| Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending snow-covered slopes and mountains on a special apparatus — snowboard. Initially, snowboarding was a winter sport even though individuals mastered it in summer, by snowboarding on sand slopes (Sand boarding).
Since snowboarding is often done on unprepared slopes and mountains and at high speeds, various equipment such as helmets, protective gear for wrists, hands and spine, are used to protect the sportsmen from injuries.
Snowboarding is divided into various subtypes:
Sports (Alpine snowboarding) — includes the following disciplines: Border cross, slalom, parallel slalom, slalom – giant, parallel slalom – giant and super giant.
Free ride — free descent along the unprepared slopes with slopes being either gentle or steep.
Freestyle — Descent along prepared routes with execution of leaps and acrobatic feats. Freestyle includes a series of disciplines such as half-pipe, big-air, slope-style and others.
While selecting the equipment for snowboarding, it is necessary to pay attention to fasteners, which can be step-in or regular ( boot soles and snowboard). Boots and fasteners – are expensive. For beginners, it is recommended to use soft boots and ordinary fasteners.
In the beginning and end of every snowboarding season, a delicate question arises for snowboarders, as how to wash the snowboard jacket or how to get rid of dirty stains. We offer some good advice in order to solve these problems.
Washing of membranous clothing is not like daily washing.
Here is the list of things which should not be done in any case:
• Do not use bleaching detergents and powders with aggressive composition since they penetrate into the pores of membranes and destroy it;
• Do not use machine wringing, as it is not suggested for membranous clothing, clothing may get damaged;
• Do not use possible dry cleaning and bleaches, otherwise you can just forget about the membranes and simply discard the jacket;
• Do not iron the jacket, as ironing can melt the synthetic fabric and also damage the membrane.
The list of things, which should be followed are :
• Hand wash your jacket (in washbasin or bathroom) using special powders for washing membrane surfaces (for example, NIKWAX);
• Dry the membranous jacket hanging on a rope;
• Apply special agent DWR from a spray bottle on a dry surface of clothing;
• Carry out DWR treatment only on washed dry things, because if DWR is used on dirty surfaces, it will not have any effect;
• Use washing powders, having an inscription on the packing that says, "authorized for membranous fabrics".
If all these simple rules are followed, these membranous products will serve you for a long time and will not lose their original appearance.
If you feel that your board skidding has deteriorated, it is time to apply a paraffin layer on its sliding surface. Such preventive maintenance needs to be done once in two months. If the surface is already rough, then paraffin is applied more often.
Before applying a new layer of paraffin, it is necessary to remove the old layer from board surface. Base Cleaner is perfect for this job. Usually this special liquid is sold in bottle or in the form of a spray that can be bought from any sports shop.
This agent is applied on the board and after approximately 15 minutes (or according to instructions), the agent is cleaned with a dry cloth, special attention is given to stern, nose and surface for fasteners, where there can be accumulation of dust, particularly, if the board was lubricated by paraffin during warm weather.
During this time, paraffin collects dirt from the tracks. Paraffin is applied with a special iron or hot air gun. Paraffin has its classification and is used depending on temperature indicators. The optimum variant is to buy one paraffin for warm temperatures and one for cold temperatures. It's better to apply paraffin on a snowboard in special premises, where there is no fear of possible staining. If you apply paraffin using iron, then it is necessary to control heating by gradually increasing the temperature. Paraffin is spread on the iron's surface and when it starts melting, direct it onto the sliding surface of board. If the iron gets overheated, paraffin starts fuming; in this case, it is recommended to reduce the temperature of iron till the smoke stops.
Every snowboarder knows, that riding on mountain slopes on a snowboard is impossible without special goggles. Due to the use of goggles, a snowboard ride becomes more convenient and comfortable. Goggles protect the person's face and eyes from all possible injuries.
To increase the life of goggles, it is necessary to know some important rules regarding their care. After usage, it is recommended to store the goggles in a protective case, which is sold along with snowboarding goggles. Usually, a cloth is provided along with goggles and case, which is used for wiping the lenses from dust and other contamination.
If the wiping cloth is not provided with the goggles, then a simple cotton cloth can be used. Lens are detachable in the majority of goggles. It is done specially for the convenience in washing and cleaning goggles from dirt and dust. It is better to wash the lens in warm soapy water.
It is necessary to remember the main rule and feature about goggles: do not wipe the lens at all from the inner sides, so as not to damage the special protective anti-fog layer applied on their inner side, which does not allow the lens to sweat. |
