Do you wear a back protector when skiing?

A snowHead

Hi everyone,

Whilst helmets are considered the norm for skiing- im wondering if its worth taking it one step further and buying a back protector? With the thought of preventing paralasis being a huge benefit- is it worth the money?

Some would say you learn fastest when out of your comfort zone- so perhaps a back protector gives us the confidence to push things that little bit further?

So- do you wear a back protector? State your reasons and:

1) Yes- all the time

2) Yes, Off Piste only

3) Only when im about to do some mental stuff

4) Never

Any advice would be appreciated Smile

A snowHead

billy_boy_2010, does a helmet give us the confidence to push things a little bit further too ?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

never
i have fallen over a lot in my skiing career and never done anything a back protector would have helped with
if i was jumping off cliffs or doing a lot in the park it might be different; also, i always ski with a pack and shovel so that provides protection against sharp rocks etc

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4) Never

Don't even wear a helmet yet. Haven't really grown out of my 80s leisure skiing mindset. In fairness I ski fairly slowly on piste only and never do any 'mental stuff'.

I never wear a helmet cycling either, and frequently ride motorcycles (obviously not on the road) without a helmet or protective clothing.

You might think I'm reckless and foolhardy but it's my choice. I have no dependents.

Up to you entirely but please don't think that wearing all manner of protective clothing makes you invincible. If you want to 'push things that little bit further' your best piece of safety equipment will be adequate training and common sense.

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...it does give you more confidence to push yourself and mine has already paid for it's a couple of times but don't forget, it's not just what you do, it might just save you from the out of control idiot that crashes into you too. If the guy I saw last year was wearing one, then he probably wouldn't have had himself opened up as if he was on an operating table by someone who 'mis-timed' a jump from a small kicker onto the edge of a piste.

After all it is free

Yes wear one all the time and a helmet.

Have a young family so hope reducing chance of major injury also back protector provides some lower back support which is welcome if saves on chiropractor bills.

Wear a helmet on pushbikes and both on a motorbike.

Don't think it makes me any more reckless as not into jumps or off piste just skiing quickly at times on piste. Same arguments as for a helmet I'd guess. When it comes down to it personal perception of risk based on experience and comfort zone as well as realising it can all go wrong unexpectedly.

Sometimes wish perceived less risk than I do so could let go a bit more. Whereas my wife wishes I'd be more cautious.

Was interesting seeing snowboarder reaction a few weeks ago to my understanding (not 100% sure) that part of her wristguard design was to transfer any break to easier to heal bones!!!

I think it all depends on what you are doing and what type of skier you are.

Freeriders and offpiste skiers tend to use more protection than other skiers, because of the greater risks. Arno, point about off piste skiers wearing packs is very valid and many people find that a spine protector and a pack is just to much.

My son loves freeriding and hitting the park and wears a body protection top as well as a pack.

I tend to use a spine protector built into the ruck sack, but I ski to fast for my age which sometimes gets me into trouble rolling eyes

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I don't have one but there was a day 2 years ago I wish I had one! Sad

A tree jump out of nowhere and stood in my path! rolling eyes

I did have a helmet but that's not where the tree choose to bite me...

Why am I not wearing one after the incident? I slowed way down in the trees now. And stayed out of the really tight ones!

I wear a pack about 80% of the times. So if I were to get any sort of body armor, I'd go for the ones that wraps around and includes shoulder pads (has to be kevlar not hard plastic). But I'm not yet convinced I actually "need" it. Nice to have, but not NEED.

Sometimes, the best peice of safety gear is the one we got between the ears.

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I wear one most of the time following an impact shoulder injury. Been glad of it a couple of times including a small rock band I slid over on my back. Like a helmet I doubt it would save me in the worst conceivable circumstances but might buy me a chance in a glancing blow.

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Yes - when I'm on piste in resort. I don't do much mental stuff but my general feeling of "safety" is more related to how many people are around me; especially as I spend less and less time in resorts.

In resort - Back protector and helmet - often no rucksack

Cat skiing / Heli-skiing or lift serviced off piste - Depends on day but at least helmet ; not alway back protector but I do have a rucksack with shovel / probe etc instead.

