 Poster: A snowHead
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I always wear a Helmet and Armoured Gloves, but I'm now seriously considering taking up the full body armour. I've brought some POC armour home to try out. What concerns me is firstly how comfortable it is to wear on a daily basis, how hot I'll get wearing it and how restrictive it is.
Having never worn any sort of armour before I'd be interested in snowHeads opinions, especially those who wear it regularly and how much armour they wear on a regular basis. Do I go just for the spine protector, or go for the whole thing?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Spyderman wrote: |
| What concerns me is firstly how comfortable it is to wear on a daily basis, |
I don't wear armour other than a bit of padding when in gates, but I think the idea is to wear it only when skiing rather than on a daily basis.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I wear a Dainese Next Wave back protector & also their Impact Shorts Plus all the time. Both extremely comfortable & a minute after donning you forget you're wearing them. Both very breathable but add warmth 'by default' as they insulate you from cold lift seats/backs etc. IMO the soft padding only shorts are offer waaay less protection than than the hard armour type. Apologoes for the pic quality.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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The waist band on the Next Wave back protector keeps the kidneys snug & warm. I tend to run hot but have never gotten a sweaty back when it's worn over a wicking base layer & under an uninsulated shell jacket.
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spyderjon, The POC shorts that I've brought home are the hard protection type, mainly thigh and coccyx. Are the Dainese one's hard or soft?
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Spyderman, sorry it's a crap picture. Cocyx & thigh protection is hard which is supplemented by soft padding on the buttocks, hips & kidneys. Thigh material is a open weave fishnet type & the pant material is a wicking polyester.
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spyderjon, Thanks, very similar to the POC ones then.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Spyderman, I wear the shorts as shown by spyderjon, and a Forcefield top. I find them no problem when skiing - although the top does get a bit warm in the summer . As Jon says, quite nice when sitting on a cold chairlift too. I wear just the top, a polartec 100 base and an uninsulated ProShell...shell jacket and find it just about right without any fleece (but keep one in the backpack incase it does turn nippy). Not exactly comfortable when sitting for longer periods of time though - particularly if driving (e.g. to races). I don't bother with a back protector as I always have a backpack on, with the shovel acting as protector - or tend not to go backwards into gates . The top has hard protection for elbows and shoulders and some softer padding for chest.
Frankly I felt a bit of an idiot when I first started wearing this for free-skiing, as I got it primarily for the dry slope (on which I'd never go now without the full clobber on), but I did get used to it pretty quickly. I wear it now on snow as I have it, it does no harm and may do some good - it does mean that the falls when they do come are of no consequence at all, provided you keep your limbs out of the way. Actually while it's probably had no significant effect on any skiing falls, it probably saved me from a broken coccyx when I slipped on some ice walking down from the Galzigbahn in St Anton last year - feet went straight out in front and I landed fair and square on my tailbone. Was still damn sore for a couple of weeks even with the protector. Useful on the rare occasions (ok occasion...singular) I went ice-skating too.
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I am astonished - I had no idea any ordinary skiers wore armour - though I can see the point of spine protection if you do extreme skiing and jumps. I'm not counting (obviously) knee joint protection for damaged knees.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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seems a bit OTT unless you are in gates.... but if you own it why not don it....
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| skimottaret wrote: |
| seems a bit OTT unless you are in gates.... but if you own it why not don it.... |
Do you think so? I'm just thinking it's the next step on from wearing a Helmet. 
Kitty fell back in October in Tignes, She has a Haematoma on her thigh that is still there from the fall, the Doctor said anything up to 18 months for it to go away. It's just were the armour would be had she been wearing some. I think her injury would have been avoided.
As you know I don't ski poles any more, especially on Plastic, after 6 months of Physio following a crash which left me with Spine compression. I would use the Armour for free skiing, especially as when I do fall, it's normally a full on Garage Sale, plus the increasing risk of being taken out by other skiers/boarders.
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Maybe one virtual reality machines will be able to stimulate all the right nerves to create the sensation of skiing without having to take any risks at all.
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You know it makes sense.
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laundryman, My reasoning is, I know I'm going to have crashes, I don't have a problem with that, only I'd like to be able to ski again, straight afterwards, rather than being injured. I find that as I get older, recovery from big hits takes an awful lot longer.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Spyderman, fair enough.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Spyderman, dont get me wrong, as i said if you have some armour why not wear it. But would i recommend new/intermediate skiers to get fully kitted out with armour for on piste skiing, probably not.. but if you ski fast on piste you are quite right that it is just a step on from a helmet decision.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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spyderjon, I wear that one too, but never a helmet. Don't know why, i guess it's because my helmet is full faced and i get pulled over all the time by the pisters.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I used to wear impact shorts all the time and liked them, never noticed any problems, but unfortunately they don't fit under my new pants so I've had to leave them at home lately, and just use helmet and hard knee pads.
I have body armour for the bike in summer...I did try it on the slopes a few times but found it a bit bulky and didn't really like it. It does make you feel completely invincible though!
I'm thinking about getting one of those back protectors as I felt my shoulders and arms were a bit restricted in the full armour - it's alright on a bike when you have just a thin top on, but once you add warm layers it doesn't really work for me. I'm not sure how they feel with a backpack though. Might borrow one next time and try it out for a day or so.
