Unfortunately, this skating style attracts so many skaters but they have just put themselves at risk with several fatal injuries once they fall from their board. However, there are many ways to ensure your safety and you can take some precautions at the same time.
In today’s beginner guide, I would like to show you some popular methods to avoid injuries while skateboarding downhill. The following content will be a full analysis of what skaters should know before taking up this style, the differences between videos and reality, as well as the steps to keep yourself away from serious injuries.
As a new skater, you can visit SkateAdvisors for the full tutorial on how to skate downhill and learn more experiences from author Robert Parker!. On this website, you can easily learn both the most basic skills and advanced tricks, therefore, don’t hesitate to pay it a visit.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT TIME FOR SKATING
The very first thing before bombing any hills is to choose the right time. Many roads are crowded all day long but many are quiet enough for skating at any time of the day. In some specific areas, skateboarding is prohibited after 5 P.M and before 9 A.M to avoid traffic. Moreover, many skateboarders can not make it on weekdays but they are free on the weekend.
Therefore, it is necessary that skaters know when it is the right time to skate and where the suitable places are. Doing this will firstly reduce the chance of encountering traffic as well as increase their safety. From my experience, early mornings are preferable by skaters of all types.
SPOTTERS
The next method is to have some people called the spotters standing at a corner and tell you whether there is a car, a bicycle, or a pedestrian approaching the corner or not. Typically, spotters make full use of the hand signals by waving their hands in a big circle to indicate that the road is clear.
On the other hand, raising your hands in an X position means that the road is not clear to skate. By learning these instruction signals, skateboarders can understand whether they should come to a complete stop due to the danger of a corner. Since some corners are particularly tricky, experienced skaters usually have some pro spotters to avoid dangerous situations and conquer fast corners.
Also consider: HOW TO BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE TO PRACTICE?
OWN A PROPER SETUP OF SKATEBOARD
As you can notice from all the footage of skaters bombing hills, they always use high-quality gear and you must have never seen any products sold by Walmart or Amazon. Pro riders use gear that is specially designed for bombing hills and they even get customized products that are manufactured based on their body size and their riding styles.
Super stability is what skaters desperately look for in traveling downhills. While learning to choose a skateboard with a high level of stability is not easy, novices can easily go to Google and search for “best skateboard for beginners” in 2021 to see some suggestions from experienced riders.
In case you are into customizing your own skateboard, I think you must pay attention to the grip tape, bushings, trucks, and wheels. A decent board for bombing hills can cost up to about $600 or $1000 while a cheap product at Walmart or Target only costs about $70. However, with the expense of roughly 200 dollars, beginners are able to own a good board for downhill skating.
WALKIE-TALKIES
This method is similar to the “spotters” method since skateboarders are informed of the situation of the whole road for coming down a hill. Instead of standing at every corner, now the spotters can take a seat at the bottom of the hill in case the road is clear and there is no big and dangerous obstacle.
Sometimes, “walkie-talkies” refers to the use of cars in order to constantly repeat the situation of the upcoming road. Once the announcement from the car is suddenly silent, skaters would know that something is not right and they can take proper ways to ensure their safety.
CONCLUSION
Besides those methods above, there are many effective ways such as sticking to the same line, building up your skills and confidence, learning to stop at the right moment, or taking baby steps, etc. No matter which method you are using to ensure your safety, remember to wear protective apparatuses to avoid traumatic injuries like head damages.
After all, taking precautions doesn’t mean you can control the whole situation; therefore, never underestimate the danger of bombing hills. That’s why I don’t want to lie to you that the chance of fatal injuries or even death in skateboarding down hills is small.
