The Freeride World Tour will soon be starting up for a third season with the dates recently announced meaning that the best skiers and snowboarders in the world will be battling it out in locations around the world.

In January the Tour starts on the slopes of Sochi in Russia before moving on to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in France. Competitors will then head over to the US to compete on Tram Face at Squaw Valley late in February. There is still a hint of doubt about the location of this event because approval has not officially been giving for freeriding competition.

March will fin the winner when the top rated riders compete in the Tour grand Final at Verbier during the Nissan Xtreme by Swatch.

The winners of the 2009 Freeride World Tour in their respective categories were Aurélien Ducroz - FRA (ski/men), Xavier de Le Rue – FRA (snowboard/men), Ane Enderud – NOR (ski/women) and Susan Mol – USA (snowboard/women).

One of the most common sights when hitting the snowfields each year is the increase in the number of snowboarders that have taken up the sport. Back when I first started skiing, that was all you saw…skiers.

Every now and then you saw some weirdo coming down the run on a thing that looked like a surfboard with no fin. These snowboards were the exception by a long stretch. Now snowboarding is an Olympic sport and the number of Burton snowboards, among other companies, hitting the groomed runs and getting big air on the way down has grown substantially.

It’s almost getting to the stage where skiers are the exception and the snowboarders are the way of the future. They’re the new wave of powder hounds and if you want to be in with the crowd, you’re going to have to learn to describe the rails and ollies you’ve just hit.

As a skier who wants to learn to snowboard there is likely going to be a rather quick alteration to make. You would already have gotten used to the sense of sliding over the snow with your feet bound to gear. However there are basic differences involving the two disciplines that the skier will have to get used to.

The switch from two skis to a single board may take a little getting used to. Rather than being able to stretch the load across both feet which may stand as wide as you need to stay poised the snowboarder must stand stress-free with their weight on one edge or the other.

The fact that there are no ski poles to catch yourself with may also take a little getting used to. Therefore one of the first crucial steps in the learning process that the new snowboarder should master is how to fall. Sure, most of us get a lot of exercise in falling when we start out snowboarding, but doing it safely will decrease the number of bruises and aching joints that you may sustain.

The bindings of snowboards are unlike ski bindings, too. They are not standardized like ski bindings but there are two more usual kinds. The first are bindings used with the soft snowboard boots that are simple looking strap bindings that ratchet over the top of the boots. The second are step-in bindings that are more high-performance and use a quick release lever. Normally in order to use step-in bindings you will probably be forced to buy step-in boots from the same company.

The stance is obviously a big modification that skiers will have to adapt to as well. The obvious difference is that the snowboarder is standing with their feet askance to the board in a surfing position. Less noticeable is that there is no set stance for the snowboarders. You can choose the width between your feet on the board and the degree of angle of each foot.

While a skier may have a head start over the raw beginner when starting to snowboard, there are going to be some adjustments to be made. Doing some snowboarding lessons should rapidly have you picking up the basic moves so that you will be assertively shredding the groomed trails, or at least linking a few turns together shouldn’t be beyond you without taking a fall.

Once you have mastered the fundamentals of learning to snowboard you will in all probability want to move on and choose from a range of cheap snowboards. At some point you will realize that there are a number of distinct styles of snowboards as well as slight differences that will mean trying to decide on a freeride snowboard over an Alpine snowboard.

Deciding on a snowboard will come down to the type of snowboarding you’re going to want to do and 3 main styles of snowboarding. The most common is the freeride board which is the snowboard that most first time riders would use. The speed freaks who love shredding the groomed hard-packed trails use Alpine snowboards. But the adrenaline junkies who want to grab as much air as achievable and test themselves with tricks and intense boarding will get themselves a freestyle snowboard.

A freestyle snowboard is not as long, wider and easier to manoeuvre than the other types of boards. The board will usually have twin tips and this means that the tip and the tail are matching in shape. Lastly a freestyle board will be lighter than other boards, just the thing for grabbing enough air for the aerial tricks, half-pipe moves and rail slides that the freestyler loves to execute.

You will find that there will be the opportunity to buy a freestyle snowboard from your choice of major snowboard manufacturers such as Never Summer Snowboards.

The boots worn with freestyle snowboards give you a reasonable amount of flex allowing the rider a better feel for their board. Things have changed over the years and they have become more like the freeride boots in terms of more towards the stiffer side, a good mix of comfort and performance.

