Above photo courtesy of Homewood Mountain Resort

A frequently asked question we get from beginner to intermediate snowboarders is..

What are the essential and most effective protective/safety gear available for snowboarding?

When you’re learning to snowboard/ride, you will likely fall in the process of learning the skills required to become competent enough to ride and progress to steeper mountain slopes and terrain.

In addition, for those who would like ride and play in snowboard parks, protective gear will help protect you while doing park features.

For snowboarding, some common snowboarding injuries include knee, chest, elbow, wrist, hips and tail bone.

To protect yourself from snowboarding injuries, the following are ‘must-have’ protective gear since the cost of injury (surgery, medical costs, rehab, pain/suffering, etc) outweigh the cost of buying protective gear; here’s a list of gear you should consider using while learning to snowboard:

(1) Helmet

A helmet is essential to protect your head against injury and concussions. Helmets keep you safe especially when you are learning a new skill or fall/crash when you pick up speed going down the mountain. Always wear a helmet to prevent serious head injuries. Browse sale and clearance deals at REI.

Above photo: Smith Snowboarding Helmet on Sale at REI

(2) Wrist Guards

For beginners, during a fall, they tend to brace themselves/soften the fall with their hands. Wrist injuries are often problematic since even minor wrist injuries can take at minimum of eight weeks to heal since we use our wrists and hands daily so it’s difficult to heal. A good pair of wrist guards is essential when you’re learning to snowboard. Browse sale and clearance deals at REI.

Above photo: Burton Wrist Guards on Sale at REI

(3) Pads

Knee pads, elbow pads, hip pads, and butt pads are all designed to help prevent you from injuring yourself especially when you have a hard impact with pact snow and icy surfaces. When learning new tricks in the parks, wearing pads not only protects you but also give you a boost in confidence. Browse sale and clearance deals at REI.

Above photo: Burton Impact Shorts helps protect your hips and butt

Back protectors
Back injuries are not as common for snowboarders, however certain high risk movements in the parks can cause serious injury. However, wearing a back protector will likely restrict your upper-body movement. Browse sale and clearance deals at REI.

(4) Knee Pads
Knee pads can protect you from knee injuries. Try knee pads out to see how they fit, feel and explore the range of movements allowed by the knee pads. Make sure you get the right fit so that the knee pads won’t slide down your leg when you’re snowboarding. Knee pads restrict how much you can flex your knees on jumps, or bend down to get a low turn without feeling a pinch. Browse sale and clearance deals at REI.

Above photo: Burton Snowboarding Knee Pads

When you are learning to ride and/or do park features, it’s wise to use the snowboarding protective gear to help prevent injuries. The protective snowboarding gear not only prevent injuries but also prevents both tangible (costly surgery, meds, etc) and intangible (personal rehab time, pain/suffering) setback. As you progressed and become more skilled, you can opt out of wearing most of the recommended protective gear, however, it’s best to always wear a helmet to protect your head from injuries.

Browse REI Snow Sports sale and clearance items: Alpine, Nordic, Backcountry

What’s the best Tahoe resorts learn to ski, snowboard package deal? View our list of the best money saving deals; share with family and friends to plan a getaway trip to Tahoe.

♥ Share this page with friends and family via , twitter, facebook.

Browse ski leases or vacation rentals. List your ski lease or vacation rental.