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By SportsLover, October 25, 2010 12:34 pm

When the temperature drops and snow begins to fall, many avid boarders begin to turn their thoughts to the ski slopes. However, because many boarders are so excited to hit the slopes they don’t stop to prepare their equipment or their bodies.

Fatigue and carelessness often result in accidents and injury on the slopes. Preparing before the season starts ensures that when you do finally get to the slopes with the first fresh powder of the year, you’ll be able to enjoy it more and be able to spend more time hitting the jumps and riding the powder rather than resting off to the side, fixing your equipment at the lodge, or worse yet injured for the season.

Knowing a few tips before you hit the mountain can save your snowboarding season.

1. Get in shape. Working out before the snowboard season can make it much more enjoyable. Leg presses, squats and running are great work outs that help build leg strength while building cardio stamina. Getting oxygen to all that muscle at high altitudes is key.

   Trail running will not only build leg strength but will also improve your agility. Also don’t forget to work out your core. While the specific types of exercises you do aren’t important, what does matter is that you work on building your cardio, agility, and overall body strength.

   Many sports medicine businesses are holding ski/snowboarding conditioning classes. If your not one who likes to hit the gym a lot there are other fun ways to build snowboarding strength such as long boarding and balance boards.

2. Check your equipment. This can help you get the most for your money by keeping you on the slope instead of tightening and repairing equipment. At least a few weeks before you head up the mountain, look to see if there are any major dents or scratches in your board as this will directly impact your speed and performance on the mountain.

   If you do have large dents and scratches to your board you will need to take your board to a local snowboard shop and have them resurface the bottom of your board. Next, make sure to tighten all the screws that are being used to hold both of your bindings in.

   Then make sure all the little bolts on your bindings are safely secure and tightened as well. Last, wax your board making sure to use the appropriate kind depending on the conditions of the day.

3. Make the snowboarding season affordable. If you’re an avid boarder getting a season pass is a must. Call your local resorts and check prices. You usually only have to go 3 or 4 times in a season and it will pay for itself.

   In addition, lots of discounts are usually available if you are a student or served military duty. If you don’t think work, school, or family obligations will allow you to go frequently enough to buy a season pass then there are also individual preseason tickets that are available at a discount.

4. Schedule days to hit the slopes. Getting the most out of the snowboarding season starts with planning which days you will go ahead of time. If you don’t mark down on your calendar which days you are going, other activities will fill up your schedule.

   Surprisingly, most people are able to get their tasks done in time if their schedule has been marked as busy ahead of time. Also, start looking at your work or school calendar to see when you have days off and which holidays you have free. Don’t forget to start banking up those sick days.

5. Who are you going to ride with? You say your buddies of course but have you checked to see if your schedules line up? Start talking with work and school buddies now to see which resort they have passes too and what their schedules line up with yours.

   Getting people to go with you will make your days on the slope more enjoyable and riding with people of the similar or better skill level will help you improve too. This will also help you keep your commitment to go those days you scheduled if others are going with you.

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By SportsLover, October 1, 2009 10:15 am

When the air turns cold and the snow starts to fall, it can only mean one thing; Snowboarding season is upon us! That is right. It is time to pull out the boards, boots, coats, and beanies because the snow is already accumulating in Utah and Colorado. With the two most popular states for snowboarding already preparing to open, the talk of season pass purchasing is already here. It is in the air. Everyone can feel it. It is almost time to start hitting the slopes.

I was recently in Park City for a vacation and everyone was talking about when the first snowfall would take place. Well, from the looks of it, yesterday was a big day in Utah and Colorado for snow. They both landed a couple of inches in the mountains which is putting smile on faces of snowboarding fanatics everywhere. I even have a buddy in Georgia that called me yesterday to see if I had heard the news about the recent snowfall in Utah and Colorado. He was so excited for his trips out there in November, December and February. Yes, that is right. My buddy from Georgia has three trips scheduled to hit up the Rockies for the fresh powder. Absolutely insane!

However, he is not the only one. Their are thousands of people that do this every winter, adn yes, I am one of them. I am excited for this snowfall and can’t wait  to get out there on my burton and start riding the big white wave. So stoked!!