In the freestyle board group there are also a couple of distinct styles of boards to cater for the different ground upon which the tricks are going to be performed. It’s possible to buy a snowboard particularly for half-pipe which will be more flexible so that it can flex to the curve of the pipe. Alternatively tricks that can be performed.

All of the major snowboard makers carry a strong range of freestyle snowboards so one of the most difficult choices the snowboarder is going to be confronted with is which one to opt for. Brands are occasionally so closely matched that decorations or graphics may be the deciding factor.

If you are planning on buying a snowboard you ought to first think about the kind of snowboarding you’re going to want to do and then buy the type of snowboard that suits that technique. The chance to perform freestyle tricks on the half pipe or on the ground will mean that you will want to buy a freestyle snowboard. There are plenty of cheap snowboards to choose from and some really good quality bargains to be found if you look hard enough.

It may seem that one snowboard is much like another, even though to the untrained eye they may look very much alike. Snowboards differ in their width weight, height, the amount of flex they have, the arc of the sidecut. The style of snowboard you want will be up to many factors but the most standard is a board known as a freeride snowboard.

The sort of snowboard you will need to buy will depend on a number of factors such as your weight, height or your foot size. It will also depend on the kind of snowboarding you are proposing on on taking part in. There are 3 broad categories of snowboards. Freestyle boards, also known as technical boards, Alpine boards which are on occasion referred to as carving boards and finally freeriding boards, also called all-mountain boards.

Whether you have heard about Atomic snowboards and would like to try out one from their range or simply know that you want a wide snowboard there is much research to be done.

Freeriding boards are the most well-liked types of snowboards and are most likely the sort of board you are fitted with if it is your first time snowboarding and have lobbed into a hire shop. The freeride board is a good all-around snowboard that will allow you to accomplish some basic tricks and will also give you good speed down the hill. In other words this kind of board has been intended to suit the widest range of snowboard capability as possible.

Generally speaking, the freeride snowboard is one that is only average in size with average firmness neither soft-flexing nor stiff making them apt for a range of snow circumstances. They are also designed with the tip and the tail vaguely turning up so they can be ridden forwards or, for briefly, backwards (which is called fakie) if that’s the kind of thing you want to do with your snowboard.

If you are planning on buying a cheap snowboard you must first think about the kind of snowboarding you’re going to want to do and then buy the type of snowboard that suits that form. If you plan on generally enjoying the various types of snowboarding options available at a ski resort then possibly a new freeride snowboard is the board for you.

Ski resorts in New Zealand are preparing in the expectation that the ski season will start early with harsh weather warnings around Otago and the Southland being lifted soon after a colder than expected weather that has brought a lot of snow to the area. In the region of the Queenstown area, the ski field operators have jumped into action in readiness for a strong early season.

Snow resorts in Otago such as the Remarkables Ski Area have already received in the vicinity of 2 feet of snow before the official season opening on June 20. The low lying ground is getting snow down to roughly 700m. Ski resorts such as Coronet Peak has had some good falls and is looking good for its June 6 opening with snow guns expected to be in use from May 22.

It’s a promising start to the season but with opening day still weeks away, ski field operators aren’t getting exceedingly animated just yet. Notwithstanding you’d prefer to see snow and colder temperatures now than not.

You will find when you head out to buy a snowboard when explaining bits about a snowboard is the sidecut of the board. It all depends on what the snowboard was considered to be used for and how maneuverable it needs to be. This will be one of the things you may have to consider when you go out to buy a Lamar snowboard.

A snowboard’s sidecut is how much curve in the contact edge of a board. The depth it is measured by is the radius of a circle in meters if you project the arc that’s in the snowboard all the way around for a full circle. This gives you an idea of the turning circle that the board is capable of making if it was projected around the boards arc. The variation involving the nose and the tail width compared to the waist width of the board is an extra way of specifying the board’s dimension.

As stated earlier, the discrepancy that the size of the sidecut makes from one board to the next is in the radius of the turn that the board is capable of making. If the radius is tighter the board will be capable of a tighter turn and this will accelerate the board’s turning reaction in the snow. One that is wider will give the board a wider turn.

This then translates into the sort of snowboarding you’re keen to try out. If you want to go pipe riding or perform tricks you will be after a snowboard with a low sidecut. Someone who wants to go mountain riding will be more inclined to decide on a board with a deep elliptical sidecut to give them more steadiness at the faster speeds they are possibly going to be going.

