Posted by kevinboards
your job is the reason you will land the trick.

too true. i found when i got a "real" job where it was more important not to be injured, i started landing more tricks first time, admittedly not every trick went down smoothly first time, but in general i was riding out of them and got them much better the next time.

also found that (to an extent) bigger falls hurt less as you know it is going wrong and have more time to prepare yourself for the fall. i've come down from about 25ft up onto my head and walked away without a scratch - just a bit dazed and confused. then about 6 weeks later i got a double fracture in my wrist flat landing a barrel tap and missed the rest of the season. luckily the job was ok about that one!

just my opinion, but build it up gradually and enjoy it. if you think about it too much, it will go wrong.

These threads are full of good advice, I teach at a small resort in the midwest and here are a few things that I think help, especially if you are ready to step it up. We don't all have the luxury of care-free lives so it is smart to do it right.

-If you worry a lot, something like aflac is key for peace of mind, sign up for it in the winter and drop it in the spring. That is what I do, they will be happy to take your money over and over. If you get hurt you'll be happy to take theirs too.
-Don't be stupid out there either, don't try a 540 if you can't ride switch very well or land solid 180's or 360's
-Don't try anything new on sketchy snow. Powder days and spring days are the best because the snow is soft. Hopefully where ever you ride has differnt level parks for you to hit up.
-Aflac helps with peace of mind but doesn't make you a better rider, if you get hurt doing something stupid not only will you miss work, but you will probably miss some good powder days.
-Protection gear, helmet, ass pads, wrist gaurds are big, they might feel weird at first but they help with peace of mind and they protect the places where you are most prone to injury.
-Just work up to it, and make some friends that are better than you and listen to and watch them.

The last thing I'm thinking about when I'm riding park is work - that's why I like riding is to take my mind off it. Though that said at work, I'm often thinking about riding :P
A couple of days ago I wrecked not being able to pull a nose-press back off an up-down combo box and fractured the crown of my left humerus. It's a shitty deal, but I can still work with it and it's not gonna stop me from going back and stomping that same trick on the same feature (if they haven't switched it up) when I'm back out there. I've always founs the best way to prevent mental blocks is to go right back to wherever you got hurt and slay that bitch.

Go Jack the Ripper on dat ho!

I guess instead of giving advice to easy style it and such, I would say what do you do for work? what are the essential movements required for your job? most injuries, short of having brain surgery, will still allow you to work in some capacity. I mean, I'm a snowboard instructor, and I currently have a ruptured achilles tendon and I still have a job, I operating the magic carpet now but still making money. so don't sweat it too much, even if you end up needing surgery from an injury you'll be back moving around in a few days and able to work, unless you're like a stripper or something where you need all your appendages to work.