Wrist Guards, Knee Pads, Impact Shorts — The Beginner's Safety Kit

Snowboarders fall in very specific ways. Most beginner falls happen onto wrists (catching themselves), tailbones (heelside edge catch), and knees (toeside catch). Three small pieces of armour reduce 90% of the pain. Most beginners don't know they exist.

The Three Pieces

1. Wrist guards — Worn inside or under gloves. A rigid splint along the palm stops the wrist from bending backwards on impact. Wrist fractures are the single most common snowboard injury. This is a $30 fix.
2. Impact shorts — Padded shorts worn under your snowboard pants. Foam panels on the tailbone and hips. Heelside-edge catches feel like getting hit with a hammer for the first month. Impact shorts make the difference between "ouch" and "I'm done for the day."
3. Knee pads — Soft volleyball-style pads under your pants. Toeside falls land on the knees. Beginners do a lot of toeside falls.

What This Costs

The whole kit runs about €100. The first time you take a hard heelside fall and stand up smiling, you will wonder why every shop doesn't sell this with the lift pass.

Bonvo.Ski's slope filters can also steer you toward gentle, wide pistes that minimize crashes in the first place — but the armour belongs in your kit either way.