For more and more people, winter is synonymous with mountain sports. Skiing, snowboarding, ski mountaineering and cross-country skiing are just some of the most popular disciplines.
As in all sports, it’s good practice to take the utmost care and to act in advance to counter the risk of injury as much as you can.
Although they may seem like simple activities, the most common mountain sports hide several pitfalls that can involve both experts and beginners.
But what are the precautions you can take to guard against nasty injuries? Here are 5 that we’ve selected.
- Don’t overdo it. Always choose routes that are suited to your ability.
- Physical preparation. Particularly for sports like skiing and snowboarding, arriving at the winter season fit and well-trained is very useful for preventing possible injuries on the slopes. Good physical preparation for these sports involves a total-body muscle strengthening programme focused on the abs and legs.
- Warm up. A very useful preventative strategy is certainly to warm up before any physical activity. This avoids starting a session with “cold” muscles, which are more prone to the risk of injury. Warming up before you start and stretching at the end of the day can prevent muscle strains and, in general, help reduce typical post-workout pains.
- Keep an eye on the weather. Being in the mountains in adverse weather conditions can sometimes be counterproductive. Poor visibility, excessive ice, wind and snow can all contribute to falls. Especially if you’re not very experienced, it’s therefore always a good idea to check the weather before setting off for a day in the mountains or on an excursion.
- Always wear a helmet. It may seem obvious, but wearing a helmet is a real lifesaver in the event of falls. If you want, to protect your back, knees and elbows (especially when snowboarding and when you are still learning) you can opt for additional protective equipment like knee pads, back pads and elbow pads.
