A few words about ski and snowboard protectors and protective equipment

In 1997, I fell seemingly innocently in the powder snow of the southern Chopok, under the Gyömbér...

I was unlucky, I couldn't stand up, I fell on a cut, frozen tree stump. I could still hear the voices of the others as they squealed away at the edge of the forest. That's when I decided that if I got through this unscathed, I would always use snowboard bottom protection pants. I got away, so I started looking for the ominous protector, and that's when I realized that a significant part of them is an illusion. "Kiss for a dead ass". 🙂

Since then, I have been passionately interested in protectors and protective equipment. Anyway, I had a shot at it: I'm an old hockey player, I've been rollerblading for a long time, and I've been whitewater kayaking for quite some time. Protective equipment is important for all of them.

Which are important in snowboarding and what should we pay attention to?

Butt protector

1. No matter how good you are, you could do judo, you could wrestle, if you fall backwards, you'll beat your ass. I have seen more than one crying girl while studying, who has already thumped her bottom so many times that she didn't dare to slide any further. A good butt protector stays under your tailbone even when you land. Be sure to squat down and hit the ground when trying. Model the fall. If your tailbone touches the ground, then you have not found the protector of your life - keep looking!
2. If the panel above the tailbone of a protective pant widens downwards, don't buy it. The human bottom narrows from top to bottom. Standing up, smooth this protective panel under your tailbone. If it reaches below, only then is it possible to buy protection. Also check that there is not a lot of exposed surface on the butt. If possible, it is best not to have it at all.
3. It's good if it also protects the side swivels. Many people believe that shiny plastics protect our bottoms. Not really. The impact-hardening foam under them plays a much bigger role. See Memory Foam.
4. The carrier material should be perforated and breathable, and it is also beneficial for movement if it is also flexible. Motorcycle protective pants are often not good because they are designed for sitting. It's okay if the pants sag on our thighs, just don't let them slide off our hips.
5. Market prices HUF 11,000 - 32,000. I think a good purchase is realistic between HUF 11,000 - 15,000.

Knee pad

1. Snowboard knee pads that have an exposed plastic exterior on the outside are no good. If you fall, hard snow (ice) can get between the soft material of the snowboard pants and the hard plastic exterior and tear into pieces. "Soup costs more than meat". A good knee pad is soft on the outside, and at most it has medical plastic on the inside. The heart of the matter, here too, is the impact-hardening foam. We only sell these in the Snowboardshop.
2. Two more things are important:
   1. The knee protector should not slide off during movement, it should be anatomically designed, and should have a shoulder above the kneecap. The slide down knee pad is not a knee pad.
   2. Thermo knee protectors made of neoprene also keep the knee warm, reducing the chance of ligament tears. Such e.g. the HMR model, for HUF 11,900, I think it's top!

Wrist guard v. snowboard gloves with wrist protection?

1. Most snowboard gloves with wrist guards offer very modest protection. If there is a protective support only at the bottom or only at the top, then the protection is limited. If you are really afraid of your wrists, you are looking for gloves with wrist support at the bottom/top. I've seen this before with Reusch or Snowlife gloves. My girl friend easily broke her wrist in one of Level's gloves, which only supported from the bottom, but had no protector on the top.
2. It can definitely be said that snowboard wrist guards that can be worn separately are actually worth more than protectors integrated into gloves. I don't mean skateboarding, it wouldn't even fit under snowboard gloves. For the special wrist guard with lower/upper panels, preferably made of neoprene material, which also keeps the ligaments, muscles, and joints warm. A wrist cooled by snow is demonstrably more easily injured/broken. Such a wrist guard is not a great luxury, for example: HUF 5,800 is the top of the price category. It won't break your hand, the neoprene has a Titanal thermal mirror, and it doesn't matter what kind of gloves we have - it fits under it.

Back protector

1. I can mention to the point of boredom that the values here are not shiny black plastic shoulder blades. But the thickness and quantity of Memory Foam, the foam that hardens on impact. If it is thin under the plastic, then the protection is weak.
2. It is preferable if the band of the "impact-protected" zone reaches up to the neck and meets the protective pants at the bottom. Spine protection vests are good, where the ribs, possibly the shoulders and elbows are also protected. Their prices range from HUF 10,000 to HUF 50,000. There are a lot of plastic "decorations", but there are better companies in department stores as well. E.g.: Komperdell, Alpina, but the price range is large. We offer a fullbody (back, rib, shoulder, elbow protection) for HUF 25,000.

Helmet, crash helmet

1. In my time, at first it was chic, now it's fashionable. They are getting more beautiful, but sometimes this comes at the expense of functionality. I like it when the helmet comes down to my forehead and goes down to my neck at the back. If the helmet presses my head in a line or in a point, that is very wrong.
2. It is worth paying attention to the protruding corners of our head. As with snowboard boots, there are as many heads as there are people, as many unique shapes – there is no universally acceptable helmet design. Measure the circumference of your head at eyebrow height. (Ex.: 58 cm, which is an "L" size). We should see this number again on snowboard helmets. If the helmet has a micro-adjuster, it is an additional extra, then we should see this: E.g.: 57-60.
3. The breathability of the helmet is also important. The more ventilation channels it has, the better. It is most professional if the ventilation can be regulated. Speakers are also built into the helmets (Ride, K2). They provide quite enjoyable stereo quality.
4. It can also be advantageous if the inside of the snowboard or ski helmet can be velcroed at the same time. If the cap part of a dome comes out at the same time, it can be easily washed and cleaned. I myself like brightly colored, fluorescent, orange, yellow, red, neon green helmets. Don't forget, this is our highest point, it can be seen from afar, even in poor visibility. Freeriders should prefer striking colors! It can save you from injury, even save your life - just with its color! 🙂
   I am a fan of Swiss, German and American helmets - they are precise and elaborate, but the helmets of the Austrians are not bad either. (K2, Ride, TSG, Trans, Alpina, Uvex, Head, Bolle).
5. The realistic price is usually: HUF 18,000 - 30,000.