Winter Sports

It's winter and as the snow starts to fall, many of us are getting ready for winter sports. Skiing and snowboarding are very thrilling but have the potential for serious injury. Here are a few tips to keep you safe on the mountains this year.

1. Wear a helmet: Head injuries are no fun! You may be the best snowboarder in the world but there's no guarantee that the guy next to you is.

2. Warm up: Even if you are an expert skiier, take the time to ski a few green and blue runs before you head up to the double black diamonds. It's probably been at least 8 months since you last used your body in the specific way required for skiing. Give your "muscle memory" a chance to recall what you know before challenging it too much.

3. Stay hydrated: Dehydration leads to rapid muscle fatigue and greater chance of injury. Carry a water bottle with you and hydrate as you ride the lifts. It's easy to forget as you won't "feel" your sweat as you would when doing other sports. But don't let the cold and layered clothing fool you. It's easy to lose water.

4. Take snacks: Just as you are likely to lose water, you are likely to experience demands on your blood sugar. Easy to pack snacks are raisins, trail mix or dried fruits. While fresh fruits are also great, they may not hold up to the bumps and spills you are likely to take. My last skiing adventure lead to smashed bananas all over my backpack by lunchtime. Not much fun to clean up.

5. Quit before you want to: I know this isn't the advice most of us want to hear at $60 a lift ticket. But your passion for the slopes may outweigh your body's ability to handle it as it gets late in the afternoon. We all know that athletes are generally more likely to be injured late in the game as muscles fatigue and it becomes more difficult to stabilize joints. The same is true for skiers. If you are driving home with a sprained MCL (medial collateral ligament), you'll probably be thinking that that last run just wasn't worth it.

Have fun!