Helmets and body armour

[rikytheripster]

Hi all,

am off to the slopes from england in 3 weeks and as i will be riding my new setup for the first time- prior wcr185 + cateks i reckon i might just kill myself. Now my 1st question is:

1) helmet- pros and cons?- and recomendations.
2)Body armour- pros and cons?- recomendations


Thanks for any replies

[Dave*]

1) helmet-yes-full face mountain bike helmet.-661 full bravo 2

2) armour-yes- lacrosse shoulder pads and rib guards-debeer
and no gomers wrist guards

[ARCrider]

I don't ride without my brain bucket secure. My head fits into my new boeri quite nicely. You will have to try out different makes and models to find what fits you. Never buy a used helmet.
As for armour I usually have hip and tailbone protection under my snowpants and I always wear wristguards. Started wearing gloves last season and broke my baby finger on the second last day of the year so I might be taping my baby fingers to the next finger to start this season.

[philw]

That's two questions.

Helmets: personal choice. Lots of Americans wear them. If you're planning on inverted aerials or half-pipe then perhaps you'd be silly not too. For carving... unless you like to nut trees or lift pylons then crashing on your head may not be all that common (I expect someone will have the stats..).

Body armour: not sure you'd want that for carving.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Seeing as we're typically going twice as fast as any other snowboarder on the hill, a helmet seems like a good idea. Also, I've heard of more than one fellow who got locked into a carve and went sailing off into the trees before he could get out of it. That WCR is a lot of board too - if you don't feel confidant going in, perhaps a little extra protection is in order? Finally, there's a lot of boneheads on the hill - even if you don't make a mistake, no guarantee you're not going to take a ski to the head from some drunken idiot going too fast on the wrong run.

I use a Giro Ravine SC, I find it warm and comfortable, the weight is not an issue.

[north east will]

i love my helmet. i took an unexpected trip into the woods after hitting something hidden in powder. i wear a helmet that just covers my head (no ear or face protection). i find it warmer than hats, cant get snatched off by branches, doesnt get wet when its snowing or you fall, and it looks good.

will

[eddie]

My helmet has saved my life at least once. I have one that has removable ear flaps and most of the time I ride without them so I can hear anyone that I might not have seen.

Eddie

[Mellow Yellow]

Full face helmet and spine protector vest....

Eastern Blue Ice = Helmet
Herniated Disk = Spine Protection

[north east will]

speaking of spine protector does anyone have the burton catalog? is that thing that looks like a jock strap a spine/tailbone protector?

will

[Randy S.]

You don't need to be going fast or in the trees (although I do both) to need a helmet. I caught a back-side edge one day last season on some hard snow and got tossed on my ass. My padded under-shorts protected my tailbone, and my helmet kept me from splitting my head open. As it was, I had whiplash and a sore head from it.

I also wear a Dainese back-protector. I like it a lot. Side benefit is it has a belt that supports your lower back. I started wearing this last season and I'm sticking with it. It doesn't get in the way and makes me feel much more comfortable when I'm sitting on the trail waiting for folks. This way if some jibber slides into me, it won't break my back. The padded shorts also come in handy when sitting on the snow. They keep your butt warm.

[ncermak]

Giro nine.9 helmet or Marker M3 (both have removable earflaps and are very well vented. Giro has vent plugs, but I never use them.

Body armour only used in the gates

[jeremiah]

I finally saw the light and got a helmet last year, and it saved me from at least two concussions. Not to mention how much easier it made riding in tight trees. I can't imagine riding without it now, and I kick myself for all those years of painful head slams that I could have avoided. (I've knocked myself cold at least twice skiing.)
I really don't see the need for body armor, and I'm one of those idiots who got locked into a carve and went right into a tree. For the VAST majority of falls, especially when carving, learning to fall correctly will alleviate almost all of the impact. Most of my crashes are heelside, when I dip my shoulder and slide out. I'm blessed with ample natural butt-padding, so I can take the fall fairly easily. I also ride with a backpack, with soft stuff (fleece, extra hat, extra gloves, etc) and I generally let the pack take all the sliding.
I've had a couple bad spills in the park/pipe, and while crashpads might have mitigated damage from some of them, the really bad crashes seem to always involve landing where you're not going to be protected anyway. (Hint, NEVER carry your snowboard tool in your front jacket pocket, it will drive into your hipbone with great vengance.)
I don't have anything against armor, other than it's just more gear and adds extra bulk and weight. Maybe if I were to lose the extra 25 pounds, I would have a different view.

