Snowboard Club UK
UK - Protection while snowboarding
Israel - May 01, 2008 - 10:29 PM
Post subject: Protection while snowboarding
Hi gang,
I have bought a helmet as head protection, but I have not bought anything else yet. What do you recommend to buy as additional protection? Is it worth to buy a body armour/shield plus knee & wrist, hip trousers, etc.
Thanks,
Israel.
lez_s - May 01, 2008 - 10:32 PM
Post subject: RE: Protection while snowboarding
a part from a helmet i only wear impact shorts when in a park. you could look at wrist guards but i've never had any since day one.
Sandman - May 01, 2008 - 10:45 PM
Post subject: RE: Protection while snowboarding
First thing i bought was Wrist Guards, and now im kind of scared to stop using them in case i bring on the law of sod. But I also wear Impact shorts and Knee pads, i dont really need them but they are great when you just want to sit on the hill and not get a cold ass, and the knee pads are just some light protection. Although saying all that, the impact shorts have certainly stopped me getting a bruised ass on more than one occasion.
I would not say you need most of this gear in a fridge though unless you are going to start do kickers, rails and boxes?
Martin_4 - May 02, 2008 - 11:36 AM
Post subject: RE: Protection while snowboarding
Only must-haves for me are wrist guards. I wear a pair of RED ones under my gloves after a particlarly pathetic fall last Christmas (ice skating rather than snowboarding sadly!) and have been sore ever since. The guards have helped me out on quite a few occassions since. I know lots of people can't be bothered but I love them.
N0DDY - May 02, 2008 - 12:04 PM
Post subject: RE: Protection while snowboarding
I use a helmet, wrist guards, knee pads, and impact shorts. I never go boarding without them cos you fully well that the second you go boarding without any of that kit, something bad will happen.
dashie - May 02, 2008 - 12:06 PM
Post subject: RE: Protection while snowboarding
Helmet and impact shorts for me. got some really good dianese shorts, can take some of the padding out so i normally only ride with a coxyx protector in
Keatsy - May 02, 2008 - 12:07 PM
Post subject: Re: RE: Protection while snowboarding
lez_s wrote:
a part from a helmet i only wear impact shorts when in a park.
I'm the same, although i would like to carry a Glock 32, you never know who's lurking on a slope on in the fridges!! or just to pop a cap in someone occasionally 
Sidget_Ex - May 02, 2008 - 12:23 PM
Post subject: RE: Re: RE: Protection while snowboarding
Wrist guards are a must
The LeVeL gloves come with wrist protectors built in [Biomex] and the support they give is pretty good, wrist injuries are by far the most common injury in snowboarding
liam0114 - May 02, 2008 - 12:31 PM
Post subject: RE: Re: RE: Protection while snowboarding
helmet, biomex wrist guards in gloves, ass pads - not just for bum protection but you can sit on the snow and not get cold!!
s_duncan82 - May 02, 2008 - 01:06 PM
Post subject: RE: Re: RE: Protection while snowboarding
The two things I started off with was the impact shorts and the wrists guards and still wear them whenever I ride.
I wear a helmet, knee and pack protector as well when doing freestyle stuff
Smash - May 02, 2008 - 01:53 PM
Post subject: RE: Re: RE: Protection while snowboarding
Yeah, I always ride with a helmet and knee pads.
But I suppose everyones different, I've never really felt a need for wrist guards or impact shorts 
Punkchick - May 02, 2008 - 02:15 PM
Post subject:
I ride dryslope most of the time and never ride without, impact shorts, wrist guards and knee pads (dendix is mean). I lent my wrist guards to a nervous pupil once, then caught my board in a bit of mat that was sticking up and broke my wrist in 4 places. Now that is the law of sod!
Also whenever I am doing freestyle or on the mountain I also wear a helmet and back protector. I am so glad of my helmet, I was doing a bit of off piste pow in Austria when I rag dolled, funny at first until I heard an almighty crack. Turned out I had hit my head on a rock buried by the pow, when we got to the bottom I had cracked both my helmet and goggles, as well as having a pounding headache, who knows what state I would have been in if I didn't have it. 
Israel - May 02, 2008 - 02:35 PM
Post subject:
It is great to see how open this group is. It is cool to be part of SCUK.
Thanks for all comments.
Israel.
ace_mcgraw - May 02, 2008 - 02:42 PM
Post subject:
personally I'm just a helmet kind of guy. I've tried impact shorts, but firstly i didn't find them comfortable, and secondly I've got a fat ass anyway! Depends what sort of thing you're doing, and how hard you're gonna be charging.
I prob would have had wrist guards when starting out, but they didn't have them back then, so I did without. I never really knock my elbow much so don't feel a need for that. Knee pads can be nice just to add cushioning. I could have done with them last weekend! Helmets are the way forward tho - the number of times I've just been messing around and caught an edge and I've been glad for my helmet!
Baz_k - May 02, 2008 - 02:54 PM
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On dry I always wear knee pads. Its the main place, especially from the beginning that Dendix can really screw you up!
Impact shorts are good too, but i have a huge ass to take the impact!
NewbieLew - May 02, 2008 - 09:12 PM
Post subject:
<b> WEAR A WRIST GUARDS </b>
This is coming from a guy who originally said 'don't be stupid , wrist guards are not cool and look gay' . Well I learn't the hard way , back in January I tore all the ligaments in my wrist - chipped bones and snapped my wrist . Only had surgery 2 weeks ago and going be out for 3/4months .
