Extreme Sports

I have never been snowboarding before but I cannot deny how amazingly cool snowboarding holidays look. It now seems likely that I will get a chance to prove myself on the slopes this coming April. After watching a few videos on the internet, I concluded that good snowboarders really do look fantastic. Less than good snowboarders however, look injured on hospital stretchers, which then prompted me to look up basic snowboard safety.

This, however, did not mean that I am put-off from the impending experience, through the fear of pain. If you never did anything that scared you occasionally, you would never take part in anything. I am in the mood to be a bit reckless and do something exciting for once and snowboarding holidays are always great for raising the adrenalin.

As with all snowboarding holidays, in order to get the most out of the experience, and indeed to get out of the experience itself in one piece, a healthy knowledge of the dangers and the pitfalls is essential for a safe snowboarding trip, for yourself and your fellow boarders.

I was slightly amused to find out that snowboarding injuries are statistically similar to car accidents, there is a tendency to be more accidents among women but injuries in men are often more severe. It is ‘bump in the car park’ vs. ’70mph head on collision’ gender thinking.

Even if you are a strong skier and it is your first time on a snowboarding holiday, take a lesson or two to begin with. Just because you are a good skier, does not automatically mean you will be a good snowboarder as things like body tension and movement are very different from skiing. This means you will need much time to adjust, it also means the injuries you can sustain vary as well.  Read more...

Alternative sports like snowboarding or skateboarding have been growing in popularity of late. As a consequence, more and more products are available from manufacturers of equipment such as snowboards goggles or skateboards clothes. Snowboarding protective gear can be purchased from an online snowboarding shop, offering various types of brands and designs for those interested, including accessories like snowboards goggles. Outfits for skateboarders are also available, with a wide range of skateboards clothes to choose from. Protective gear is essential when practicing these sports, due to their dangerous nature, and this is why such devices are becoming more and more popular among those who enjoy them.

Snowboarding protective gear is very important, as it can prevent the snowboarder from getting injured. Among the devices meant to offer protection, such as helmets, pads, or other guards, snowboards goggles are an essential piece of equipment. The role of snowboards goggles is to protect your eyes from the bright sunlight reflected by the snow. Snowboards goggles are also extremely useful when it comes to protecting the eyes against the cold wind or against snow. Anyone who is interested in protective devices for snowboarding can find them at an online snowboarding shop, which also sells equipment for skateboarding.

No snowboarder should underestimate the importance of wearing snowboarding protective gear, including snowboards goggles. On bright days, and at high altitudes, the snow reflects the strong sunlight and anyone who is snowboarding can get snow blindness. The effect of the reflecting snow can damage your sight greatly, so make sure you’re wearing snowboards goggles whenever you practice your favorite sport. Such eyewear, which is available to purchase from an online snowboarding shop, is also helpful when it comes to preventing wind or snow getting into eyes and temporarily affecting your vision. In this way, snowboards goggles will protect you from all types of injuries you risk when you’re high up on the mountain slopes.  Read more...

A few months ago one of my friends called to tell me he was going to be late to the trail because he had a part on his bike that was being recalled. He wanted to stop at the bike shop and have his part replaced before our regularly scheduled ride. I too thought it was a good idea to get the part replaced before our ride so I told him that I will see him when he is finished at the store.

When I met up with my friend later in the day I asked him how he found out about his recalled part. He told me that his wife signed up for email alerts on product recalls. She subscribes to these email notification to be aware of toy issue for their children and it just so happened that a mountain bike part was on the email.

Just like other consumer products, mountain bike products occasionally get recalled for various reasons. I do not want to speculate so I am not going to give examples. It is important to be aware and not to ignore these recalls because your safety could be in jeopardy.

So in an effort to keep riders aware of product recalls the links below will direct you to the Consumer Affairs and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission websites. These sites will allow you to search their database for product recalls that might pertain to your bike, gear or both.

The two sites listed below are not meant to be the all encompassing sources of information. It is to help you get started in you product recall search. If you come across more sites with mountain bike recall information let us know and we will add it to the list.  Read more...

Cheap skateboards aren’t a bargain when you consider the possibility for injury. A skateboard that is not well made could fall apart and leave you and the pieces of your cheap skateboard on the ground. That would terrible and very dangerous. A cheap skateboard could be made with inferior parts which could lead to it falling apart and causing injury to you. However, you need to look at more than a skateboards price when trying to buy a safe skateboard.

The price of a skateboard may not reflect quality since manufacturers increase the price of a cheaper skateboard to make it seem like a better product than it is. They know that a lot of consumers equate price with quality. Make sure you aren’t buying a cheaply made skateboard with a marked up price or you won’t get a good quality product. Also, just because a professional skateboarder endorses a certain brand of boards does not mean that those boards are necessarily the best quality for the price. Educate yourself about how to tell a quality skateboard from a dangerous, cheaply made one.

A good quality deck is the key to a safe skateboard. The skateboard deck holds your weight and allows you to maneuver and steer. Good quality wood must be used on a skateboard deck for it to be safe. The wood should be firmly secured and the edges should be adequately sealed. The best test for a deck is to stand on it and jump slightly to see if you hear a cracking noise. A good quality deck should be flexible to be safe.  Read more...