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I’m 33 yo. I’ve tried snowboarding for the first time last year. I’m pretty athletic. I had some basis from skateboarding. My heel edge was perfect by my toe ed

I’m 33 yo. I’ve tried snowboarding for the first time last year. I’m pretty athletic. I had some basis from skateboarding. My heel edge was perfect by my toe edge not so much. While practicing my toe edge, my board got stuck in the snow. I fell on my back and hit the back of my head on the packed snow. I had a mild concussion. Never doing that again. I wonder if skyiing is safer with respect to head injures.

popotamonga 5y ago
First time i snowboarded fell so hard so many times i got permanent tendinitis on my arms, some movements i can not do anymore, been 15 years now.
cameronh90 5y ago
When I snowboarded for the first time, I ended up accidentally going very, very fast and when I tried to slow down just ended up travelling backwards. Then I hit a ridge of snow, flipped over and head-planted. I had a helmet on, but I still felt pretty sick for a while after. I suspect it was a mild concussion...
m4tthumphrey 5y ago
I actually find toe edge is easier now. I've hit my head a couple of times, usually when falling off the button lift!
matwood 5y ago
I just got back from a great week in Vail snowboarding. I've been more hurt skiing more than snowboarding. No head injuries, but ~15 years ago I sprained my knee pretty bad snow skiing. When that healed, I switched to snowboarding and haven't skied since. The most hurt I've been was tearing an ACL wakeboarding. I pretty much retired from going hard on the wakeboard since it beat me up more than any other sport I've done including fights sports like BJJ.
dejw 5y ago
You're a Jerry.
once_inc 5y ago
Schumacher says: nothing much for a couple of years now.
hnaccy 5y ago
Did you have a helmet?
jiggawatts 5y ago
I strongly recommend helmets for all snowsports, both skiing and snowboarding. I've personally witnessed (and experienced) head injuries with both. The benefit of snowboarding is that you are much less likely to have a horrific injury like a major leg bone shattering. Most injuries tend to be cracked tail bones or broken wrists. With the latter, you can learn to fall correctly and that minimises the risk. Essentially you want to fall on your arm, and then roll onto your shoulders and back instead of taking your entire weight on your hands.
- mettamage 5y ago
  I 100% agree. As a beginner skiing person 5 years ago, I once went way too fast and had a very small (natural) lamp. I made a backflip and hit the back of a rock with my helmet and landed in the snow. How does this happen? I fell down on the button lift and was forced to ski down from the button lift in order to enter the lower part of the piste. I thought I had enough skills to do it, but instead I lost all control and went straight down and eventually was going out of bounds, flying in the air hitting the rock with my head mid-salto and flying into the far edge of the lower (blue) piste area. That helmet saved my head that day, I had zero injuries, not even a mild pain. In hindsight, this was a really fun experience! (in hindsight) I was a loose projectile as a beginner, and it took quite a while to learn how to become a guided projectile.
idkwhoiam 5y ago
I've been snowboarding for a few years and I always wear protection. Helmet, goggles, knee pads, wrist guards, etc. And as somebody already mentioned it is very important to learn how to fall to minimize the potential damage.
- aidenn0 5y ago
  Is it possible to not land on your tailbone when you fall on heel edge? I feel like the board guarantees I hit exactly the same spot each time. I took my first snowboard lesson a week ago and while the morning was fine, the groomers had been scraped away to reveal the ice underneath in the afternoon and I did a number on my coccyx...
bartread 5y ago
> I wonder if skyiing is safer with respect to head injures. The answer is: it depends. Friend of mine got pretty badly concussed skiing a blue run (easy) without a helmet. I've done both skiing and snowboarding, always wearing a helmet for both after similarly hitting my head on day 3 of snowboarding (though without the concussion). Plenty of falls on both but I've hit my head a lot less frequently skiing than snowboarding. Still, it can happen and, realistically, it only needs to happen once for you to experience life changing injuries. Wear a helmet, always, regardless of whether you're skiing or snowboarding. And don't screw anything to it or be tempted to wear a camera attached to it (GoPro, Garmin, etc.).
l33tman 5y ago
Yeah helmets are absolutely mandatory for all downhill sports regardless of if you're snowboarding or skiing. The last 10 years I haven't seen anybody in any of the mountains here without helmets (something changed in this regard about 15 years ago I think when you could see people without helmets still). But the next most important protection for snowboarding is a wrist rail protecting your os scaphoideus, it's the larger bone in your wrist (just at the base of the thumb) and it's the most common snowboarding injury as you fall backwards and instinctively reach out with the hands behind you and the impact most often fractures the wrist bones. This happens even with you standing still!
- yodsanklai 5y ago
  It's true that something has changed and nowadays almost everyone wear helmets. But I don't and won't. I learned (and taught) at a time where people didn't wear helmets. I've probably spent more than 300 days snowboarding and never hurt my head. Sure, it can only be safer to wear one than not wearing one. But I don't think it's "absolutely mandatory". If you're an advanced practitioner and not doing anything crazy, the risk seems low.
  - cupofinsane 5y ago
    Rather unusual thing to hear from someone who taught snowboarding! I gotta admit, lack of helmet gives your riding some bonus style points though.
    - yodsanklai 5y ago
      For context, I was in my prime when helmet were not a thing, even in the professional world. Simply nobody wore a helmet at that time (look old videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpYQ4nsd8xU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpYQ4nsd8xU).
      - dncornholio 5y ago
        People also didn't had seatbelts back in the day..
ra120271 5y ago
My experience is that not having binding release on the snowboards was effective at turning my horizontal momentum into angular momentum when the edge caught; anchoring and slammed me into the ground [head and all). In skiing it was more "gentle" slide across the surface (of coarse until you hit something like a tree).
yodsanklai 5y ago
What you describe is a very common beginner mistake (I used to teach snowboarding for years). I'd say it happens to everybody at some point. The first few days of snowboarding, people fall a lot. I'd recommend learning on days when the snow is fresh and soft.
- beezle 5y ago
  Furthering this - before heading up to any slope as a beginner you should be tracking the conditions for at least the week prior. Has it snowed? Has it rained? Did it rain and then go down to -15F? Knowing that they got 2" the day before you go up is nice but not indicative of what you'll find when you get there, especially on a busy mountain where fresh powder and courdory get skiied off very quickly. You don't want to learn on boiler plate!
ktc1 5y ago
Exact same thing happened to me and I decided not to snowboard again, the risk just isn't worth it to me. Also I was wearing a helmet but I don't believe they will prevent concussions?
- beezle 5y ago
  A good helmet should prevent or at least mitigate any concussion from a beginner type of fall. Do you ride a bike? I would worry much more about clocking my head on a curb even with a helment.
beezle 5y ago
Always wear a helmet! Even if you are in very deep powder there can be unexpected obstacles if you do take a tumble (rocks, etc). People who do not do winter sports have this misguided thought that snow is not hard. Any base layer of snow is somewhere between clay court hard and cement hard depending on temps and water content. Helmets also give a degree of protection from tree branches when riding in woods or glades. And remember - nobody is perfect - edges catch, visual/audio distractions - and snow conditions can change unexpectedly. Not to mention there is always the risk of being hit by someone else.
- dejw 5y ago
  One dude I met got his spine injured after landing on his back in a big pile of fresh snow. There was a branch. Fortunately he's back to snowboarding after a surgery. here's a video of very experienced snowboarder hitting his head on a fresh snow day(!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjWrLtvs6Ic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjWrLtvs6Ic

