Wrist guards and impact shorts, ranked on what is published

Why these two, and why first

Snowboarding falls are not distributed like ski falls. On skis your legs move independently and a fall is usually sideways at low speed. On a snowboard both feet are fixed to one plank and your body faces sideways, so a fall goes straight down in one of two directions: forward onto your hands, or backward onto the tailbone and sometimes the back of the head.

That means the protective shopping list is short and specific. A helmet for the third of those, which is not negotiable and is covered by the helmet roundup. Wrist guards for the first. Padded shorts for the second. All three matter most in the first two or three days and then progressively less, which is exactly the period during which most families have not bought any of them.

What is published, and what is not

Here is the thing this page exists to say. In helmets, there are two real certifications - ASTM F2040 and CE EN 1077 - and this site scores helmets on them. In snowboard body armor sold in the US, the equivalent European motorcycle-derived standard exists but is published inconsistently, and none of the three products below publishes one on the page we read.

Four cells in that table say “none” and we are leaving them there. A product that publishes a named material and where it sits is telling you something real; a product that also published a standard would be telling you more. Buy on the first, and do not let a marketing page imply the second.

Wrist guards: single or double sided

The one real design decision. A single-sided guard has a rigid splint on the palm only, which is the surface that hits the snow. A double-sided guard adds a second splint along the back of the wrist, which resists the wrist bending backward - the motion that does the damage in a forward fall.

The guard here publishes double-sided construction with flexible thermoplastic supports on both the dorsal and palm sides and 4 mm of D3O between. D3O is a non-Newtonian foam: soft while you ride, stiffening on impact. That combination of a splint plus an energy-absorbing layer is what you are paying for, and it is the shape of specification to look for on any brand.

• It has to fit inside your glove, or over it. Decide which before buying. A guard sized to go under a glove needs a glove with room; a guard worn over one is bulkier and easier to put on. The glove sizing page covers the fit question.
• Three published sizes is a coarse run. Measure your wrist and check the maker chart rather than assuming your glove size transfers.
• Multi-sport is a genuine bonus. These publish snowboard, skate and derby use, so they are not a one-season purchase for a household with a skateboard in the garage.

Padded shorts: the shell is the point

A tailbone impact on hard snow is the injury that ends a beginner’s week, and it is the one people are least prepared for because it does not look dramatic. Sitting down hard, repeatedly, on a surface with the give of concrete, is exactly what learning to snowboard involves.

What separates a real impact short from padded underwear is a hard outer shell over the tailbone with an energy-absorbing layer beneath it. The shell spreads the load, the foam absorbs it. The Zero RF publishes a named ESPRO polymer shell with D3O recycled foam under it and plush cushioning across the hips and seat, and it is explicit that the hip padding is comfort rather than impact protection - which is a distinction most brands blur.

The sizing detail worth noticing

The cheaper short publishes seven sizes from XXS to XXL, which is unusually wide and is the only reason a teenager can be fitted from this line. The premium one publishes five sizes by actual waist measurement in inches, from 27 to 29 in up to 38 in and over, which removes the guesswork entirely. Between those two facts, most households can get a fit.

Wear them under snow pants, over a base layer. They are not outerwear and they do not need to be waterproof; the snow pants over the top are doing that job. Which is one reason snowboard pants are cut looser.

What else is worth it, and what is not

• Worth it: a helmet. Before either item on this page. Backward falls put the back of the head down. The same helmet works for both sports.
• Worth it for some: knee pads. Learning on the toe edge means kneeling a lot. Cheap, and a genuine comfort improvement on day one.
• Marginal: a back protector. Built for park and high-speed riding rather than for a learning slope. Skip it for a first season.
• Skip: padded shorts sold as compression underwear with thin foam. No shell, no load spreading. It is a comfort product being sold as a protective one.

Who should buy what

• A first snowboard week, adult or teenager. Wrist guards plus the Zero RF shorts. That is the whole list, and it costs less than two days of lift tickets.
• Someone who already knows they will keep snowboarding. Wrist guards plus the X V7, for the wider pad coverage and the sizing by waist measurement.
• A child. Both, sized down, and read the kids snowboard page for the rest of the kit order.
• Someone who has been snowboarding for years. Honestly, neither, unless you ride park. The falls change once you can link turns.