How to choose your back protection - title

How to well protect yourself when snowboarding?

Even if snowboarding is a sport to look for pleasure, adrenaline and going beyond your limits, in order to do it safely, you have to protect yourself. Whether you're a beginner, advanced or an expert...

Areas to be protected from impact

Over the last few years, the level of snowboarding has progressed very rapidly. You can do snow features, rails, jumps and shred sessions.
Amazing feelings and adrenaline are guaranteed but if you want to improve without taking risks, make sure you ride wearing protective gear.
Not only you will improve your confidence, but you will also avoid missing the season because of a fracture...

There are all kinds of protection on the market and you will be able to protect all the parts of your body that are prone to get knocked about when you ride. In this article you will find all the information about snowboarding protection models that exist on the market.

The most important things to protect are the head and the neck. For that you can choose a ski and snowboard helmet. You'll see that helmets have become the norm on the slopes and in the snowpark. In some countries like Canada, for example, it is even mandatory in parks.

We also recommend protecting the rest of the body depending on your riding style, such as the back, wrists, knees, hips and tailbone. Here are the areas to protect when snowboarding:

1. Head
2. Shoulders
3. Wrists
4. Knees
5. Tailbone
6. Pelvis
7. Elbows
8. Lower back
9. Back
10. Neck

1/ What protection for your wrists?

Snowboard wrist protection

It is a wrist protector that guarantees a proper protection of the wrists and the palms of the hand when you fall on your snowboard.

Falling on your wrists is quite common in snowboarding. According to the observatory of mountain doctors, in France wrist fractures make up almost 30% of injuries in snowboarding. With this type of protection, you can reduce the risk of injury.

Remember to check the compatibility with your gloves before buying this type of wrist protection.

Wrist protections

Best snowboard gloves with wrist protection

This is the advanced model of a classic wrist protection!

A type of glove with wrist protection that will allow you to protect your palms from impacts and/or your wrists from twisting. Here you have the comfort of not having to put the wrist protection under your gloves.

For info: This model exists in Dreamscape only for children.

2/ What protection for your body?

Snowboarding short protection

When snowboarding (or skiing), anyone can fall. This type of shorts allows you to cushion the blow on your buttocks.
You will also be comfortable when you sit in the snow waiting for your friends...

Each model is different, some only protect the tailbone, others also protect the ischium and the hips.

Protective shorts

Snowboarding knee protection

This kneepad allows you to snowboard while protecting your knees. This protections is ideal when learning to snowboard, if you have fragile knees, or if (once again) you are constantly waiting for your friends on frozen slopes ...

These knee protectors give you comfort and protection. They are quick to put on and take off. You can even take them off without taking off your boots and trousers on...

And the icing on the cake is that you won't even feel them... So remember to put on a pair of knee pads so that you can practice without worrying.

3/ What kind of snowboarding back protection?

Designed as a pull-on vest with integrated protections, the back protection offers ideal support while still being very comfortable. It is the most popular solution for snowboarders of all levels!

There are different types of back protection that vary according to:

1. The components used to design the protection and the vest:
These elements will vary the comfort, the breathability of the vest or the freedom of movement.

2. The area of the body that is protected:
You can choose between a protection called "FULL BACK Protection" or a protection called "CENTRAL BACK Protection".

Central back protection

Protection with a focus on the centre of the back.
Full back protection

The most popular protection, for more safety that protects the whole back.

4/ The first jacket with integrated back protection!

Oh yes! It's new, and it's made by DREAMSCAPE: Decathlon's new snowboarding brand.
It is a 3-in-1 jacket with light, flexible and invisible protection that will make you forget you're wearing it!

This type of protection will give you very good freedom of movement as well as complete protection for your back without even having to think about it...

You can choose to use the protection alone or with the jacket and you will be able to take it off when you don't need to protect your back anymore... (on the dance floor with your friends after skiing for example).

To find out more and understand the certification of our back protection...

Our dorsal supports are validated for back protection according to a European regulation (EU regulation 2016/425) and following an impact test based on a standard: EN1621-2 lev1.

What you see on the product: "CAT2" corresponds to the classification of the product (the "-2" of the EN1621-2 standard). The back protection is Category 2 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

At this level of risk, the product requires certification by a certified external laboratory. We certify our back protections in accordance with the European regulation and based on a standard. In this standard the "level 1 (""lev1") corresponds to the impact absorption capacity of the product. This standard offers two levels, level 1 is perfectly adapted to ski and snowboard use.

So to sum up:
- "CAT2" corresponds to the PPE product Category 2
- "Level 1" corresponds to the level of impact absorption during the test by the certifying body

5/ Before you buy...

The back protection must be a perfect fit for the wearer. If it is not the right size, the back protection can cause discomfort.
To be efficient and nice to wear, it must meet the following criteria:

- Protect against shocks
- Allow good freedom of movement
- Be easy to adjust
- Facilitate ventilation and evacuation of perspiration

6/ How to wear your back protection?

Depending on the outside temperature, you have several options...
You can wear the back protection directly over your thermal underwear and thus manage your heat with a hoodie over it, then your jacket.

But if you prefer, to feel better (and if you don't plan to take off your hoodie), you can also wear the back protection directly on your hoodie. Be
careful though, these products are generally developed to be worn as close to the body as possible.

The dreamscape tip

Don't forget to try the protective gear, whether for the back, shorts or knee pads with your ski & snowboard jacket and pants. These protective layers (even if designed as close to the body as possible) can affect your freedom of movement. So make sure you're comfortable practicing!

To clean your protective gear, wash by hand with warm water and a mild soap, without detergent or softener.
Forget the tumble dryer and let them dry in the open air...

To be well-equipped:

To sum up, if you are a freestyler, a freerider or simply a speed enthusiast, protect yourself by quickly putting on your protective gear!
(The whole DREAMSCAPE team wishes you a very good winter season!)

If you loved this item, rate it. If you have questions, post them in comments, we will be delighted to answer.

Yohann kelkel

DREAMSCAPE product manager and snowboard enthusiast

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