Complete Book Snowboarding. K.C. Althen

      Figure 5

      Snowboarding at Ski Areas

      Points to Remember

      ♦ You will get off to a better start if you do some stretching and take a few warm-up runs on easier terrain first.

      ♦ Avoid crowded packs of skiers. This is especially important when negotiating tracks or cat-walks, and doubly so if they are icy. No matter how expert you become, you will not have poles. A board will tend to keep going on a nightmare-like path, or at least an embarrassing one, if you do not have room to maneuver. Furthermore, skiers are unpredictable. Always look ahead so you can avoid putting yourself in a tight situation.

      ♦ Don’t go snowboarding through a ski school or so close to beginning skiers that you scare them. That is a good way to lose your lift ticket. The same goes for official race courses unless you are a participant.

      ♦ If your actions cause snowboarding to be banned at a ski resort, you may lose more than your privileges when other snowboarders find out who was responsible.

      Some Final Safety Items

      Trying to stop a runaway ski or board is dangerous. Shout a warning to those below.

      If you should come upon, or be involved in, an accident on the slopes, you should do several things. First, alert other skiers by sticking crossed skis or the board uphill above the site. Next, note the exact location and the color of the parka the victim is wearing. Send another person or a passerby with this information to the nearest lift operator so the ski patrol can be notified. Finally, do not move a seriously injured victim. Simply try to keep him or her warm.

      Ski Lifts and Snowboards

      All lifts, except enclosed ones like gondolas or trams, require that you have the board strapped to your front foot and have your rear foot free for pushing around. You must be able to move while loading and unloading from lifts. Some areas and lift operators will let you take the time to clip your rear foot in before taking a surface drag tow, particularly T-bars.

      It is important to realize that having one leg free leaves the leg still attached to the board in extreme peril. When you are moving slowly, as in a lift line, there is no danger. When you are moving rapidly, as when riding a T-Bar or a platter (poma/pony) lift or sliding down the off-loading ramp of a chair lift, you must be extra careful. You must keep your free leg firmly on the board just in front of the rear binding. Having a non-skid pad between the bindings is best. Never take your foot off the board while riding, especially in an attempt to prevent a fall. Doing so has been known to cause broken wrists, ankles, and legs. You can easily sprain your knee when your attached leg is badly wrenched.