Do you plan on snowboarding for the first time this winter? It's true that you'll probably fall forward, backward, sideways and several combinations thereof. But with practice and proper instruction, you'll soon be carving through the snow with control over your board. And your "shredding" — snowboarder slang for riding with speed and style — won't include shredding your bones, tendons, ligaments or any other body parts.

Like downhill skiing, snowboarding offers great opportunities for fun but also carries a risk of injury. A skier has quick-release bindings, but snowboard bindings usually don't have a release feature. And with both bindings mounted directly to the board, snowboarders can't move one leg to stabilize the other.

Head injury is the leading cause of death among snowboarders, so wear a helmet. Snowboarders tend to fall backward, landing on their buttocks and head, or forward, landing on outstretched arms. A helmet is especially recommended for beginning snowboarders because a fall backward on hard snow can lead to a concussion.

"We don't have a definitive study yet on helmet use and snowboarding, but the closest comparison is with bicycling, in which helmets are very effective," says Edward Laskowski, M.D., a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and co-director of Mayo Clinic's Sports Medicine Center. Dr. Laskowski recommends helmet use especially for children on snowboards.

A former Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) certified ski instructor, Dr. Laskowski adds, "You see more and more people using helmets on the slopes these days. Design improvements are making helmets more comfortable and popular for all ages."

Still, no helmet can compensate for recklessness or protect you from other serious injuries. Your first line of defense is always to stay in control so that you can easily avoid objects and other people on the slopes.

About half of snowboarding injuries involve the arms, especially the wrists, elbows and shoulders. Wrist guards, such as those used for in-line skating, may keep you from injuring your wrists, especially if you're a beginner. Extra padding for your elbows, knees and buttocks also offers protection against injury.

"You don't want to fall with all of your force on one place, such as your wrist," says Dr. Laskowski. "So if possible, tuck and roll when you fall. The more body area that hits the snow, the more the force will be distributed."

Your feet, ankles and knees also are at risk of injury when snowboarding. Fortunately the design of snowboarding boots and bindings is evolving rapidly. As with skiing, your gear has a significant effect on the type and frequency of certain injuries. Generally, here's the trade-off:

• The softer your boots and the looser the binding settings, the greater your risk of injuring a foot or ankle — typically resulting in a sprain or fracture.
• The firmer your boots and the tighter the binding settings, the greater your risk of injuring a knee — typically resulting in ligament damage or ruptures.

If you're a beginner, keep your bindings set relatively loose to spare your knees during falls. As you improve, you can gradually tighten the bindings to improve your control over the board.

Compared with skiers, who use rigid boots that transmit force to the knee, snowboarders have a lower risk of a dreaded ski injury — rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), one of the crossing ligaments in the center of your knee. Snowboarders who use rigid boots, however, seem to be at higher risk of knee (including ACL) injury.

Fractures of the talus, the uppermost bone of your foot, account for 15 percent of all snowboard-related ankle injuries. The talus is connected to the tibia, the big lower leg bone. Talus fractures aren't always easy to detect by X-ray and may be misdiagnosed as ankle sprains. If not properly treated, a talus fracture may lead to persistent ankle pain, arthritis and even prolonged disability.

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Foot talus The talus is the uppermost bone of your foot. << ENLARGE

The long-arch turns of snowboarders differ from the shorter-arch turns of skiers. Learn to anticipate the turning styles of others to avoid collisions.

When snowboarding, you have the same responsibility for others' safety as skiers do. You can reduce your risk of injuring others when you heed these basic guidelines:

• Attach a security strap to your front foot.
• Detach your right foot from its binding while using lifts or tows.
• When not attached, place your snowboard with the bindings in the snow in a manner that will avoid a runaway board.
• Check blind spots before turning, especially on backside turns.
• Don't sit down in traffic areas or anywhere you can't be easily spotted from the slopes above.
• As with skiing, be especially careful late in the day, when you're fatigued — even if you don't feel it.
• Avoid alcohol and drugs.
• Avoid off-limits areas, where hazards include avalanches, drop-offs, cliffs, trees and unseen rocks and underbrush.

The following tips can help you avoid injury and ensure that you enjoy your time on the slopes.

• Train your body. Although skiing and snowboarding require very different skills, both sports emphasize balance and work some of the same muscle groups, especially the core muscles of the abdomen and back that are used for stabilization. Proper preparation can help you avoid injury and enjoy a full season.

SLIDE SHOW

Get in shape before you hit the slopes

• Take a lesson. "It's much more enjoyable when you know what you're doing on skis or a snowboard," Dr. Laskowski says. "Technique is key, and it's safer and much more pleasurable when you know how to stop, when you're in control and when you don't put excessive demands on your body because you're doing things the right way."
• Wear a helmet and make sure your children do, too. During hard falls either forward or backward, your head is vulnerable to a concussion or even worse, brain injury. Hard-packed snow or ice can be particularly unyielding.
• Protect your wrists and elbows. Wrist guards can protect your wrist from fracture when you fall. Elbow pads may prevent an elbow fracture.
• Protect your knees and hips. Wear knee and hip pads to soften the blow when you fall.
• Protect your ankles. A hybrid boot — a softer boot with a hard inner lining — may provide the best protection.