What body armor for a beginner non-park boarder? - Snowboarding Forum

11-14-2009, 06:33 AM

Hi all --

I'm switching over from skiing to boarding this year and got to thinking about body armor.

Quite apart from protecting me from serious injury I'm getting older so I can't take the knocks like I used to

And one of my friends blew out last season, right at the start, in the dumbest/unluckiest accident (on piste, super conditions).

So this year I'm thinking "why not max out on protective gear?"

Like I said I'm new to boarding - the first thing I looked at, just because I'd seen others wearing them, was something like a Dainese full coat.

But then I thought what's this for - surely the back protector must be about protecting you from banging your spine off a rail (or crazy off piste terrain).

I don't see myself as a park boarder and I'm certainly not going to be doing any crazy off piste.

So is altogether more mundane gear what I should be looking at?

What would you recommend? Elbow guards, knee guards, shin guards, anything else?

(It's a given that I'll stick with my trusty ski helmet)

I was looking at Dainese's site and came across:
1. Modular impact shorts,
2. Snow knee guard air (appear to include shin guard),
3. Elbow guard lite air.

These all look cool but pretty heavy duty, for a beginner should I be looking at ligher stuff, e.g. is the full knee and shin guard combo OTT?

Or is this stuff about right?

Are the wrist guards that come with a good pair of gloves generally good enough? Or should I be looking at separate guards? I was looking at Ziener Massive GT gloves that seem to have a more substantial guard than most gloves, consisting of two pieces for the back and front of the hand and wrist.

I also took a look at some POC stuff - it looks really cool and very comfortable, but pretty pricey.

Thanks for your advise and help

/George

jr05 · 11-14-2009, 08:13 AM

I don't think you need too much protection for just freeriding at the resort. If you really think you need it, get the following:

1) A helmet! Mandatory. I think everybody should wear one, always.
1) A pair of Level gloves (with wrist guards) such as the half-pipe glove
2) A pair of impact shorts (skeletools, Dainese's, pro-tec, whatever) if you are not in the park these are pretty much unnecessary. Maybe get some modular ones and just leave the tailbone protector portion in them?

Just get some lessons and start out small. Don't push your limits too far when you are just starting out and you will be fine, no need to go overboard on padding for just freeriding.

Have fun!

iKimshi · 11-14-2009, 08:41 AM

A helmet is, in my opinion, the most important piece of protective equipment. If you land on your head, serious damage can be done to your brain so you want to make sure that's protected.

return2heaven · 11-14-2009, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jr05

I don't think you need too much protection for just freeriding at the resort. If you really think you need it, get the following:

1) A helmet! Mandatory. I think everybody should wear one, always.
1) A pair of Level gloves (with wrist guards) such as the half-pipe glove
2) A pair of impact shorts (skeletools, Dainese's, pro-tec, whatever) if you are not in the park these are pretty much unnecessary. Maybe get some modular ones and just leave the tailbone protector portion in them?

Just get some lessons and start out small. Don't push your limits too far when you are just starting out and you will be fine, no need to go overboard on padding for just freeriding.

Have fun!

+1 a helmet and tailbone protection are a must!!

danielle · 11-14-2009, 04:14 PM

Helmet and impact shorts, ever leave home without them!

Toecutter · 11-14-2009, 06:01 PM

Statistically speaking, wrists and ankles are the top injuries in snowboarding for beginners. I'd get wrist braces for sure, plus the helmet. There's not much I can think of to do to protect the ankles other than try to stay relaxed.

Back when I was just starting out (at the tender age of 37) I landed on my knees and elbows a lot. I would consider knee pads of some sort, and maybe elbow guards too.

The first several days on the mountain when I was learning, I sat on my ass a lot. I didn't really fall down on my rump (mostly onto my elbows) but I had to sit a lot and my butt got real cold and uncomfortable. A pair of padded impact shorts would be helpful.

I've been a skier since I was in 3rd grade (c.1977) and decided to pick up snowboarding later in life. The learning curve was steep, so it only took a few days to get comfortable linking turns and cruising at speed. I did take lessons though. You might consider taking a lesson, since the instructor pointed out some techniques (e.g., torsioning the board to turn) that didn't translate over from skiing and I wouldn't have figured out on my own. It made getting up the learning curve pretty easy.

iKimshi · 11-14-2009, 07:09 PM

Yea I guess wrist braces wouldn't be such a bad idea either. I've never experienced problems with my wrist so I never thought about needing them.

11-14-2009, 07:50 PM

Helmet for sure, cant tell u how many times it saved me. and knee pads if you really need them. I was sooo close to getting knee pads because I always hit my knees. Wrist guards if you don't know how to fall. Besides that, i dunno.

AWNOW · 11-14-2009, 07:58 PM

I believe the general consensus regarding wrist braces is that they only help transfer energy to your bones, making it far more likely to break.

