Heavy Impact
One of the most common injuries that skateboarders encounter is heavy impact. This can be by other people on the slopes or by a standstill object. Whether a snowboarder sees it about to happen or it happens unexpectedly, the results can be devastating. Heavy impact typically involves the entire body being hit at a blunt force. While external injuries do not always occur---internal injuries can. Swelling, bleeding and shifting of bones and organs can be life-threatening. A complete evaluation from medical personnel should always be done if the impact is severe. One way to protect from a heavy impact hit is to always wear safety gear and follow the rules established by the ski resort that is being used.
Knees and Legs
Knees and legs are easy targets of injury when snowboarding. Making sure not to venture out into the backcountry or unmarked ski areas will help reduce all injuries, including knees and legs. Backcountry areas are not monitored or evaluated for safety. Hidden dangers such as drop offs, bushes, trees and avalanche can all occur at a moment's notice. Twists coming off of jumps, sharp angled turns and loss of balance are also common dangers that target the lower body. Wearing proper snowboarding pants, knee pads and snowboarding boots will help deter injuries.
Ankles
One of the places of the body that receives that most pressure when snowboarding is the ankles. The ankles take a lot of compression and inversion from snowboarding maneuvers. One way to escape the danger and risk of ankle injury is to wear proper footwear. Hard shell boots that do not allow for a lot of bending in the ankle are good choices. They also protect the ankle from outside trauma and blunt force. Hard shell boots also protect snowboarders from getting "snowboarder's ankle," a type of fracture that involves the lateral part of the talus of the foot.
Wrist and Arms
Another hidden danger in snowboarding is when boarders use their wrists and arms to soften a blow (this is called FOOSH, or "fall onto an outstretched hand"). While this is a good way to reduce the risk of internal injury---it can have dangerous side effects. One of the main effects is broken bones. While many boarders feel the wrists should take the blow---the elbow is a much better alternative. A broken elbow will still allow one to be able to use his hands, where a broken wrist will not. Wearing wrist guards will help prevent the wrist from twisting and moving in an unwanted direction.