popotamonga 5y ago

First time i snowboarded fell so hard so many times i got permanent tendinitis on my arms, some movements i can not do anymore, been 15 years now.

cameronh90 5y ago

When I snowboarded for the first time, I ended up accidentally going very, very fast and when I tried to slow down just ended up travelling backwards. Then I hit a ridge of snow, flipped over and head-planted. I had a helmet on, but I still felt pretty sick for a while after. I suspect it was a mild concussion...

m4tthumphrey 5y ago

I actually find toe edge is easier now. I've hit my head a couple of times, usually when falling off the button lift!

matwood 5y ago

I just got back from a great week in Vail snowboarding. I've been more hurt skiing more than snowboarding. No head injuries, but ~15 years ago I sprained my knee pretty bad snow skiing. When that healed, I switched to snowboarding and haven't skied since. The most hurt I've been was tearing an ACL wakeboarding. I pretty much retired from going hard on the wakeboard since it beat me up more than any other sport I've done including fights sports like BJJ.

dejw 5y ago

You're a Jerry.

once_inc 5y ago

Schumacher says: nothing much for a couple of years now.

hnaccy 5y ago

Did you have a helmet?

jiggawatts 5y ago

I strongly recommend helmets for all snowsports, both skiing and snowboarding. I've personally witnessed (and experienced) head injuries with both. The benefit of snowboarding is that you are much less likely to have a horrific injury like a major leg bone shattering. Most injuries tend to be cracked tail bones or broken wrists. With the latter, you can learn to fall correctly and that minimises the risk. Essentially you want to fall on your arm, and then roll onto your shoulders and back instead of taking your entire weight on your hands.

mettamage 5y ago
I 100% agree. As a beginner skiing person 5 years ago, I once went way too fast and had a very small (natural) lamp. I made a backflip and hit the back of a rock with my helmet and landed in the snow. How does this happen? I fell down on the button lift and was forced to ski down from the button lift in order to enter the lower part of the piste. I thought I had enough skills to do it, but instead I lost all control and went straight down and eventually was going out of bounds, flying in the air hitting the rock with my head mid-salto and flying into the far edge of the lower (blue) piste area. That helmet saved my head that day, I had zero injuries, not even a mild pain. In hindsight, this was a really fun experience! (in hindsight) I was a loose projectile as a beginner, and it took quite a while to learn how to become a guided projectile.

