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NJ SHREDDER 28 · 07-31-2007, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kerst4life

ya man my ankle still bothers me to this day.. and i can predict when its goin to storm within 24hrs just by the way my ankle feels, fucking weird shit

Haha that could be from the dampness before a storm affecting your joints

Slaughterhouse · 08-17-2007, 03:25 PM

My wife bailed off a box two seasons ago and landed on her hand as the edge of her board continued in an arc motion. This effectivley pulled her forearm out of her elbow socket like twisting a chicken leg. Then the muscle tissue shot her forearm bones several inches behind her upper arm and lodged her elbow behind her tricep. This made her forearm look like it was only a couple of inches long but I could see the outline of her bones through the skin. It took 4 doctors to pull it back in shape and she nearly lost full mobility of her arm. This was particullarly gruesome to watch and I used to even work on a killfloor. This scared her from riding at all last season. To summarize, never land on your hands...ever.

Nikolai · 08-18-2007, 05:26 AM

think my worst injury so far is a bruised tail bone but when i know im going down(when i dont catch an edge) i pretty much try to lean into the fall so its like im taking a real sharp turn lol...helps to shave off some speed and lessen the speed your going at twords the gorund so if you do it right its a much prefered slide rather than a smack on the snow/ice

**boarderaholic** · 08-18-2007, 08:57 AM

How ever you fall...DON'T STICK YOUR HANDS OUT TO CATCH YOURSELF. If you're gonna fall, you're gonna fall and using your wrists to catch you will probably be the worst thing you can do. The best "technique" I think you could do is just to relax (yah, I know, it's hard to do, but it's doable!) and just ragdoll, once you KNOW you're in a situation where you CAN control how your limbs funtion, THEN you can try and start to stop.

And Danno, I think your wifey and I need to pay a visit to each other! :P

mpdsnowman · 08-18-2007, 09:45 AM

Whenever I ride, particularly in new territory,I always ride with both fists clenched because then if you fall you wont hurt the wrist which I think is the most common injury in snowboarding(wrist injury) because people try and catch with their hands which is a natural reaction.

But I saw something last year while riding up a chair looking at a group getting lessons and I have practiced this over and over and it really helps.

When your riding, if you start falling, try and fall on your back and spin/slide as you keep your board above your head and keep spinning until you can instantly pop up back on the board in the right direction...I dont know if I explained it right. My mind isnt all there right now...anyone know what I mean..

Flick Montana · 08-18-2007, 03:08 PM

I try to fall on my shoulder if I know I am going to fast to control it. I usually slide so that my board is uphill from me. I can drag the board to slow myself down. Still, sliding down a mountain headfirst sucks...

DrGreeNThumB420 · 08-19-2007, 11:58 AM

broke tail bone and wrists

**Snowolf** · 08-19-2007, 03:26 PM

I have sprained a wrist, banged a knee cap on a rock and bruised my tailbone. Now that I have learned to take a fall correctly, I generally avoid anything more serious than a bruise or a scrape. Here is something I wrote up as an assignment for work last year and might help someone out.

Quote:

Falling

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Falling is a part of snowboarding, especially in the learning period. Often, people suffer a fall on their first day or two on a board and some never get back on one. A lot of injuries could be avoided if more people learned how to fall. As instructors, we teach beginners to skate, sideslip, traverse and link their turns, but how often do we teach the student how to take a fall. Do we ever demonstrate it? Falling is probably the number one concern a new rider has. As an accomplished faller myself, I can pass along some ideas to make taking a fall a little less scary (not to mention less painful) for the new rider.

Number one is don`t fight it....go with the fall and try to control direction and speed gradually by working with your momentum not against it. Think of it like a river, swim with the current.Try to stay relaxed; if you are tensed up, you are much more likely to suffer an injury. Wrist injuries are the single most common snowboarding injury because people instinctively try to cushion a fall by putting their hands out in front of them or in the case of the dreaded "butt-slam" behind them. When riding, try to keep your hands closed into a loose fist. That way if you fall and put your hands out, you are less likely to catch your fingers and snap your wrist back. In a fall, stay tucked; dont flail your arms around. Doing that can cause a lot of problems from breaks, dislocations and even catching on objects. Additionaly, I have seen more than one flailing arm get run over by a ski or snowboard. So keep those arms tucked in. Additionally, tuck your whole body a little so you roll rather than slam.

If falling forward:
Slightly turn your upper body to land in a rolling position to reduce the slam and keep your chin tucked toward your chest a little to avoid snapping your head backwards and to keep it up out of the snow when you are down and sliding. If your sliding down hill head first, use your board as a brake. If you are sliding feet first, keep that board up so it does`nt catch and injure your knees or worse, flip you! Use your arms to create drag to slow your slide, or get yourself spun around head first to drag the board. On the steeps, a flip can get you seriously hurt or worse.

If falling rearward:
Tail bone injuries are a common result in the "butt slam" If you start to loose it or catch an edge, twist your body to land on one butt cheek...it will still hurt like hell, but, you will protect your tail bone to some degree. Be careful not to overdo it though and slam on the side of your hip which has very little padding over the bone. Another common thing in the dreaded "butt slam" is the back of your head impacting the snow. Again, tucking your chin in toward your chest helps to prevent this some.

A word about the steeps

As you gain skill and confidence, you will find yourself riding steeper, longer runs that may exceed 45 degrees and have cliffs, boulders, trees and other hazards. Use sound judgement when riding this terrain. A long chute with a 45 degree or more angle becomes a death drap if it is icy and you fall. You simply will not be able to stop untill you hit either an obstacle or the bottom. In either case you will be out of control and moving very fast. Know your terrain and snow conditions before dropping!

There is always the safety gear option. Several companies manufacture and distribute crash pads. Most snowboard magazines carry advertisements and you find them on the web. Helmets of course are always a good idea if you want to protect the ole noggin. Some good padding for the backside, a helmet and some wrist guards makes learning to ride rails a wee bit easier on your parts! Also pretty nice on those icy days.

Kieran · 08-19-2007, 04:18 PM

interesting article, ill keep all that stuff in mind even tho i know *some* of it, next time i go up the mountain.

And thanks :]

PaoloSmythe · 08-20-2007, 07:56 AM

i find the best way to fall is to rag doll it.

inertia and gravity conspire to create a situation you can only roll with; fighting it will just hurt more. it is like surfing.... when the waves crash down on you, do you try to swim against it, or would you just let buoyancy cause you to bob up to the surface, all cool clam and collected like?

my worst crash was when it was puking fresh snow.... headed straight out off piste, and inevitably skagged the front toe side edge of a buried rock. this caused me to belly flop straight onto the following rock, ribs first. crack! oh yeah! big fun!

done that few times now; i gotta reckon my x-rays will show my left side of my body looking like a bag of gravel!

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