SeveralAssorted snowboard manufacturers set their boards up in a different way and be keen on diverse designs. You will feel more comfortable with some than others consequently you will have to look around to be in a position to buy the board that performs best for your body type and weight.

There are many factors to consider when buying a snowboard and finding the sort of board that is suitable for you is an assessment that could take some time.

There are many pieces of dedicated footwear for travel over snow and ice. One of the required innovations that was requisite to save lives in such regions was the snowshoe.

Inspiration for early versions of snowshoes was taken from animals from the local surroundings whose feet were adapted to the conditions for over-land travel. A snowshoe rabbit’s hind feet were motivation for a pair of distinct styles of snowshoe.

As a way of categorizing things the snowshoe can be broken down into 5 basic categories: bearpaw, Yukon, beavertail, Ojibwa and Western. This doesn’t count the innumerable separate sizes or overlaps in local names which can blur the lines between the various types.

Materials used to make snowshoes resulted in wood-framed or the more up to date metal-frame. Early models were webbed with animal hide and were made to look like animal tracks such as those made by the bobcat or lynx. Some were also made to be similar to bear tracks, although bears left much deeper tracks than those made with snowshoes.

For over-land travel through soft, deep snow, there was nothing that could beat a well made pair of snowshoes.

The nature of the way snowboards are attached to the boots as well as their capacity to run well and quickly over the snow makes maintaining hold of your snowboard a complicated task at times. A piece of safety equipment that is necessary for snowboarders to wear always is the snowboard safety leash.

A safety leash is a strap that is fixed to the snowboarder’s lead leg and is used to avoid escaped boards if your bindings free for any reason or if you let go of the board while you’re taking it off or putting it on. The snowboard leash is intended to be worn in the vicinity of knee height which will allow the snowboarder to keep it attached while carrying the board under the arm when on foot.

The idea of the leash is to lower the dangers that arise from runaway snowboards. Getting into and out of the snowboard bindings can sometimes put the snowboarder in an uncoordinated spot especially when attempting to do so on a steep mountainside so the possibility that the board will slip away is more real than some people will recognize. A runaway board can hurt an unsuspecting person below or can be smashed itself if it runs into something solid. One thing’s for sure, you don’t want your brand new Lamar snowboard to get damaged in this way.

The wise option is to take away the risk of injury or damage utterly by wearing the right snowboarding equipment. In some cases you won’t have a choice with some resorts enforcing a no leash - no ride rule.

A snowboard leash is one of the pieces of equipment you should add on your shopping list when you go out to choose a specific type of snowboard. They’re relatively inexpensive and they could wind up saving you a lot of money in the long run.

Areas of the body like the ankles, wrists and knees are all prone to getting hurt through falls or a solid landing while snowboarding. Though snowboarding is an exceedingly agreeable pursuit the reality is that there is a distinct possibility that it can wind up in injury. Regardless of whether you ride Roxy Snowboards or any other major brand, if you don’t take proper precautions you run the risk of hurting yourself.

There are some steps that can be taken to avoid injuries as well as reasonable protective gear to use and wear, but frequently no matter how aware of the dangers you are, every so often accidents just happen.

There’s no suggestion that you should avoid going snowboarding. On the contrary it is still quite a safe activity. As with all activities the more care you take the less possibility you’re going to get injured.

Wrist injuries are the most regular types of injuries you can get while snowboarding. For people who are new to snowboarding, falls are usual and the most common are those where you fall backwards and automatically put your hands out to reduce the impact. You are going to fall but when you do, try not to save yourself with your hands, but rather keeping your hands out in front of your body and allowing yourself to fall onto your elbows. Your elbows will be able to soak up the impact a lot more readily than your more delicate wrists.

A resolution that is even safer is to try to keep your arms close to your body and allow yourself to hit the snow and roll with the momentum. By going with the fall there will be a lot more surface area with which the impact will be dissipated. Sure, you’ll get more snow on your body but your wrists will stay safe.

You may find it impossible to stop from throwing out the hands to catch yourself so go out and get a set of wrist guards. Some gloves are made with wrist guards incorporated into them, but if you have some skateboarding or skating guards, use them underneath your gloves. They are the best means for preventing wrist injury and if it’s an image thing you’re concerned about no-one needs to know if they’re under your clothes.

For the first week of snowboarding in particular you should be very aware of the hazard to your wrists. A small bit of avoidance could save you weeks or months of pain as you find yourself laid up and recovering from a break. So it’s something to consider when you go out to buy a snowboard, the snowboarding equipment aisle should be the next one you visit.