What are some (not so obvious) gear choices to protect yourself?

Ruroc to protect your virginity

Cup

Use your fuckin head, dont be fuckin stupid

Don’t care how trolled I get for this but; I’m coming up on 30 soon, skiing since I was 10 and park rat since 19. I got into park pretty late compared to all the little groms you see throwing down today. When I got into it I was far more athletic than I am now, and could take the constant falling part of learning new stuff and throwing down. Now that I am way out of school and have a livelihood to maintain I Ski much more conservatively than I used to. I still lap park. But I don’t push it too hard. I am in pretty bad shape now relative to when I was learning park and any help I get from some pads is a great thing for me. I broke my back skiing, a few ribs and many of the usual bruising and sprains etc. I now wear a poc back protector. I won’t ski with out it because it really is that comforting to know it can help lessen the damage of an impact but also makes the smaller sliding out falls almost have no toll. I wear their elbow pads as well. Why? Ever hit your elbow on a rail? Ice or a rock? Shit hurts. I need my arms for my job and the amount of protection these afford are well worth the minor inconvenience wearing them. I also have some demon crash pads. They make sliding out to your hips on ice or a rail much more tolerable. Also a plug for slytechs race mitten, super warm and has a wrist pad that helps with impact to that area. No I am not falling all the time any more but I stand by this gear especially for aging newschoolers. If I had the back protector on I probably wouldn’t have broken my back. They aren’t a magic bullet but IME they have helped me keep doing the sport I love. And I’ll stress it again, if I was in the shape I used to be in and could take the average falls as well, I would still wear a back protector atleast. Broke it in the woods getting caught up on a buried tree branch and landing on a rock. All has been worth every penny and I would say are quite effective in reducing pain a noticeable amount in various situations. It’s cool to be in school and be able to basically be injured but when you gotta earn a living it can be a major buzzkill. I know a lot of my friends who were die hard park rats are all over, some ride without any protection, some have moved out west and only rip pow and BC now. Gear up if it helps you progress or participate in the sport.

tldr: I’m old and pads have helped me keep skiing park. Not for everyone but can be a good investment.

**This post was edited on Jan 23rd 2019 at 3:18:58pm

I wear a helmet, spine protector, hip pads, and throw in a mouth guard if im hucking.

Some people get confused with the hip pads but honestly idgaf. Saved my hips and ass so many times, especially when im snowboarding. Also im not trying to break anymore teeth than i have so the mouthguard gives me a little piece of mind when dropping a big cliff

I grabbed a spine protector from Steep and Cheap a few years ago. Its nice to have added protection when skiing rock lines and cliff hucks. I will always recommend a back/spine protector to anyone skiing anything not groomers. Mouth guard is not a bad idea too if you are doing big jumps or cliffs. When I was 15 I went off a bike jump and landed on my head from about 15' and shattered my front teeth. The dentist said I was lucky and would have bit my tongue off.

Profahoben_212I wear a helmet, spine protector, hip pads, and throw in a mouth guard if im hucking.

Some people get confused with the hip pads but honestly idgaf. Saved my hips and ass so many times, especially when im snowboarding. Also im not trying to break anymore teeth than i have so the mouthguard gives me a little piece of mind when dropping a big cliff

I bought hip pads after my cousin tore his ass cheek open on a rock while boarding the fingers at Squaw

Gform hip pads or Crash Pads

**This post was edited on Jan 24th 2019 at 2:22:21pm

Heavy ass gloves, after a friend lost his pinky in a crash where a snowboard ran right across his hand I'm not taking changes, but you do get a few extra fingers so I don't know really.

nuno81291Don’t care how trolled I get for this but; I’m coming up on 30 soon, skiing since I was 10 and park rat since 19. I got into park pretty late compared to all the little groms you see throwing down today. When I got into it I was far more athletic than I am now, and could take the constant falling part of learning new stuff and throwing down. Now that I am way out of school and have a livelihood to maintain I Ski much more conservatively than I used to. I still lap park. But I don’t push it too hard. I am in pretty bad shape now relative to when I was learning park and any help I get from some pads is a great thing for me. I broke my back skiing, a few ribs and many of the usual bruising and sprains etc. I now wear a poc back protector. I won’t ski with out it because it really is that comforting to know it can help lessen the damage of an impact but also makes the smaller sliding out falls almost have no toll. I wear their elbow pads as well. Why? Ever hit your elbow on a rail? Ice or a rock? Shit hurts. I need my arms for my job and the amount of protection these afford are well worth the minor inconvenience wearing them. I also have some demon crash pads. They make sliding out to your hips on ice or a rail much more tolerable. Also a plug for slytechs race mitten, super warm and has a wrist pad that helps with impact to that area. No I am not falling all the time any more but I stand by this gear especially for aging newschoolers. If I had the back protector on I probably wouldn’t have broken my back. They aren’t a magic bullet but IME they have helped me keep doing the sport I love. And I’ll stress it again, if I was in the shape I used to be in and could take the average falls as well, I would still wear a back protector atleast. Broke it in the woods getting caught up on a buried tree branch and landing on a rock. All has been worth every penny and I would say are quite effective in reducing pain a noticeable amount in various situations. It’s cool to be in school and be able to basically be injured but when you gotta earn a living it can be a major buzzkill. I know a lot of my friends who were die hard park rats are all over, some ride without any protection, some have moved out west and only rip pow and BC now. Gear up if it helps you progress or participate in the sport.

tldr: I’m old and pads have helped me keep skiing park. Not for everyone but can be a good investment.

**This post was edited on Jan 23rd 2019 at 3:18:58pm

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I turned 30 in November :)

natethegreattThanks for the thoughtful reply. I turned 30 in November :)

Congrats man! I turned 30 last June. Its funny how when your young you can throw yourself off anything without thinking twice and now its more like, "How am I going to get to work on Monday and feed my family if this line goes bad..."

natethegreattThanks for the thoughtful reply. I turned 30 in November :)

SuspiciousFishCongrats man! I turned 30 last June. Its funny how when your young you can throw yourself off anything without thinking twice and now its more like, "How am I going to get to work on Monday and feed my family if this line goes bad..."

Try it at 40 haha!

Seriously, I can deal with an ACL or broken collar bone or arm what I can't do is break my back, neck, leg or blow out a rotator cuff or something like that. Wear your gear and be less stupider than the young folks.

mystery3Try it at 40 haha!

Seriously, I can deal with an ACL or broken collar bone or arm what I can't do is break my back, neck, leg or blow out a rotator cuff or something like that. Wear your gear and be less stupider than the young folks.

You got it. I really enjoy skiing completely within my comfort zone these days. Still amazing.

It isn't gear but stretching and diet are huge for longevity. Personally I like either getting some carbs before skiing or if on a low carb diet I will fast until the end of the day. The fasted cardio really helps you stay in shape.