FALLING SAFELY & GETTING BACK UP
4 min · Free lesson · written lesson, video in production
After this lesson you can fall with less injury risk and get back on your feet on a slope without burning ten minutes and all your dignity.
The Technique
- Accept the fall early. The worst injuries come from fighting a lost cause at speed. Once balance is gone, commit to going down.
- Snowboarders: fists closed, forearms down. Reaching out with open hands is how wrists break. Fall onto forearms and knees going forward, tuck the chin and round the back going backward.
- Skiers: go down to the side and slide. Keep limbs loose. Do not jam a pole into the snow to save yourself.
- Stopping a slide: gear flat to the snow, feet downhill if you can manage it, dig in progressively. On steeps this is a skill worth practising deliberately.
- Skis, getting up: skis together, across the fall line, on the downhill side of your body. Push up over the downhill ski. If it is hopeless, pop a ski off and reset.
- Board, getting up: toe-side is easier. Roll over, knees under you, push up. Heel-side, bring the board close and grab the toe edge to pull yourself over your feet.
Common Mistakes
Open hands out to catch the fall. Fix: drill the closed-fist reflex on carpet before the trip.
- Trying to stand with gear pointed down the fall line. Fix: always across the slope first.
- Sitting in the landing zone below a roller. Fix: crash, collect, and move to the side.
The Drill
On a gentle slope, deliberately sit down and stand back up five times each side. Sixty seconds of practice removes the day's biggest energy leak.
Wrist guards are cheap insurance for beginner snowboarders. If a fall involves your head, or any impact you would describe as a whip, stop and get checked. Concussion protocol is not optional.
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