Ski touring - Not a back protector (but have bigger rucksack) and sometimes not a helmet (again depends on what I intend to ski)

I carry one in the backpack and put it on at lunchtime to look gnarly

You know it makes sense.

I used t race track bikes and obviously swore by one however a full back protector like I wore back then would defo affect my riding abilitys. Guess all the helmet arguments still stand, other slope users crashing into you from behind, boosting confidence, unnatural feeling, etc!

I did have an early version of impact shorts, which I rarely wore, when I learnt in the 90's. Don't own a helmet, never broke more than a wrist.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

I have a back protector. I got if for skiing after a nasty accident. For the first few trips I wore it (was made to) religiously, but then started to slack and haven't bothered recently. This is probably a mistake but I feel less encumbered without it, especially if I'm wearing a back pack as well. The only time I feel vulnerable is on busy motorway pistes where others are likely to bash into me.
I always wear my helmet now, purely because I've got one so might as well. It's more comfortable than a woolly hat and the Snowhead sticker doesn't fall off.

A snowHead

i occasionally wear a spine protector on my motorbike and on my snowboard. I broke a couple of bones in my back about 18 months ago and thought it would be smart to get a back protector after that. There is no question in my mind that it would make a massive difference to the outcome of any collision where there was impact to your back - be that from a tree/rock/other skier etc. Mine is a motorbike specific alpinestars one which is safety rated accordingly. I originally bought the full jacket version with the chest/shoulder and arm armour as well. It was class for going around pretending to be robocop, but far too bulky for the slopes - hence i ended up with the spine armour only.

I wear other armour too - knee pads, impact shorts, wrist guards and helmet. I have bought these over the years when snowboarding and wear them because they make life more comfortable when you have the inevitable tumble or two.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I wear a back protector when I'm on my motorbike, but must admit I've never thought it necessary when skiing... but maybe I should think about it!

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I wear a helmet and POC hard-shell back protector all the time, and ski with a pack/shovel 95% of the time. I don't really notice the back protector while skiing and actually find it helps distribute the weight of the pack more evenly. I have the full-arm hard-shell body armour jacket that the back protector came with too but only wear that while racing or when I know I'm going to be skiing on a very crowded piste (night skiing at AdH for example) as I do find it a bit restrictive. I had one fall this season where I was very glad to be wearing both helmet and back protector.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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After all it is free

Yes, I have a few. and am always wearing one when skiing.

An old ratty one I should bin. was once my all-rounder.

A soft one (Forcefield) - great under a pack as it is more flexible.

And a hard shell one (Dainese vest, with back protector built in). not yet tried under a pack - and should do for when touring, but always for piste only/no pack days.
cool thing about the Dainese, is that it is great for mountain biking as well.

And have to buy an FIS legal one for when I start racing again soon.

After having broken my back (NOT SKIING - a silly and simple slip down some stairs), i am now aware that it is rather easy to do so. (I am 31, in great shape and have been told I do have very strong bones)

Also always wear a helmet. I grew up racing and on a few occasions, helmets protected me from nasty injuries, not to mention countles knocks from race gates.

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so would people say they are more cautious when skiing if they happen to forget to take out with them their back protectors or helmets ?

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Only when required for racing. And I broke my back in 3 places a while back (not snowboarding).

I'd kind of disagree with quadwould. Knowing what it took to give me relatively minor spinal injuries (I had a head-on collision with a car while descending an alpine road at very high speed on a bicycle), the forces required to damage your back are pretty major! Slipping on stairs actually being a more obvious way to do it - lots of force concentrated on a very small area - quite a lot of people I chatted to on my various visits to the spinal unit had got their injury that way - maybe we should wear back protectors whenever we use stairs?

stevomcd, I went snowboarding only 11 weeks after a discectomy on my L4/L5 discs and survived 4 days on the piste (and a bit of off piste) and the next holiday I took a month later I again survived 6 days on the mountain ... after all this sliding on the mountain without any sort of protection I managed to slip when leaving a train at Innsbruck (with my board bag) and land (with my full weight and board bag) on the edge of the thick cast iron (grill type) step right on my L4/L5 where I had just a few months before had the operation - never felt so much pain in my life !