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After a spinal fracture Christmas 06, the DH wears a back protector all the time when skiing. Depending on snow conditions, he either wears the full 'armadillo' back bit, or if there's plenty of powder around, he zips that bit out and wears just the inner foam bit. The docs said that the nature of his fracture meant that even just the foam inner might have prevented the fracture.
His reasoning is, the vertabrae that he broke is now the wrong shape and always will be, so we are guessing that as it's not the shape it's was designed to be, it might if anything be weaker and more at risk than his other bones.
He doesn't seem to have a problem with getting too hot/sweaty, but he wears one layer less than he used to - so thermal layer underneath, then back protector, then main jacket.
He also wears the Dainese jacket and sallys, which have some intergral support.
Can't stop accidents happening, and can't stop us hurting ourselves, but as H is quite an aggressive skier, after his injury he feels it makes sense.
I don't wear any!
D
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| SMALLZOOKEEPER wrote: |
| i guess it's because my helmet is full faced and i get pulled over all the time by the pisters. |
It's the skiing equivalent of wearing a hoodie
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I wear this back protector with a kidney belt for both skiing and kite buggying.
Seen and know of too many people who have broken their backs from the simplest of falls that we have all done hundreds of times!
I think its good value for money - if you can put a price of your safety - and its comfortable to wear.
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I'm going to get the kids fully kitted out sometime this season, and probably me too. I'm told they're pretty unobtrusive, so like helmets, it's a case of something that's of potentially great net benefit in a very small percentage of situations, but is no significant hassle to do.
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dont know why armour isnt just part of skiing in general. my dainese gear saves me from hospital regualrily in the DH biking season so why are skiers often so reluctant to use the gear? i think its beacause the general percption is that snow cant really hurt you but there are other people or just solid pistes and concealed rocks. like 'walkabout' says too many people have broken their backs in the simplest of falls. the gear doesnt get in the way on a bike and that is somwhere that the movement really required more so than in skiing, obv its too hot in the 20 degree heat of summer though but on skis it makes perfect sense to me.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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ro55mac, I suspect most people don't fall/crash at all in a week's skiing whilst guessing one might take more active knocks in DH biking?
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I think for recreational skiing, body armour is a little on the excssive side of things.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Christopher, more people, going faster, getting around the mountain earlier with less slope sense and experience, boards etc are what've swung it for me
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Spyderman, I wear full armour shoulder pads, elbow pads back protector etc. all in one dont find it uncomfortable at all when out skiing I even wear it on the dry slope know I wear the Danise full impact jacket. It is great and I really wouldnt be without it now. I got hit really hard this year by a guy and it didnt leave a mark because of the protection. Go for it you wont even know it is there and you will be glad you have it especially in a steep coulouir or in the trees.
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I hadn't appreciated how many 'good' but 'responsible' skiers wore both Back Protectors and Impact Shorts ... watching for best reccomendations ,,,,,,
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You know it makes sense.
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fair enough, i wouldnt have siad it is required for recreational skiing. not compulsory TBH i dont wear any unless i know im going out with the intention of doing something 'interesting'. DH biking, yes just slightly different...
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I've lost my back protector. Very worried. Spyderjon / Moshamarc was I wearing it on Friday? It was the last time, as I recall, I had it...
I've owned a full upper body armour but found it very uncomfortable and sweaty. So I traded it in for a very good Dianesse back only number. Most importantly it has lots of ventilation which is good for a sweaty bug like me! I only wear it when I know that I'm going to be skiing very exposed lines or hucking.
I always always wear impact shorts, of the hard plastic variety, (years of Look heal pieces invading ones private areas).
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Poster: A snowHead
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I picked up some Dainese body armour from our local motorbike Dainese shop for some GS I did a couple of weeks ago. It was a lot cheaper (£50 or more) than the ski specific stuff I've seen in the big ski retailers and I expect it to be stronger. The reason I went specifically for bike stuff is that it has a zip out back protector that I can use under my bike leathers so wanted a protector that was up to the job.
I know a couple of instructor friends who now wear their body Armour all the time when I snow, and I'd have to say it's temping especially when teaching.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| parlor wrote: |
| I've lost my back protector. Very worried. Spyderjon / Moshamarc was I wearing it on Friday? It was the last time, as I recall, I had it... |
You were wearing it on the Fri night in the Farinet.
BTW what's the make/model of your full face helmet?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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spyderjon, thanks! Hopefully it's in my very untidy apartment somewhere. My full face was a gift from a friend of mine, it's a prototype from a company called Space Brace or something? Never seen them around. I love it, seriously comfortable and very re-assuring.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Spyderjon Pro Tec do an amazing full face helmet with removable face plate! You can get it through amazon online.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| ro55mac wrote: |
| fair enough, i wouldnt have siad it is required for recreational skiing. not compulsory ....... |
Very kind of you.
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Spyderman
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My reasoning is, I know I'm going to have crashes, I don't have a problem with that, only I'd like to be able to ski again, straight afterwards, rather than being injured.
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Can see the sense in that. My experience though is that I'm much more likely to get wrist and shoulder injuries than torso/back bottom ones. Then again I don't really huck much - guess you have to be dropping of things to make a cocyx injury likely when skiing (very different matter on a board though...)
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