Bumps, bruises, maybe a little blood; all good indicators of a great day of mountainboarding. Seeing a fellow rider get up after a huge spill and continue riding is a normal thing. We step into the bindings each time knowing that injury might await. Some injuries, however, need to be taken care of more immediately in order to prevent further damage. Knowing some basic first aid can help to keep you riding.

Fractures are bad news. There are different kinds of fractures. There are closed fractures, where the bone is fractured under the skin, and there are open fractures, where the bone had broken through the skin and is sticking out. Both need to be treated in order to prevent further injury.

It’s harder to tell if you have a closed fracture than it is for an open fracture (for obvious reasons). Some of the signs to look for are the following:

• It hurts when you move the injured part.
• You can’t move the injured part.
• The injured part looks deformed.
• Swelling or discoloration of the injured part.

If ever you’re in doubt, treat it as a fracture. Any time that a fracture is suspected, you have to exercises extreme care. The ends of broken bones are sharp and movement can cut tissue and blood vessels. If you are in a location where you can get a medical professional on the scene, do it, and avoid moving the injured person if possible. The following instruction is for those instances where you are not so lucky.

The key to treating a fracture is to hold it in place so it doesn’t move around while the person is taken to a professional. As mentioned before, movement of a fracture will only cause more injury. A splint is what is commonly used to hold the injured part still.

A splint can be anything that will hold its shape, just use what you have around you, your mountainboard if you have to. Whatever you choose to use, it should be secured in several places above and below the break. You want the splint to be secure and comfortable. Pad the inside of the splint if possible and never tie it so tight that circulation is lost.

If the fracture is an open fracture, it should still be dealt with in the same manner. With this type of fracture you will also need to treat the wound. Apply pressure to stop the bleeding and cover with a clean bandage (pressure should be applied with care in order to keep the bone from cutting more tissue).

The most important thing for a rider with any kind of fracture is to get professional medical attention. The sooner the better. Never try to reset a broken limb like they do in the movies. Sometimes the limb will look so unnatural that you will want to move it ‘back to normal.’ DO NOT MOVE IT! Let the pros do that part.

Above all, once your fixed, grab your mountainboard and go make up for lost time.

Check back next week for Part 2 of Basic First Aid for Mountainboarders.

I have been speaking with some guys in Portugal about the scene in this excellent part of Europe.  The original article was written by Joao Correia , and he has asked me to patch up his English, but I think his original article reads better than any attempt I can make to edit it,  his English is 100% better than my Portugeuse so I think his effort should be respected.  They also featured on our video section a couple of weeks ago- Neil.

The Mountainboard in Portugal, has a very small number of riders, but at this moment they are to be taken the handle a series of initiatives in the direction to promote the appearance of new riders and to give to know the sport to the people.

We have organized one serie of events to which we call Mountainboard Try-out Day, where they are available Mountainboards (gentily yielded by the Trampa boards) for all the people that want’s to try.

. The major number of riders is located in Sintra, where a structure made for the same ones exists. This structure is composed for a track for bordercross for 2 riders with a series of jumps, grinds and quarter pipe. It exists also a Mountainboard Camp, that is to the incubency of the Alex Broumbas and that he is active during the summer months, where it’s possible to acquire lessons since initiate to a more advanced level, always with one component of very strong Freeride, and for where pods to be to know spots of a rare beauty and that are inserted in the nature, without intervention human being.

In the year of 2007, a little for all the parents had been carried through a series of spread shows, in which they had participated riders national and international. For this year they are to be prepared more shows with intention to promote the sport.

For these and other reasons always we are opened the visits of who want to come and wants to spend some days well past.

Waiting your visit…

These are some of the Spots to visit

• Cascais
• Peniche
• Sintra

Here they are some contacts:

02Elementos – Mountainboard & Kitelandboard
www.02elementos.net
j.a.correia@sapo.pt
58 SurfCamp
www.malaka-optik.de/camp58

We have teamed up with the excellent people at Remolition Mountainboard Media to create a series of downloadable wallpapers for your computers.

We will be doing a write up on their work very near future about their work, but to whet your appetite here is our first wallpaper.

Enjoy, and let everyone else know where to download it from.

(a subtle hint, click on the image for the full size picture, right click on the image and save it)

Mountainboarding can sometimes take us far from home as we climb up endless hillsides or blister our feet in search of the perfect ride. On these days it’s a good idea to pack a bag with a few things you might need to keep you going while you’re away.

Here’s what I throw in my pack when I’m heading up the mountain for the day:

1. Protective Gear- Unless you enjoy hiking with all your pads on, it’s nice to be able to toss them it your bag until it’s time to ride.

2. First Aid Kit- The following will take care of the minor stuff: gauze roll, athletic tape, compression bandage, Neosporin (or any other kind of antibiotic ointment), and a knife or a small pair of scissors.

3. Water- Avoid hard containers for holding water as the kidneys don’t seem to like them after a good tumble.

4. Food- Depending on how long you plan to be gone, you might need to refill your energy.

5. Cell Phone- Just in case things get bad.

6. Patch Kit- These things are small so there’s no reason to leave it behind.

7. Tools- Carry what you need to remove a wheel, separate hubs (for tube removal), and adjust suspension.

8. Spare Tube- Having at least one spare tube is handy for a quick fix, or for a pinched tube that a patch can’t fix.

9. Tire pump- For fixing flats and adjusting tire pressure.

What you pack in your pack is your business. The key is to pack light, but still be prepared. Just remember that there’s nothing worse than being miles from home with a loose ratchet strap or a flat tire, and no way to fix it.