Womens Wetsuits

People who perform extreme sports are not your normal sports participants. They are some of the most creative sports men and women around, and are constantly on the look out for the next big idea. Both surfing and snowboarding, although popular, are a little old now in some people’s eyes and could do with updating. It is no surprise then that one avid extreme sports fan gave in to curiosity and tried riding down the mountain side on his customised surfboard…and succeeded?

The sport of snow surfing is thought to have first been conceived in New Zealand when a visiting Australian surfer decided to see if he could ride his board on the white stuff. Since then, crazy folk all over the world have been talking up this new sport. Enthusiasts say that it requires a huge amount of skill and confidence. Unlike snowboards, riders do not have any bindings to attach themselves to the board, but instead rely on aggressive carving and the use of the hands to ensure that the board stays under their feet.The issue of slowing the board down and stopping had caused some problems as well, but flat run-off areas where people can glide to a stop can be found in many resorts now.

As with all emerging extreme sports, sponsors and industry brands have been paying close attention to see if it is worth their while getting involved. Apparently both Rip Curl and Burton have shown interest in the sport and have been following the most promising individuals. However, as the sport is still so new, it is likely to be a little while before formal events start taking place and stars are given the publicity that some of the more mainstream sport professionals receive. Despite this, the sport is growing at a rapid rate and you might find someone hanging ten at your local ski resort before you know it.

When it comes to popular extreme sports, snowboarding and surfing are right up their at the top of the list. Despite the fact these two sports couldn’t be further away from each other in terms of climate needed and location, a lot of people still enjoy taking part in both sports. But how much of the skills and fitness that are needed for one sport transferable to the other? Let us take a look at three important elements that these sports require.

Upper Body Strength. As any surfer will tell you, if you haven’t got great upper body fitness, there is not much point even getting in the water. You need endurance in order to repetitively paddle surfboards out to see against breaking waves, and power is need in the ‘pop-up’ phase of getting upright on the board when you have caught a wave. In comparison, snowboarding does not require anywhere near the upper body condition as surfing, as snowboarding is mainly a sport powered by the legs and torso

Timing. If you want to perform either of these sports well, then good timing is a must. In snowboarding it is vital to time your turns perfectly and even more important when doing jumps as lining up for the correct entry to the kicker can mean the difference between a clean landing and a face full of snow. Surfing also requires perfect timing and instincts not least when catching a wave when you have to paddle, pop-up, drop in and turn just at the right times.

Lower Body Strength & Agility. The legs play a very important part in both snowboarding and surfing, but it’s snowboarding that requires the most from the lower limbs. Snowboards require great skill and agility to turn and carve, and if your leg muscles are not in good condition you will simply not be able to ride well. Don’t for one minute think though that surfing does not require you to have good lower body fitness and flexibility, because it certainly does.

First and foremost you cannot visit the States on a surfing holiday without heading to Cocoa Beach, Florida. This beach is home to some classic breaks but you have to make sure your trip is timed right. Head here in the summer months and you stand a chance of getting some waves but there is also quite a high risk you’ll spend a lot of time sitting on the beach wondering where they have all gone. The winter months however will give you something different altogether. The winter surf is a great deal more reliable and often kicks up swells of close to 10ft. This place is a lot of fun and is a friendly and safe place to hang out, making it perfect for amateurs or those looking for a good party. Best surf is between November and March

Secondly, how about visiting the surf that started it all. Hawaii is well known for being a surf haven, and for good reason. There are waves here that are as tall as sky scrapers and as regular as day and night.  It’s so steeped in surfing history that you could easily spend your whole time on your Hawaii holidays, cycling around on the traditional second hand bikes, visiting historic sites, talking to locals about the good old days when surfboards were made out of wood, or checking out the thousands of surfboards on sale. Well, perhaps not the whole time, some must be saved to witness the 20ft beasts in Oahu, and the luxurious sands and swells at Ehukai Beach and Waimea Beach. absolute paradise

Last but not certainly not least, no American surf holiday would be complete without experiencing the “surf city” of the USA, Huntington, which funnily enough is also known for the snowboards they produce.The sun loves being in the sky here and top surfers flock like sheep whenever there are waves. Some of the biggest names in surfing spend a lot of their year here and its no surprise there are surf comps going on all the time.It can get a little on the busy side however, there were eleven million visitors last year. So if the bustling atmosphere isn’t your scene then come in winter to enjoy equally good riding conditions.

The sport of kitesurfing has seen its popularity soar in years of late. In fact, according to the sport’s acting governing body, participation figures are increasing faster than any other water-based sports. It is also one of the fastest growing extreme sports in general, and it seems people are ditching their snowboards in favour of kites, as snowboarding growth has recently been overtaken by this great sport . If you want to take up the activity however, you’re body better be in pretty good condition. Here are the key areas you will need to work on.

• Upper Body Strength. This is arguable the most important element of your body fitness that you will need to work on. The majority of effort in the sport comes from the muscles of the upper body and so these are required to be developed in order to properly control yourself and the kite. The main muscles you should focus on are those of the shoulder, known as the deltoids. These muscles work as ‘fixator’ muscles, providing stability for the rest of the body. Also focus on the pectoral muscles and those of the upper back

• Core Strength. Because the sport is so dynamic and is largely focused around controlling body weight, your core strength will need to be great. Using a Swiss Ball is one way to effectively develop core muscle efficiency. You will probably have to add weights into you core workouts though in order to replicate the strains you will experience whilst out on the water. Often the kite will want to pull you in a direction you do not want to go so it will be your developed core strength that will let you remain planted

• Aerobic Fitness. Although you might not associate the sport with aerobic fitness, your lungs and heart will need to be in shape. Due to fact various muscles will be working incredibly hard, they will be demanding ever increasing volumes of oxygen and they will be churning out more and more CO2 and lactic acid. You will feel the effects quite early on if you lungs and heart cannot feed the muscles with oxygen quickly enough and remove harmful bi-products at a steady rate. Jogging or cycling are ideal methods for enhancing your CV (heart and lungs) system.

If you want to try water sports get used kitesurfing gear and also get second hand bikes here at Extreme Sports Trader