Females New To Snowboarding – Some Advice To Have Fun And Limit Injury

More women are picking up snowboards every year and heading for the mountains, but many also go unprepared. While snowboarding is a fun sport and can be safe, new snowboarders can take several steps to help minimize the chance of being injured during their initial snowboarding experiences.

[/html]I'm a huge snowboarding nut! I love it! I've snowboarded for mor

More women are picking up snowboards every year and heading for the mountains, but many also go unprepared. While snowboarding is a fun sport and can be safe, new snowboarders can take several steps to help minimize the chance of being injured during their initial snowboarding experiences.

[/html]I'm a huge snowboarding nut! I love it! I've snowboarded for more than 15 years and have more snowboards than I can ride in a day.  And one of my favorite aspects of the sport is women's snowboarding. I love seeing the growth of the number of ladies on the hills and watching this sport grow into a truly gender-equal activity.What's the State of the Snowboarding World?Traditionally, men have dominated snowboarding, but the number of women snowboarders is growing.The percentage of women snowboarders rose from 23 percent in 2002 to 27 percent in 2006, according to the National Sporting Goods Association.While competitions, such as the Winter Olympics, split men and women into separate heats, many experts think women and men can compete side-by-side in snowboarding. There's not many sports that can say that.Despite snowboarding's growth among women, there are a number of things new lady snowboarders may not know before they hit the slopes. Here's a few things to consider in order to best enjoy your first snowboarding experiences.How To Limit Chance of Snowboarding InjurySome snowboarding professionals say that potential boarders are sometimes turned off to the sport because novices often spend their first few days on a board falling and incurring bumps and bruises. Some people even injure themselves, leading them to never pick up a snowboard again.Taking a few steps to protect yourself against injury can help you avoid any negative impressions of the sport and help you build a strong relationship with boarding for years to come.Here's a few of those steps:1) Start exercising: Helping strengthen your muscles before taking your first run will aid you in developing balance, which is an incredibly important part of successful snowboarding. Regular exercise, even just a daily five-minute walk around the block, will also help condition your body to help you cope with less oxygen at higher altitudes and train your body to send oxygen to your working muscles.2) Get the right snowboard size and clothing: Purchasing the appropriate snowboarding gear, whether it's a snowboard or a jacket and pants, can be a true advantage to a new snowboarder. Ask a snowboard shop clerk what the right size snowboard is for you. Typically, most riders should look for a board length that reaches from the floor to between their chin and nose. A longer board provides more stable riding, while a shorter board makes it easier to turn and perform tricks in the snowboard park.3) Wear a helmet and wrist guards: Helmets aren't for nerds or sissies. Wearing a helmet, pads and wrist guards can protect novice and pro snowboarders alike from sustaining a serious boo-boo. Helmets today are stylish and lightweight while providing strong protection for your noggin.4) Eat a healthy meal and drink water: High altitude snowboarding on mountains can speed up the process of dehydration. Although you are surrounded by frozen water, cold temperatures often such the hydration out of the air, and all that snowboarding your doing is also working your muscles. If you don't stay hydrated, your muscles could be more apt to break down at moments where you need them most. If you have a pocket big enough, bring a small bottled water with you on the slopes.5) Take a lesson: There's no shame in taking an hour lesson from a snowboard instructor. That's what they are their for. A typical snowboarding lesson costs between $10 and $30 for a 1-2 hour session. Snowboarding tutors will be able to teach new snowboarders the correct form for each rider's preferred riding style. They can also tell you the best parts of the mountain to ride!In summaryWomen's Snowboarding is an awesome sport and more and more ladies are joining the ranks of snowboarders each year. If you're new to snowboarding, there's a number of steps you can take to get ready for your time on the mountain. To make sure you will enjoy your initial snowboarding experiences and continue to snowboard for many years to come, make sure you outfit yourself with the appropriate equipment and you take steps to limit the chances of injury. If you can follow these steps, you'll be on your way to a successful snowboarding hobby in no time.Shawn JonesWomen's Snowboarding Enthusiast [http://www.womenssnowboarding.org/]Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Womens-Snowboarding—What-New-Snowboarders-Need-to-Know-to-Limit-Injury&id=1485782] Women's Snowboarding – What New Snowboarders Need to Know to Limit Injury