Mountainmenace · 11-14-2009, 10:49 PM

i always ride with my crash shorts on . THEY ARE A MUST IF U WANT TO HAVE FUN WITH LESS PAIN

THE JIB CRIB - THE WORLD'S BEST INDOOR SNOWBOARD RACK - Home

11-14-2009, 06:33 AM	#1 (permalink)
Alacazam Guest Posts: n/a	What body armor for a beginner non-park boarder? Hi all -- I'm switching over from skiing to boarding this year and got to thinking about body armor. Quite apart from protecting me from serious injury I'm getting older so I can't take the knocks like I used to And one of my friends blew out last season, right at the start, in the dumbest/unluckiest accident (on piste, super conditions). So this year I'm thinking "why not max out on protective gear?" Like I said I'm new to boarding - the first thing I looked at, just because I'd seen others wearing them, was something like a Dainese full coat. But then I thought what's this for - surely the back protector must be about protecting you from banging your spine off a rail (or crazy off piste terrain). I don't see myself as a park boarder and I'm certainly not going to be doing any crazy off piste. So is altogether more mundane gear what I should be looking at? What would you recommend? Elbow guards, knee guards, shin guards, anything else? (It's a given that I'll stick with my trusty ski helmet) I was looking at Dainese's site and came across: 1. Modular impact shorts, 2. Snow knee guard air (appear to include shin guard), 3. Elbow guard lite air. These all look cool but pretty heavy duty, for a beginner should I be looking at ligher stuff, e.g. is the full knee and shin guard combo OTT? Or is this stuff about right? Are the wrist guards that come with a good pair of gloves generally good enough? Or should I be looking at separate guards? I was looking at Ziener Massive GT gloves that seem to have a more substantial guard than most gloves, consisting of two pieces for the back and front of the hand and wrist. I also took a look at some POC stuff - it looks really cool and very comfortable, but pretty pricey. Thanks for your advise and help /George

11-14-2009, 06:01 PM	#6 (permalink)
Toecutter Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mt. Bachelor Posts: 1,512	Statistically speaking, wrists and ankles are the top injuries in snowboarding for beginners. I'd get wrist braces for sure, plus the helmet. There's not much I can think of to do to protect the ankles other than try to stay relaxed. Back when I was just starting out (at the tender age of 37) I landed on my knees and elbows a lot. I would consider knee pads of some sort, and maybe elbow guards too. The first several days on the mountain when I was learning, I sat on my ass a lot. I didn't really fall down on my rump (mostly onto my elbows) but I had to sit a lot and my butt got real cold and uncomfortable. A pair of padded impact shorts would be helpful. I've been a skier since I was in 3rd grade (c.1977) and decided to pick up snowboarding later in life. The learning curve was steep, so it only took a few days to get comfortable linking turns and cruising at speed. I did take lessons though. You might consider taking a lesson, since the instructor pointed out some techniques (e.g., torsioning the board to turn) that didn't translate over from skiing and I wouldn't have figured out on my own. It made getting up the learning curve pretty easy. Last edited by Toecutter; 11-14-2009 at 06:03 PM.

11-14-2009, 10:49 PM	#10 (permalink)
Mountainmenace Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 90	i always ride with my crash shorts on . THEY ARE A MUST IF U WANT TO HAVE FUN WITH LESS PAIN THE JIB CRIB - THE WORLD'S BEST INDOOR SNOWBOARD RACK - Home __________________ [URL="http://https://mountainmenace.bigcartel.com/"] www.thejibcrib.com LIVING 2 KILL IT

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11-14-2009, 08:13 AM	#2 (permalink)
jr05 Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 50	I don't think you need too much protection for just freeriding at the resort. If you really think you need it, get the following: 1) A helmet! Mandatory. I think everybody should wear one, always. 1) A pair of Level gloves (with wrist guards) such as the half-pipe glove 2) A pair of impact shorts (skeletools, Dainese's, pro-tec, whatever) if you are not in the park these are pretty much unnecessary. Maybe get some modular ones and just leave the tailbone protector portion in them? Just get some lessons and start out small. Don't push your limits too far when you are just starting out and you will be fine, no need to go overboard on padding for just freeriding. Have fun!

11-14-2009, 08:41 AM	#3 (permalink)
iKimshi Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 378	A helmet is, in my opinion, the most important piece of protective equipment. If you land on your head, serious damage can be done to your brain so you want to make sure that's protected.

11-14-2009, 04:14 PM	#5 (permalink)
danielle Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Washington Posts: 172 Blog Entries: 2	Helmet and impact shorts, ever leave home without them!

11-14-2009, 07:09 PM	#7 (permalink)
iKimshi Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 378	Yea I guess wrist braces wouldn't be such a bad idea either. I've never experienced problems with my wrist so I never thought about needing them.

11-14-2009, 07:50 PM	#8 (permalink)
squid267 Guest Posts: n/a	Helmet for sure, cant tell u how many times it saved me. and knee pads if you really need them. I was sooo close to getting knee pads because I always hit my knees. Wrist guards if you don't know how to fall. Besides that, i dunno.

11-14-2009, 07:58 PM	#9 (permalink)
AWNOW Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Colorado Posts: 703	I believe the general consensus regarding wrist braces is that they only help transfer energy to your bones, making it far more likely to break.