Yesterday, a good friend of mine rolled into the bar in a wheel chair. He was strapped into various contraptions that made him look like a cyborg.
I was shocked and quite alarmed at the sight of him. He had apparently had a bad fall while snowboarding. He was boarding and decided to go on a rail - something happened and he fell off it backwards and landed on hard ice. Get this - the rail was probably 3' off the ground. He broke his back in three places - literally shattering different vertebrae. It is all touch and go at the moment whether he will be able to keep walking - he can stand at the moment, so that is a good sign.
One thing that is tough for me is to talk to people about safety and gear, it always sounds like I am plugging our stuff. So, please forgive me if it comes across like that. During our chat, my friend mentioned that he should have worn some protection and DING! It hit me - he could worn something as simple as a Back Protector and that would have saved his back. He could have taken it a step further and worn an Armoured jacket and he would be walking today. It honestly does not matter which brand you go with.
I did some brief research and sure enough - snowboarding armour / safety equipment is similar to motorcycling gear. In fact Dainese's Wave Protector I believe was first offered under their Snowboarding line and it still is today.
The impact points are the same - so the equipment is interchangeable between the sports. I plan on going snowboarding next time I get a chance and I assure you I will be wearing protection. My friend Todd and I both agreed 100% that we will not be on the slopes without gear, unfortunately our other friend was the example we had to go by.
This is not a preaching session - just saying watch your back (LITERALLY!) and protect yourself. For my friend, less than an hour of fun will now become a lifetime of pain. Sad irony is he could have gotten a jacket from me for free.
When my gf took me out to Santa Fe last winter with her family to go skiing I wore my padded jacked that i usually wear when I ride, the pro's were that it's waterproof and padded, but the downside was that since it was a motorcycle jacket it was way too short
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I'm here for a good time, not a long time
I quit downhill skiing several years ago and I've never snow boarded but it makes sense to wear the gear you describe. I'm all for full gear for any dangerous activity these days, I heal too slow at this age to risk another injury.
When my gf took me out to Santa Fe last winter with her family to go skiing I wore my padded jacked that i usually wear when I ride, the pro's were that it's waterproof and padded, but the downside was that since it was a motorcycle jacket it was way too short
Absolutely true about the jacket. However, with the under-armour, the dimensions pretty much stay the same.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sbeau1960
I quit downhill skiing several years ago and I've never snow boarded but it makes sense to wear the gear you describe. I'm all for full gear for any dangerous activity these days, I heal too slow at this age to risk another injury.
I hear ya Scott. Like I said, Dainese has been a leader in this and the gear is literally identical between both sports.
I wear a helmet, goggles, nice boarding pants. But its so warm up here most of the time (even at night) that when your out there "working hard" you get real hot so it kinda sucks to have more than a tshirt or a longsleeve shirt sometimes. But i could defintely see how something like your chest protector would be awesome
I wear a helmet, goggles, nice boarding pants. But its so warm up here most of the time (even at night) that when your out there "working hard" you get real hot so it kinda sucks to have more than a tshirt or a longsleeve shirt sometimes. But i could defintely see how something like your chest protector would be awesome
I hear ya on the comfort issue. Sweaty hot is not cool, unless you are making some monkey love. What I am thinking of doing is maybe wear those old school type wrist protectors for roller blading, and then a spine or back protector. At least something. Or, just wear a perforated Armoured jacket.
Wimsy, while the gear might be close its not made the same. Back protector? Sure it can be used... but the gear for snowboarding/skiing is more for warmth obviously and less for abrasion resistance... typically what cycling gear is for.
If you crash on a cycle the idea is to keep you moving... slide you to a stop. Without losing all your skin.
If you crash on a board or ski's all they want to avoid damage from is sudden impacts... doing aerials? A helmet and a back protector is about it. Impacts... very hard to keep you safe from those!
In college I skied everywhere... I got into it pretty heavy. Spring breaks? No beach trips... it was ski trips. Canada, Tahoe, Taos, Jackson Hole, Colo, we were on a mission to hit the best we could find each year. If not for the mountain of debt we all had, we were contemplating an Alps trip. We tried to find a way our last year in school... only I was the one who could legally do it! Ha ha... memories...
Anyway... we are in Idaho... at a place just over the backside of Jackson Hole... cant recall the name. But I can recall the 3 bus loads of women from a School called RICK's College. Rick was THE MAN who ever he was!
Anyway #2... a woman that day was on a slope she had no business being on and dissapeared. She was found a few hours later dead from skiiing off the trail face first into a tree. Impact. I guess only a full face helmet would have saved her from that... oh and maybe staying off the black runs!
Wimsy, while the gear might be close its not made the same. Back protector? Sure it can be used... but the gear for snowboarding/skiing is more for warmth obviously and less for abrasion resistance... typically what cycling gear is for.