Jeremiah

[woodman]

I started out without a helmet, but when I was finally locking in and carving faster I decided to get one for safety sake. Very next day I get hit from behind by another alpine boarder trying to keep up with me! We both went flying and I ended up doing a somersault and landing on.....you guessed it, my head. He came away more injured than me and I was twice his age. As with riding motorcycles I believe you can never discount the benefits of good protection. I'm considering the Dainese body armor this season too, especially since I'm getting faster all the time:D

Good carving,

Paul

[Grady]

I caught an edge on some firm snow about three years ago and slammed my head (with helmet) hard on the snow. Wham! I couldn't move my arms or legs for about ten seconds, it was the weirdest thing. It was so unexpected, I was looking behind me on a cat track, not going all that fast. Man am I glad I had that thing on!

[Hans]

DAINESE: Knee - back - but
RED : Helmet

I am looking for a new helmet, may be Salomon because the RED doesn't fit perfectly (pain in the ears after a halfday wearing).

The Dainese protection fits perfectly, is safe, warm and comfortable fit. The backprotection has also a kidneybelt, so keeps me warm and keeps everything in place as a schockabsorber (Dainese shield 7).

Greets, Hans

[Pre School Rider]

Hans,take a look at OVO helmets.They seem to have a bit more room around the ears,and are 'crash rated' by ANSI.The vent plug is a bit inconvenient on days when the temp changes,as it has to be pocketed(and thus can be misplaced). Giro also seem to have the "comfy" thing down pat,with really good ventilation.

[Hans]

Thanks, PSR

Nice helmets, the OVO things, especially that leather retro one, the bomber and the Titan. I am considering to buy.

Greets, Hans.

[north east will]

on the topic of body armor, i may get roped into teaching my girlfriend and her friend to snowboard. i dont really want to do it because they will be in pain and they will blame me. so to lessen the blame does anyone have suggestions on how to pad them up? im thinking hockey pants and knee pads.

will

[Vahur]

does anyone have suggestions on how to pad them up?
In addition to knee and tailbone you have to protect wrists. Of course if you learn falling correctly (not to wrists, but on knees and forearms) then extra wrist protection is probably not necessary (I never used one, but I don't do park/pipe, otherwise I would consider it probably), but for starting it would be still good. Either gloves with built-in protection or in-line skating wrist protectors would do it.
And helmet, of course, edge catching is nasty one and beginners don't have yet reflexes to hold head on chest during heelside slams.

[Pre School Rider]

NorthEast Will,get some pads,sure.But more important is to get an instructor who can SAFELY guide those fine young folk past the "tippiness" phase of the learning curve.E-mail me for a list of individuals I trust within the Stratton/Okemo/Killington areas.Meanwhile,these pads do well; Knees-Triple Eight and Smith have soft underlayment pads that fit under most pants: Hips- go with soft tailbone protectors,such as AzPads or Hip-Clips: Wrists-There's two schools of thought,and then my own advise,too; Outer 'hardshell' protection,like No Gomer offers(DO NOT use 'rollerblade' wristguards!The plastic splints are NOT designed with the cold in mind,and Shatter or Splinter! BAD!!!). The other way to go is with soft leather weightlifting wristwraps and then wear larger overmitts.Harbinger or Valero (SP?),even Rector [padded palm Sk8 gloves] will help some.Wrists are very vulnerable early on,as one 'tips over',they tend towards trying to correct the imminent fall with an extended arm,and THAT is the #1 cause of injury in the sport. My answer is simple,and two-fold. Roll with the tumble,let your butt/knees/torso take part of the fall In the direction you "lost it".Fighting for an upright position at low speeds(sub-walking speeds) just pulls muscles,and makes the landing worse. Also keep your paws in a FIST, ANYTIME,ANYTIME you touch the snow.This prevents the fingers and wrist from getting tweaked if you touch down hand first. Once a rider has figured out the speeds needed to maintain balance,and has the slidey/steering thing dialed in,the risk of injury goes down immensely.A good 'first-time Instructor' makes a world of difference. I know,'cause in 15 years of coaching,I've had 15 students require a visit to first-aid,while I've seen less-safety-minded instructors wreck that many people in a day! Choose wisely,grasshopper...

[north east will]

my first response when being asked to instruct was "no way" my teaching skills aside i think it is much better to learn from someone you dont know. maybe ill buy them a lesson and let a professional handle it.

will