If snow levels are at or near their highest avoid skiing near trees. Skiers are no exception to the rule in fact more and more each year die from asphyxiation and hypothermia. There is something called tree wells that few are aware exist. Most often these are found in areas like those in Colorado where snow is deep. These tree wells occur over time with the buildup of a great deal of snow at the base of trees. The branches of the trees lowest to the ground prevent snow from packing. Tree wells can be quite deep, infact deep enough to swallow an average person by a few feet. What usually happens is the skier falls head first and becomes situated upside down. Of course in this area the snow is too loose causing further sinking when trying to get out.

You can advance your skiing skills further by mastering short turns. To help you improve your short turn abilities, you should practice pivot slip turn drills. Perform this drill by facing downhill, then rotating both your legs left to right by 180 degrees. This is how you perform the pivot slip turn drill. It will be easier if you can practice this drill on groomed snow. You can help maintain a smooth flow and your overall rhythm with proper pole planting. A short instruction session with a professional ski instructor can help you learn how to properly execute this drill.

Then it’s simply putting in the practice time.

A quick release system is a good idea for your snowboard. It does require some slight modification to your plate bindings, but it’s minimal. This is actually highly suggested by a lot of riders for obvious reasons. You could run into various situations that you require you to jettison your board. The modifications aren’t that difficult to do and you should be able to find the plans easily. You could also look for a board shop that will do it for you. An avid skier or snowboarder can find many different safety devices and systems to help them enjoy their sport. While it’s probably not necessary to go to the extreme, we believe sound knowledge of the potential hazards as well as how to deal with the local terrain is valuable. If you want to travel to an unfamiliar location, it’s a very good idea to research the area beforehand. You can get additional information by stopping at local ski shops, as well.