The Big 3 – Protection For Snowboarding Beginners

by Fraser
Updated:

Snowboarding and falling over pretty much go hand in hand. If you’re a snowboarder, whether just learning or trying to dial in a new trick, you’re going to take some falls. As a result, manufacturers have produced a bunch of different protection options, all designed to reduce the chances of picking up an injury or getting hurt, to keep you riding longer and having fun, pain-free. Of course, injuries can still occur, whether that be a twisted knee or ankle – it’s not always impact injuries that you have to think about. Be sure to have all precautions in place, whether you have insurance or even a physiotherapist like CK Physio lined up for when you return from your trip or day out boarding.

As a beginner you probably have more questions – you know less about snowboarding because you’re new. So as a beginner – what are the most important safety gear items? Read on.

Matte-Black-RG-1-Core-Ski-and-Snowboard-Helmet-With-HG-1-Anti-fog-Goggles1. The Snowboarding Helmet

Arguably the most important piece of safety equipment for all snowboarders – because it protects your head.

Beginner snowboarders don’t usually ride in the snowboard park – they’re not ready to experiment with tricks and park features. They also don’t ride particularly fast, or on off-piste terrain, which can introduce the risk of colliding with trees or rocks. So why is a helmet important for the beginner?

Although you’ll be travelling slowly to begin with, you are still prone to falling.

A helmet makes sense. In particular, you’re prone to catching an edge – where one of the edges on your board bites into the snow, when you didn’t want it to, causing you to fall in the down-hill direction.

If you catch your heel edge when learning to turn, it often results in you falling backwards in the direction of travel. With the momentum involved that can mean a tasty impact to your back and/or head. Ouch.

snowboard-wrist-guard-samp22. Wrist Guards

Beginners fall over a lot. That tends to include a lot of low speed, balance-related falls. The type of fall where it’s natural to put your hands out to stop yourself…

Tempting – but dangerous. Wrist injuries are one of the most commonly occurring injuries for snowboarders.

Which is where wrist guards come in.

Wrist guards are designed to provide support around your hand and wrist.

They are effective in dealing with situations where snowboarders put their hands down to brace for a fall – which makes them useful for beginners.

Impact Shorts3. Impact Shorts

For beginners, the benefit of wearing impact shorts fits close alongside that of wrist guards. A high frequency of falls, many of which will have you landing or skidding on your ass! It is not uncommon at all for snowboarders to get some tasty bruising in that area.

Impact shorts – padded shorts – simply provide cushioning to soften the blow of falling on your butt. Beyond being a beginner, impact shorts are useful to most snowboarders, especially those who ride in the park. The main drawback is fitting the protection underneath your snowboard pants.

As a beginner, the benefits almost certainly outweigh the drawbacks. You will fall on your butt and it will be annoying. Impact shorts will help.

As you progress you may view the situation differently. Depending on your style of riding, the types and frequency of falls that you take will change. The cost/benefit of wearing them will change.

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