There’s nothing quite like the rush of coasting down a mountain and slicing through the snow under your board. Snowboarding is one of America’s greatest winter past-times, and for the right reasons. Here’s a list of reasons of why you should take up snowboarding this coming winter.
- Snowboarding makes winter fun!
A lot of people don’t like the winter months because they can be cold and dreary. Shoveling is tedious and always a huge waste of time. Snowboarding can take you from hating the cold to really enjoying it by taking full advantage of the weather. Snowboarding will make you excited for the winter season to start, so you can get that board out and hit the mountains.
- Physical benefits
One of the biggest reasons to take up snowboarding is how great it is for you physically. Snowboarding is classified as an aerobic exercise and in most cases, you can burn around 450 calories per hour. Snowboarding uses just about all of the muscle groups in your body. Your leg muscles especially feel the burn as they are the muscle groups that have the most control over the board. Another huge aspect of the physical benefits that snowboarding can give you, is that it improves your flexibility and balance. When you are riding your board you are doing everything you can to stay balanced on the board so you don’t take a tumble down the hill.
- Mental benefits
Alongside physical benefits, snowboarding also provides you with great mental benefits. Just like any workout, snowboarding helps your brain release dopamine to your body, which is responsible for improving moods and creating the feeling of happiness. Snowboarding can also help with stress and anxiety. Hitting the mountain puts you outdoors for long periods of time, which has been tied to reducing anxiety and relieving stress levels.
- Develop relationships
Many snowboarders rave about how nice and friendly their fellow boarders are on the mountain. Having a culture where everyone is together for the same reason can foster great life long relationships. On top of that, many families view snowboarding as a family sport and will take a family trip up to the mountain so they all can enjoy the thrill. Snowboarding can also help you better your self-esteem, which can help you make more relationships on and off the slopes.
- Snowboarding is pretty cheap!
When it comes to winter sports, many of them carry a big price tag with them everywhere they go. Snowboarding luckily, is on the lower end of that spectrum. The cost difference between skiing and snowboarding can cost upwards of $500 more just to rent the gear for the day. Purchasing an entire ensemble is probably the way you should go. The cost for buying everything you need for skiing is going to run you close to $1000 on the low end and closer to $2000 on the high end. Snowboarding, on the other hand, is really only going to cost you around $800 on the high end of the market.
Snowboarding is great winter time activity that has great benefits to it. The physical and mental benefits that it gives should have you itching to get out on the slopes.