Downhill skiing is so electrifying that you can’t think of an entire winter season passing without your constant presence on the slopes. And the thrill that comes with the snow adventure is practically enough to keep you in high spirits for months on end.
However, accidents on the slopes are a reality. In a study led by John Hopkins Medicine, 600,000 ski and snowboarding-related injuries are reported every year in the US alone. You certainly don’t want to be part of these statistics.
Read on to discover how you can enhance your safety on the slopes without compromising your deep sense of style.
1. Wear A Snow Helmet
In the same study cited above, about 20% of all skiing and snowboarding accidents result in head injuries. But wearing a snow helmet can usually reduce the severity of head injuries by 30 to 50%. What could be a major head injury can be reduced to nothing more than a minor headache.
Here are some incredible snow helmet design and safety features you should consider when purchasing your new helmet:
ABS Shell: Go for snow helmets whose outer shells are made of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene plastic (simply referred to as ABS). These are known to have a strong impact and scratch resistance, great shock absorbance, and wonderful insulation properties. They’re usually light and prevent heat accumulation around your head.
EPS Padding: Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is an excellent material for the padding since it adequately absorbs impact energy. It can also be blended with other materials to make it more protective in the long term despite the minimal deformations it undergoes with every impact.
Vents: A completely solid helmet proves uncomfortable when heat accumulates around your head. Buy a snow helmet with enough vents to allow for proper circulation of air around your head. This keeps you cool while on the slopes.
Removable Goggle Lock: Wearing a snow helmet doesn’t mean you leave your much-needed goggles behind. Choose a helmet whose frame has been designed to accommodate goggles. Better still, go for one with a removable goggle lock, which you can fix and unfix to suit your current preference.
Built-In Audio: You’ve probably tried wearing headphones with a helmet on and experienced how impossible it can be. That’s why you need a helmet with built-in speakers in case you like listening to music while skiing. Simply plug in the auxiliary cord into your smartphone and you’re good to go.
2. Use Properly Fitted Ski Boots
Your choice of ski boots is critical to your skiing experience. They must be comfortable and give you enough support. Good ski boots can significantly reduce your risk of accidents. Here are a few design and safety features to consider when purchasing ski boots:
Gender-Specific Ski Boots: Men’s calves are generally situated higher up the leg than women's calves. Ski boot manufacturers use this fact to design different boots for the two genders.
If you’re female, your ski boots should have lower cuffs that flare out towards the top. The shape at the back of the boots should also be suited to women’s calves. On the other hand, men’s ski boots have high cuffs and are shaped to accommodate men’s bulkier calves
Flex: This refers to the rigidity of your ski boots. The more experienced you are in skiing and the bigger your body size is, the more rigid your boots should be. Otherwise, if you’re only starting out on skiing or you’re small-bodied, go for less rigid ski boots.
Construction: Like helmets, what you need are boots with a hard outer shell for protection against accidents and weather elements, and soft inner padding for warmth. Consider buying ski boots with thermoformable foam liners. These make use of your foot’s heat to achieve a custom fit.
Ski/Walk Mode: During your skiing sessions, it’s normal to hike up ridges in search of untracked powder. You don’t have to change your boots every time you switch from skiing to walking. Go for ski boots with both ski and walk modes. Switching from ski mode to walk mode usually involves detaching the upper shell of the boot from the lower shell.
3. Wear Quality Skiing Goggles
The sun’s rays reflecting off the snow may be stronger than you thought. With such glare on your eyes, you may fail to spot potential dangers in time and end up bumping into obstacles like trees and rocks. Therefore, it’s always good to have your skiing goggles on when enjoying the slopes.
Here are the top design features you should consider when buying skiing goggles:
UV Protection: Snow considerably increases your exposure to harmful UV light from the sun. Without UV protection, your cornea can easily get sunburnt and leave you with snow blindness or long-term eye damage like cataracts. As such, go for skiing goggles with UV protection. A sealing around the edges is a plus as you’ll be protected from indirect UV light from the clouds.
Dark Lens Tint: Choose skiing goggles that have dark lens tints as these effectively minimize glare. Make things even better for yourself by choosing polarized or photochromatic lenses. These are even more effective in blocking reflected glare.
Insulated Lenses: Skiing on a windy and rainy day can be tough on your eyes. Wind blowing into your eyes and raindrops directly splashing into your eyes makes you very uncomfortable and can interfere with your ability to see properly. Therefore, choose properly insulated skiing goggles that properly protect your eyes from these weather elements.
Anti-Fog Inner Lenses: The padding of skiing goggles comes with the disadvantage of water vapor accumulating on the inner side of the lenses. However, technology now allows you to choose goggles with anti-fog inner lenses to assure you of good vision while on the slopes.
In Summary
You can enhance your style and looks on the slopes while also ensuring that you remain safe. Safety skiing accessories like boots, goggles, and helmets need not be unfashionable. Thoughtful manufacturers have seen to it that they offer you skiing goods that make you look elegant and at the same time protect you from potential dangers.
It’s now in your best interest to shop wisely.
