Being Safe On The Slopes
by KFYR TV, Andrew Keller
Posted on 2/16/2010
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The Olympics feature the best skiers doing the most out of this world things. A physical therapist says it could be beneficial to add a caution for viewers that says “Don’t try this at home,” or at least know your limits.
Watching the Olympics, there’s no doubt you see some amazing skills being displayed. Like this skier bulleting through moguls and getting major air with a trick attached. Occasionally, they do fall, and when they do, they fall hard. But they all started somewhere.
Huff Hills Monday. Skiers and snowboarders had a perfect chance to perfect their aspirations to be an Olympian abilities.
“Yeah, jumps are big, they’re very popular, a big draw of people,” says Andy Beck of Huff Hills.
“It’s an adrenaline rush I guess,” admits snowboarder Jared Hruby.
“It’s just something you build up to, you just go on and try better things,” says snowboarder Alex Kraenzel.
For extreme sports fanatics, their ambition is to add to their repertoire of slick tricks they perform. With the Olympics in full force, it’s fuel to some skiers and snowboarders fire.
“Makes me want to try to go bigger because something might actually come out of it,” Kraenzel adds.
“If you don’t know your limits, you might try something you`re not ready for, and you can hurt yourself pretty bad,” says Hruby.
And protecting yourself and playing it safe is something that St. Alexius Physical Therapist Doug Bradford says is important. He says the biggest risk is with beginners not being bashful.
“Most times what we’ll see with people that get hurt is they’ve attempted a jump that is beyond their skill level and they don’t have the ability to control their body in the air,” Bradford says.
And when they land and tumble, that’s when shoulders, wrists, hands, ribs, ankles, and knees get injured. He says if you want to learn how to jump, start small and work your way up. It’s also important to hit jumps that are created by the resort.
“It’s huge, if you don’t build a jump correctly, it`s going to be more difficult to hit, and if it’s more difficult to hit, people are more likely to get hurt,” says Beck.
So if your dream is to be the next gold metal Olympian, start small and work hard. There’s a website dedicated to the safety for those who wish to attempt tricks: National Ski Areas Association (NSAA)