I <b> swear by wrist guards </b>
<b> WEAR THEM !!! </b>
aqua76 - May 03, 2008 - 07:23 PM
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Me personally :
helmet - ever since i moved to boarding, cant be too careful with yr noggin, plus it keeps yr head warm
wrist guards - paranoid about knackering my wrists - my friend was learning to board, went to Cairngorm few weeks before he went to France, fell over once and broke his wrist!!
Knee pads - got these on day two learning to board in Andorra - kneeling on snow was buggering my knees! Prob dont need them now, but its automatic now - they go on
craig1972 - May 03, 2008 - 08:05 PM
Post subject:
Me:
Knox Warrior Back/Chest/Shoulder protector - had it on three times now and it's been ace, fell heavy off a flat box on Thursday night and it saved a lot of pain.
Padded Undercrackers - got off ebay for £30 - you get what you pay for eh. Should have got Forcefield.
Dainese Knee Pads - been falling on my knees a lot trying to ride switch so well worth the £30.
Lid - use park helmet, thank got I had one on Thursday night.
To Get - wrist guards, Dainese full upper body suit, wrist gaurds, lid.
I'm an old, but very stupid bugger so I reckon the more protection the better.
Craig
winterfunman - May 04, 2008 - 03:09 PM
Post subject:
I always wear a helmet , never know when some one may wipe you out , i wear crash pants, never noticed i hav them on from day 1 , wrist gaurds i used to wear , but can be restrictive , better to learn to fall and roll and keep hands away , and you gota remeber wrist gaurds can just transmit the break futhur up ur arm etc , and a wrist takes less time to heal than a forarm etc .........but each to there own .............main thing hav fun , dont fall and live the snow dream
Sidget_Ex - May 04, 2008 - 03:54 PM
Post subject:
Quote:
and ypou gota remeber wrist gaurds can just transmit the break futhur up ur arm etc , and a wrist takes less time to heal than a forarm etc
This is why Biomex was invented, it absorbs the impact partly to the wrist and partly to the arm, rather than just putting the power somewhere else
They do spend a lot of money researching the best protection methods, the Biomex wrist guard doesnt look like much, but when you fall on your wrist you sure do notice the difference
And the fact that you can buy LeVel gloves which have wrist guards built into them, theres no real reason not too - they even cost the same amount as a normal glove [£40-60]
Information about the LeveL Biomex protection
http://www.levelgloves.com/biomex_protection.php
07/08 LeveL mens glove - £45 from Chain Reaction Cycles
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=24513
winterfunman - May 04, 2008 - 07:26 PM
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i have still seen ppl break a wrist with wrist guards on ..................
BoardingJay - May 04, 2008 - 07:47 PM
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wrist guards dont guarantee that you won't break your arm, it just reduces the risk, some by a significant amount... thats why i use flexmeter, can't really fault em they saved my wrist plenty of times...
always wear a lid too, i managed to knock myself out with my lid on this season, can only wonder how much worse it could have been without one on...
NewbieLew - May 04, 2008 - 08:02 PM
Post subject:
winterfunman wrote:
i have still seen ppl break a wrist with wrist guards on ..................
They aim is not to <i>stop</i> a break but rather to reduce impact .
People still break their skulls with helmets on , and still break their spines wearing back protectors .
It's life 
MattR - May 05, 2008 - 02:10 PM
Post subject:
winterfunman wrote:
wrist gaurds i used to wear , but can be restrictive , better to learn to fall and roll and keep hands away , and you gota remeber wrist gaurds can just transmit the break futhur up ur arm etc , and a wrist takes less time to heal than a forarm etc .........but each to there own .............main thing hav fun , dont fall and live the snow dream
Deary me.
How many urban myths in one post.
Wrist guards have NOT been found to 'transfer the force' to your forearm. Even a wrist guard with a wrist inside it is weaker than a forearm. God knows which halfwit website you got that from.
A wrist in many cases will never repair, Tibs on here still has problems with flexibility now from breaks years ago. My father will never regain mobility in his wrist from a minor fall 20 years ago which cracked two bones and chipped one other.
A forearm is simply two straight bones, in the majority of cases recovery will be near 100%, except in the case of complex fractures.
And you need to get some decent ones if they restrict motion significantly.
QBall - May 09, 2008 - 06:33 PM
Post subject:
Tis true,
generally the more padding/protection you wear the quicker you can learn (due to not getting as many knock backs in confidence or bruises after falling) and less likely you are to end up in A&E.
With regards to wrist guards they do help support the wrist but as pointed out above NOT transfer the impact elsewhere. In short if you fall hard enough/bad enough to break the bone it will brake despite the protection. The various protection bits and pieces mainly protect from bruising, not brakages as 90% of the initial force is still there. Futher than that they limit the damage to the sorf tissues.
What wrists guards do is limit the damage to the ligamends and tendon around the wrist joint as in most cases your wrist (by this i refer to the long bones - radius & ulna) will recover in 4-6wks given rest time (small bones take longer), but severed torn and ruptured ligament may never heal fully.
Me personally - i always use wrist guards and helmet. And then add knees and butt pads when feeling adventurous.
As a beginner, wear everything you can afford, but remember you do generally get what you pay for regarding design materials and comfort.
nickmotture - May 09, 2008 - 07:55 PM
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The wristguards question is debatable, ive already told the story of my mate wearing them while skating and ending up breaking his wrist right where the guard ended, its just transfered the pressure there and his arm snapped almost clean in two leaving the bone poking out through the skin, not nice, especially as it was my car he bleed and puked all over on the way to casualty. Thats not to say it will always happen but i dont think there is a hard and fast rule. If you feel safer where them, i dont personaly
Kat - May 09, 2008 - 10:05 PM
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If you have any doubts about wrist guards then read www.ski-injury.com where they have done a lot of research in to it