If you crash on a cycle the idea is to keep you moving... slide you to a stop. Without losing all your skin.
If you crash on a board or ski's all they want to avoid damage from is sudden impacts... doing aerials? A helmet and a back protector is about it. Impacts... very hard to keep you safe from those!
In college I skied everywhere... I got into it pretty heavy. Spring breaks? No beach trips... it was ski trips. Canada, Tahoe, Taos, Jackson Hole, Colo, we were on a mission to hit the best we could find each year. If not for the mountain of debt we all had, we were contemplating an Alps trip. We tried to find a way our last year in school... only I was the one who could legally do it! Ha ha... memories...
Anyway... we are in Idaho... at a place just over the backside of Jackson Hole... cant recall the name. But I can recall the 3 bus loads of women from a School called RICK's College. Rick was THE MAN who ever he was!
Anyway #2... a woman that day was on a slope she had no business being on and dissapeared. She was found a few hours later dead from skiiing off the trail face first into a tree. Impact. I guess only a full face helmet would have saved her from that... oh and maybe staying off the black runs!
VERY sorry to hear about your buddy!
Wimsy! Only You....
Anyway... we are not talking about gear like jackets - you are right that it's design parameters are different. However, things like the under armour like spine protectors, armoured jackets, knee protectors, etc. Those are inter-changeable between the sports.
That was terrible about that woman. How fast was she going to sustain enough impact to kill here I wonder.
I hear ya on the comfort issue. Sweaty hot is not cool, unless you are making some monkey love. What I am thinking of doing is maybe wear those old school type wrist protectors for roller blading, and then a spine or back protector. At least something. Or, just wear a perforated Armoured jacket.
The wrist protectors would be REALLY annoying, and honestly i have never caught myself with my wrists or been worried about that and i snowboard ALOT. (20 minutes from the mountain, season pass) When your boarding mountain not tricks and all that stuff, excluding when you first learn, most of your crashes happen really really fast. You will be flying down the hill go to make a cut and catch some skier track and you dont fall, you get catapulted into the ground. I dont know to much about the human body and how it breaks but in my opinion the most effective safety product you could make/wear/offer (and again i am talking strictly just mountain riding not freestyle and park stuff) would be helmets and some sort of neck protector.
I am the only person I ride with who wears a helmet all the time, and most of my other friends have had concussions on the mountain. Its just a very very violent way to crash. Especially on the ice around here.
The wrist protectors would be REALLY annoying, and honestly i have never caught myself with my wrists or been worried about that and i snowboard ALOT. (20 minutes from the mountain, season pass) When your boarding mountain not tricks and all that stuff, excluding when you first learn, most of your crashes happen really really fast. You will be flying down the hill go to make a cut and catch some skier track and you dont fall, you get catapulted into the ground. I dont know to much about the human body and how it breaks but in my opinion the most effective safety product you could make/wear/offer (and again i am talking strictly just mountain riding not freestyle and park stuff) would be helmets and some sort of neck protector.
I am the only person I ride with who wears a helmet all the time, and most of my other friends have had concussions on the mountain. Its just a very very violent way to crash. Especially on the ice around here.
Great Points Bass - And again, I defer to others who have invested time, money and much more expertise into this. Dainese already has a neck support attachment that works with their Wave jacket. That might be an answer. Just from what I have seen and know about moving injuries, I would still add the back protector to your suggestion.
One thing that is tough for me is to talk to people about safety and gear, it always sounds like I am plugging our stuff. So, please forgive me if it comes across like that.
Preach away, Aquila! Safety is always a priority, no matter who's talking about it. I hope your bud heals thoroughly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by midwest
Anyway... we are in Idaho... at a place just over the backside of Jackson Hole... cant recall the name. But I can recall the 3 bus loads of women from a School called RICK's College. Rick was THE MAN who ever he was!
Rick was a mormon, so all of those chicks probably ended up getting married....
When I board it's a helmet, goggles knee pads and now that I see the relevence for a pair of padded pants for the 919 I will be testing some out this fall when am on holiday in Pitsburgh. I'll try to find a pair thats waterproof & flexible enough for the snow. BTW I do not do the "rails" except the long flat one.
I can say I have been "Snow smacked" when I caught th edge on some of our fine midwestern ice. Felt like a giant grabbed me by the ankles and smashd my upper body into the ground. As I always say....fall left right or foreward, backwards is bad!!!