I did not wear a back protector boarding but, as you suggest, the potential for back injury is just as high in every day life. I believe the best form of protection is how you ski/board and manage your time on the mountain and not necessarily how much protection you wear

You know it makes sense.

rayscoops, ouch!

I went snowboarding (against medical advice!*) 5 months after fracturing L3, L4 & L5. We got good powder when we were out there and I was bouncing along doing short turns in deep power. At the compression at the bottom of every turn I'd yell "Ow!" from the pain in my back, but I was loving it, felt so great to be back riding.

*Stevo to doctor 2 weeks before snowboard trip: "So, I don't need to come back for another check-up?"

Doctor: "No, but you should take it easy for another 6 months."

Stevo: "Yes, but there's no further treatment required."

Doctor: "Correct....."

Stevo to insurer: "Doctor says 'no further treatment required'"

Insurer: "That's OK then." Laughing

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I've never knowingly skied with someone with specific back protection but like Arno I and all I ski with have a proper back-pack which is a partial protection.
I have never hurt my back skiing but have had a bit of very temporary whip lash to my neck (pins and needles and a bit of numbness to my arms for a couple of minutes). I love steep couloirs and tree skiing and fall over about a couple of times per week. I don't have a helmet yet but probably should get one. In La Grave last week (a resort where there are no pistes and everyone has a back pack) about half had helmets.

A snowHead

I wear a Forcefield back protector, but only because I injured my back a year ago in a skiing accident. (Compression fracture of T8.) It is just that I am aware of a weakness there, and think it would not take very much to do further damage. If I had not had the original injury, I would not wear protection. Where would you stop?

A snowHead

My husband and I always wear a back protector because even though we never fall on our own, we have both been run into by out-of-control skiers.

We try to go skiing when the mountains are less crowded, but February is always full of skiers and the risks increase then. It's common to find skiers who speed down and find they can't stop. My husband was run into by a staff member at the slope. I was run into by a teenager and our helmets slammed together when she crashed into me from behind. We both sat there for a minute before our heads stopped hurting. I'm glad we both had helmets, because if only one had had it, the other would have had a concussion.

When I first started learning, I was run into by a toddler. I had been standing just looking at the slope when I found myself on the ground wondering how I fell. Then I saw a little boy next to me. You wouldn't need a back protector if only toddlers ran into you. But that is rarely the case.

Wear a helmet and a back protector and ski safely. Smile

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Welcome to Snowheads, @Glenys
With your excellent first post, I wonder if you've set a new Snowheads record - an 8 1/2 year bump! Cool

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Like a few others on here, I wear a back protector, however have only put it to use when hit (twice) by out of control skiiers (both were beginners, so was just bad luck really, they obviously weren't intentionally out of control Happy

, no idea if it made a huge difference, but was quite happy to be wearing it!

I have a D3O one, which is less rigid and more comfortable than the hard ones, I bought one of those vest style tops with the rigid back protector and just replaced it with the (correctly sized) D3O equivalent from a bike shop.

When its nice and fluffy, many would argue they are overkill, but when conditions are icy it does provide some re-assurance.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Just as an aside anyone wearing one as protection from others because they are hit a lot please have a good hard look at your skiing - where you stop, when you start into the entropy of traffic, whether you choose death before download. My dad before he gave up skiing used to complain about people hitting him. I skied with him one day and could see why - no situational awareness of those around him, a tendency to veer suddenly to somewhere he wanted to take a photo, stopping in bad places and faffing without any attention to people coming down the slope.

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@Glenys,
Bit like cycle commuters with video cameras!
I've been cycle commuting for 14 years. If I see a cyclist with a video camera on his bars or helmet it is a good predictor that they have terrible cycling skills/tactics.

After all it is free

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If I could get a small camera with decent battery life I'd have one for my Sunday rides due to aggressive drivers. I also have a dash-cam in the car - been driving for nearly 40 yrs, no at fault accidents (2 no-fault), no convictions, IAM in car and motorbike. Does that make me a poor driver?

Help!!

Do you wear a back protector when skiing?

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