having forward while snowboarding, will be your forward leg (duh). So feel free to try out both legs forward and see which feel more natural and easier.

Stance Angle: Stance angle is the angle at which the binding is mounted on to the snowboard.

• Zero Stance Angle: When the snowboard binding is completely perpendicular to the snowboard.
• Positive Stance Angle: When the front of the binding (your toes) is angled towards the nose of the snowboard.
• Negative Stance Angle: When the front of the binding (your toes) is angled towards the tail of the snowboard.

Snowboard bindings usually have different stance angles. The angles are normally written like +15°/+6°, meaning the front binding is set at 15 degrees (positive stance angle) and the back binding is set at 6 degrees (positive stance angle). One rule to keep in mind is that the rear binding angle should never be larger than the front binding angle as this will put strain on your knees!

Different Stance Angle Options:

Alpine stance is a setup used for race/carve snowboards, that are so narrow that small angles will cause overhang. Large angles combined with hard boots allow you to carve aggressively. For better control in short turns, there should be some angle difference between the two bindings.

Forward stance is the stance used by most of freeride snowboarders. Both snowboard bindings have positive stance angles but they are much smaller than with alpine stance. Since these snowboards are much wider than alpine boards, overhang isn’t an issue.

Duck stance is a stance where the front binding angle is positive and the back binding angle is negative, thus each foot faces a different direction – kinda like duck feet. Duckstance gives you more stability as your body is aligned with the snowboard and is useful for park and freestyle riding. With duck stance, the front angle is anywhere between 30° and 0° degrees while the rear angle is negative, between -1° and -20°. Keep the angles apart by at least 8-10 degrees. Personally, I use this and my stance angles are +12° and -12°.

Which Stance Angle to Choose?

There is no right or wrong snowboard stance, as long as you don’t over do it. Start with a forward stance angle and adjust the angles on the slope to feel out for the best combination.

If you have any questions, leave a comment or contact me and I’ll respond right away!

5 Things You Must Do Before A Snowboard Lesson

I’m sure you’ll agree that getting a snowboard lesson can be a bit stressful. You’re spending serious coin to go through what many point out as a frustrating experience. I work as a snowboard instructor everyday and I see people turn up in all sorts of states.

Here are the 5 most important things that you should do before your snowboard lesson.

1. Get the best fitting boots: Because rental boots suck, here are some tips:

• Tie the boots up and walk in them for 60 seconds before you decide they’re too small/big.
• Make sure that your toes are touching the end when they are tied up.
• Make sure that your toes aren’t being crushed.
• Make sure there’s less than a cm of heel lift.

2. Make sure your board is the right length

• As a general guide, when you stand the board on its end, it shouldn’t be higher than your eyes or lower than the base of your neck.
• Somewhere just below the chin is good for a beginner (longer boards are better for more experienced riders because they are harder to turn).
• Try this calculator.

3. Make sure you have the correct clothing and layers on:

• A dry base laser – go for something that keeps you dry rather than warm.
• A Fleece to keep you warm.
• A water AND wind proof shell jacket.
• For more tips, read this.

4. Do the 180 second snowboarding stretch:

• 60 second seated hamstring stretch: 1. Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you and straight knees. 2. Maintaining straight knees, slowly slide your hands up your legs to your feet. 3. Extend as far as you can, and hold for 30 seconds, release and repeat 1 more time (visual aid).
• 60 second hip & lower back stretch: 1. Start in a forward lunge position and drop your left knee to the ground. 2. Place your right elbow on the inside of your right knee. 3. Press the elbow into your right knee and twist your torso to the left. 4. Reach your left arm behind you until you feel a gentle stretch in your lower back and right groin. 5. Hold for about 30 seconds, release and repeat with the other leg (visual aid).
• 60 second standing quadriceps stretch: 1. Grab onto something if you need, and stand on one leg. 2. Bend your knee and bring your heel toward your butt. 3. Pull up on your ankle and straighten your posture. 4. Hold for 30 seconds, release and repeat with the other leg (visual aid). Make sure you don’t strain your knee by maintaining a slow stretch.

5. Arrive to your lesson early

• Everything is going to take longer than you expect. If you don’t get there early then the chances are that you will be late.

Enjoy your shred!
“Shredding” is the technical word for “snowboarding with purpose”. I always make sure I “shred” as much as possible.

About the author: David Raybould is a Writer, World Wonderer and Founder of a website specifically for anyone interested in snowboard instructing. You can visit his website www.SIC-World.com or connect with him on Twitter@SICWorld.

Understanding Snow Reports

You might feel like you opted for the wrong major in college when trying to read your local snow report. It’s the only thing standing between us and the lifts and we’re always waiting for that “new snowfall”. It’s important to keep in mind that there’s a language to this and that it’s important to understand exactly what fell. Resorts aim solely to sell more tickets and have invented terms like “packed powder” to get you on the slopes. Below is a summary of the basic terms and conditions to help you get through the BS when looking at your local snow report.

Type: Powder
AKA: Pow, blower, chowder, balls deep, piddly pow pow
Official Line: Cold, new, loose, fluffy snow that hasn’t compacted
True Meaning: The reason most of us get out of bed in the morning or find living in a van for a whole winter to be perfectly acceptable.

Type: Packed Powder
AKA: Tracked out, schralped, previously pow
Official Line: New snow that’s been packed down
True Meaning: Seems like an oxymoron, no? Usually means it hasn’t snowed in a while.

Type: Hard Packed
AKA: Gnar, groomers
Official Line: When natural or machine-made snow becomes firmly packed.
True Meaning: Hard and fast but can still edge into it.

Type: Frozen Granular
AKA: Golf balls, death cookies
Official Line: Hard surface of old snow formed by granules freezing together after rain or warm temperatures.
True Meaning: Snowboarding on ball bearings sometimes accompanied by shin whacks.

Type: Corn
AKA: Slush, mash potatoes, peanut butter
Official Line: Large semi-loose granules, which freeze during the night then loosen during the day.
True Meaning: Slushy and possibly choppy. Classic spring ripping.

Type: Variable Conditions
AKA: Anything and everything
Official Line: No primary surface condition can be determined. A wide range of various surfaces can be encountered.
True Meaning: A blanket term for resorts to cover their ass. Could mean lots of rocks, bare patches, and/or sheer ice.

Type: Icy
AKA: Boiler plate, cement
Official Line: Hard-glazed surface, ice spots
True Meaning: Consider staying home unless you grew up riding the ice coast or enjoy donning a spandex one-piece.

Don’t fall for it folks!