The wrist protectors would be REALLY annoying, and honestly i have never caught myself with my wrists or been worried about that and i snowboard ALOT. (20 minutes from the mountain, season pass) When your boarding mountain not tricks and all that stuff, excluding when you first learn, most of your crashes happen really really fast. You will be flying down the hill go to make a cut and catch some skier track and you dont fall, you get catapulted into the ground. I dont know to much about the human body and how it breaks but in my opinion the most effective safety product you could make/wear/offer (and again i am talking strictly just mountain riding not freestyle and park stuff) would be helmets and some sort of neck protector.
I am the only person I ride with who wears a helmet all the time, and most of my other friends have had concussions on the mountain. Its just a very very violent way to crash. Especially on the ice around here.
For the boarders on the board (no pun intended), would you all say it is worth it to wear a back protector?
Iced it down, squeezed into a wrist guard & kept on going for 4 more days Only in the last couple months has it finally healed up to the point where I can lift proper weights in the gym again with that hand.
Now I wear the wrist guards automatically when I board as well as other safety items. Unlike the kids half my age or less out in those terrain parks I have to get up & go to work on Monday to pay the bills...
Hey RC. No it's not cool that people get hurt before safety becomes available. (You'd think we'd have that pat by now) But how many were injured before seatbelts. Sorry for your friends situation. don't feel guilty, imho. especially when leading the charge in the field of m/c s!
I've broken a bone or... 7 at various times during my snowboarding career. I've been doing it for 12-13 years now and never fail to find ways to injure myself.
Rails and me do NOT mix. I will not go on those anymore. First, huge consequences if you do it wrong, second, it wrecks your board, third, I don't really think it's all that cool to slide on a rail.
Anyways... my injurious ways haven't detered me from doing lots of dumb stuff on the board but it has made me a little more precautious.
I literally practice falling for one, it's important.
I wear small braces on my wrists to keep them from breaking(everyone breaks wrists snowboarding!).
I wear a helmet because, in case you didn't know, skiers as a whole are a bunch of effin douchebags that don't know what's going on; And they will cut you off out because they don't know how to slightly turn their head to the side and see if Ragdoll is cruisin down at Mach2 and next thing you know I'm a yardsale all over the playing field. This has happens many maaaany times and has twice knocked me out.
Oh and I wear 1 piece long underwear w/poopchute so I don't grind the skin off my back anymore.
Armor under my jacket? Didn't think about that before but I think I'm going to shop for that. Now that some of the largest mountain peaks are in my backyard(Seattle) I probably should double up on safety.
Hey RC. No it's not cool that people get hurt before safety becomes available. (You'd think we'd have that pat by now) But how many were injured before seatbelts. Sorry for your friends situation. don't feel guilty, imho. especially when leading the charge in the field of m/c s!
You know, I hadn't really thought about that. Maybe I am actually feeling guilty.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ragdoll
I've broken a bone or... 7 at various times during my snowboarding career. I've been doing it for 12-13 years now and never fail to find ways to injure myself.
Rails and me do NOT mix. I will not go on those anymore. First, huge consequences if you do it wrong, second, it wrecks your board, third, I don't really think it's all that cool to slide on a rail.
Anyways... my injurious ways haven't detered me from doing lots of dumb stuff on the board but it has made me a little more precautious.
I literally practice falling for one, it's important.
I wear small braces on my wrists to keep them from breaking(everyone breaks wrists snowboarding!).
I wear a helmet because, in case you didn't know, skiers as a whole are a bunch of effin douchebags that don't know what's going on; And they will cut you off out because they don't know how to slightly turn their head to the side and see if Ragdoll is cruisin down at Mach2 and next thing you know I'm a yardsale all over the playing field. This has happens many maaaany times and has twice knocked me out.
Oh and I wear 1 piece long underwear w/poopchute so I don't grind the skin off my back anymore.
Armor under my jacket? Didn't think about that before but I think I'm going to shop for that. Now that some of the largest mountain peaks are in my backyard(Seattle) I probably should double up on safety.
Rag - any back protector is better than nothing. Go check out what's on the market and you will see similar, sometimes identical products. If I can help, lemme know.
This is nothing new if you're seriously into DH mountain biking or boarding. Riders have been wearing Dainese safety suits for years. I gave my nephew my armoured Dainese suit along with my old 2 piece leathers and he use the safety suit everytime he goes boarding. He reported that it saved his back a few times:
I tried boarding and while it is a lot of fun, I decided it wasn't for me. I run my own business and can't risk injuring myself. Plus it'll take me years to get to the same level of skill that I have skiing.
This is nothing new if you're seriously into DH mountain biking or boarding. Riders have been wearing Dainese safety suits for years. I gave my nephew my armoured Dainese suit along with my old 2 piece leathers and he use the safety suit everytime he goes boarding. He reported that it saved his back a few times:
Only You....
Only in the last couple months has it finally healed up to the point where I can lift proper weights in the gym again with that hand.
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