idkwhoiam 5y ago

I've been snowboarding for a few years and I always wear protection. Helmet, goggles, knee pads, wrist guards, etc. And as somebody already mentioned it is very important to learn how to fall to minimize the potential damage.

aidenn0 5y ago
Is it possible to not land on your tailbone when you fall on heel edge? I feel like the board guarantees I hit exactly the same spot each time. I took my first snowboard lesson a week ago and while the morning was fine, the groomers had been scraped away to reveal the ice underneath in the afternoon and I did a number on my coccyx...

bartread 5y ago

> I wonder if skyiing is safer with respect to head injures. The answer is: it depends. Friend of mine got pretty badly concussed skiing a blue run (easy) without a helmet. I've done both skiing and snowboarding, always wearing a helmet for both after similarly hitting my head on day 3 of snowboarding (though without the concussion). Plenty of falls on both but I've hit my head a lot less frequently skiing than snowboarding. Still, it can happen and, realistically, it only needs to happen once for you to experience life changing injuries. Wear a helmet, always, regardless of whether you're skiing or snowboarding. And don't screw anything to it or be tempted to wear a camera attached to it (GoPro, Garmin, etc.).

l33tman 5y ago

Yeah helmets are absolutely mandatory for all downhill sports regardless of if you're snowboarding or skiing. The last 10 years I haven't seen anybody in any of the mountains here without helmets (something changed in this regard about 15 years ago I think when you could see people without helmets still). But the next most important protection for snowboarding is a wrist rail protecting your os scaphoideus, it's the larger bone in your wrist (just at the base of the thumb) and it's the most common snowboarding injury as you fall backwards and instinctively reach out with the hands behind you and the impact most often fractures the wrist bones. This happens even with you standing still!

yodsanklai 5y ago
It's true that something has changed and nowadays almost everyone wear helmets. But I don't and won't. I learned (and taught) at a time where people didn't wear helmets. I've probably spent more than 300 days snowboarding and never hurt my head. Sure, it can only be safer to wear one than not wearing one. But I don't think it's "absolutely mandatory". If you're an advanced practitioner and not doing anything crazy, the risk seems low.
- cupofinsane 5y ago
  Rather unusual thing to hear from someone who taught snowboarding! I gotta admit, lack of helmet gives your riding some bonus style points though.
  - yodsanklai 5y ago
    For context, I was in my prime when helmet were not a thing, even in the professional world. Simply nobody wore a helmet at that time (look old videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpYQ4nsd8xU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpYQ4nsd8xU).
    - dncornholio 5y ago
      People also didn't had seatbelts back in the day..

ra120271 5y ago

My experience is that not having binding release on the snowboards was effective at turning my horizontal momentum into angular momentum when the edge caught; anchoring and slammed me into the ground [head and all). In skiing it was more "gentle" slide across the surface (of coarse until you hit something like a tree).

yodsanklai 5y ago

What you describe is a very common beginner mistake (I used to teach snowboarding for years). I'd say it happens to everybody at some point. The first few days of snowboarding, people fall a lot. I'd recommend learning on days when the snow is fresh and soft.

beezle 5y ago
Furthering this - before heading up to any slope as a beginner you should be tracking the conditions for at least the week prior. Has it snowed? Has it rained? Did it rain and then go down to -15F? Knowing that they got 2" the day before you go up is nice but not indicative of what you'll find when you get there, especially on a busy mountain where fresh powder and courdory get skiied off very quickly. You don't want to learn on boiler plate!

ktc1 5y ago

Exact same thing happened to me and I decided not to snowboard again, the risk just isn't worth it to me. Also I was wearing a helmet but I don't believe they will prevent concussions?

beezle 5y ago
A good helmet should prevent or at least mitigate any concussion from a beginner type of fall. Do you ride a bike? I would worry much more about clocking my head on a curb even with a helment.

beezle 5y ago

Always wear a helmet! Even if you are in very deep powder there can be unexpected obstacles if you do take a tumble (rocks, etc). People who do not do winter sports have this misguided thought that snow is not hard. Any base layer of snow is somewhere between clay court hard and cement hard depending on temps and water content. Helmets also give a degree of protection from tree branches when riding in woods or glades. And remember - nobody is perfect - edges catch, visual/audio distractions - and snow conditions can change unexpectedly. Not to mention there is always the risk of being hit by someone else.

dejw 5y ago
One dude I met got his spine injured after landing on his back in a big pile of fresh snow. There was a branch. Fortunately he's back to snowboarding after a surgery. here's a video of very experienced snowboarder hitting his head on a fresh snow day(!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjWrLtvs6Ic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjWrLtvs6Ic