The potential dangers and hazards of snowboarding

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The modern day has left people spoilt for choice when it comes to many aspects of society, whether it?s what type of smartphone they want, what type of trainers, or even what sport they wish to indulge in. Slowly but surely we are seeing an increasing variety of tastes being catered for. From dry ski slopes to indoor climbing centres it seems that if a sport has enough of a following - well, enough for a business-minded person to see an opportunity for making money - then there will be a facility to match it. And with much in the way of new activities, particularly extreme sports, it is almost inevitable that someone isn?t going to be careless enough to sustain an injury.

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Introduced in the 1920s, snowboarding began with little success, however in recent decades we have seen a rapid snowballing effect - no pun intended - and the growth of both spectators and participants has been almost exponential.

With a rapidly increasing number of people taking to the slopes in search of adventure it seems the chances of people falling victim to the variety of hazards that come with the territory is destined to grow.

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Snowboarding in particular seems to be more dangerous than other winter sports, when compared to skiing there are some interesting results.

Firstly lets consider the severity of the injuries associated with skiing and with snowboarding; statistics from the U.S ski resorts show that while 16% of skiing injuries are considered an emergency - by definition this warrants immediate medical intervention - and a staggering 42% of snowboarding injuries are defined as such.

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There are a wide variety of injuries that a snowboarder can be subject to; sprains, fractures, dislocations and concussions are among just a few. As a general trend most of the injuries that are sustained in the sport are done so by beginners. However, usually boarders of a higher level, perhaps travelling at speed or after an aerial flight, sustain the more severe injuries. Novices tend to injure their wrists more often, perhaps from repeated impacts, whereas experts are more likely to sustain an ankle injury.?

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Considering the dangers of the sport it is more than useful to take out an insurance policy, - after all, people can even injure themselves trying to get on and off the ski lifts. Furthermore, despite their being dry ski slopes available in the UK, most people will opt for doing the sport abroad meaning the NHS won?t be there to save the day.

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