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PAds for gates?


biggerwrangler

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I haven't found anything that is snowboard specific yet. Maybe Phil or Bordy know of something. I'm almost to the point of sewing something into the back of my pants because I'm sick of getting smacked on the backside when you hit the stubby. If you ever run skier gates the big problem is that the gate hits just behind the shoulder blade on a heelside if you come through the gate like you would on a stubby. Unfortunately all the skier padded tops are mostly arms and shoulders since thye can push the gate out of the way with their arms as tey come through.

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RED makes impact shorts that i have used with great sucess... i use impact shorts if i am training with an injury or a large bruise that i just dont want to take any chances on re-injuring (sp?)

I use leki shin guards, and that takes 99% of the impact. if you are getting hit in the thigh area, it is probably a temporary thing that will correct itself as you take a tighter line.

scott shinguards work well if you have smaller legs. the leki world cup guards are great for those w/ bigger calf muscles.

reusch, invicita shinners are all pretty flimsy.

KEKA carbon fiber shinners are nice- but you better kick a$$ or you'll just look like a world cupper wannabee. i think "SCUFF" from this board has a couple seasons on them, and my kid i coach in vail rides them.

check out any equiptment from POC. it's pricey- but that is some top notch gear- not sure whether they have thigh/butt protection, but possible.

--- as for running skier gates, i would recommend STAYING AWAY! they are so dangerous for snowboarders. they wrap around you, hit you in the face, dislocate shoulders... all things i have experienced myself or seen. skiers dont actually push the gate away from them- they simply position themselves so the gates brushes past on either their pole or arm/head.

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The problem I have with the stubbies is actually the tall gate coming around and smacking me in the backside. At first I thought it was the stubby, but we shot some video and at our hill the tall ones whip back as you go through the stubby and smack the crap out of you. I tried shin guards for awhile, but I found I was usually hitting the stubby with the top of my boot and I didn't like the way they felt so I gave up on them. Just like you said with the skier gates...I've got a lot of dents in the back of my helmet from the same thing happening with them. Unfortunatley, the only time we get to run snowboard gates at our hill is on days of USASA races, so I take what I can get and do the skier race leagues and NASTAR to get runs in.

You definitely gave a better description of how the skier moves through the gate...it just look like they are pushing it when they are actually positioning their arms and shoulders in a place that they come through it on the side and it slides out of the way without wrapping around and smacking them.

If you only need arm protection I found a Descents top with padded arms/shoulders that takes a lot of the hits and it was only $60. Its nice because you can fit it under a jacket for days you are only training.

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I took a NASTAR gate to the shoulder last year and broke it off..

I fell.. It really hurt..and have not run NASTAR with the same enthusiasm since.

When I do, it's an extra wide line.. (Oh yah, you betcha..)

Keka is a local Minnesota company, and their guards are very popular

with the ski-racers at our hill. They do protect your shins very well,

but you may find the padding a bit bulkier than other plastic guards.

Whatever you end up getting go to a retailer and confirm your sizing/fit.

Should you ever find yourself in the area (I would guess 'unlikely') and willing to

spend the money (even more 'unlikely'), Keka does make some sweet custom guards.

My shins are incredibly long and narrow and found most guards to be too small.

Neil: ha ha - It's true, the Kevlar really does stand out. Consequently,

people like to kick you in the shins to see how well they really work...

(or..at least that's what I'd like to believe they're doing.)

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If there is enough interest, the guy that runs Keka may be interested in making a snowboard specific guard. We would need to come to a consensus on what the design would be, he would likely offer a couple of sizes and also customs. He makes his molds him self, cheaply. so his tooling costs are mostly just his time.

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Yeah, I really have to find something... I ride with $trider, and 90+% of the time we're running skiier gates.

I often will take my bulky jacket off (with horrible "air brake" pockets on them), but I find I've been getting better times with it on because I'm less afraid of falling and hitting gates.

That medium Demon would fit the top half of my torso. =)

My biggest pain with racing is my heelsides - when I skirt past the gate, my frickin love handle whacks the skiier pole sometimes. Holy crap, does that hurt.

So I'm looking for any sort of race padding, skiier or otherwise... then I'll probably sew something extra in for my love handles.

I just googled around a bit without much luck. Best place for a basic padded racing shirt?

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I don't know of the company offhand, but there are snowboard-specific leg pads that articulate at the knee and go up the upper thigh...

I'll do some digging and will ask around and post if I get the name of the brand. This was a few years ago, so I'm not 100% sure that they are still around.

We used to use regular ski-shin guards and made some thigh guard with plastic garbage cans, some padding and a strap...worked well. We even attached them to the shin guard using some rivets and a small leather strap.

Good home-made solution.

-Gord

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RED makes impact shorts that i have used with great sucess... i use impact shorts if i am training with an injury or a large bruise that i just dont want to take any chances on re-injuring (sp?)

I use leki shin guards, and that takes 99% of the impact. if you are getting hit in the thigh area, it is probably a temporary thing that will correct itself as you take a tighter line.

I second the RED impact shorts - been wearing them for years - and they fit under a race suit no problem. Crash Pads (http://socalskateshop.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=208) also work well...same idea...I use them for racing skateboards in the summer.

Another brand of shin guard that is burly and works well are Jofa - less expensive than Leki etc. too.

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I've used a Dainese slalom jacket with good success. It has rigid padding on the forearm and upper arm (with no gaps at the elbow), plus a little chest protection and a full back protector. Also run the older Red Impact Shorts (the new ones are crap) - but if I had to replace, I'd either get Pro-Tec ones or the newer Dainese shorts.

I wear knee braces which work well, but I'd think a ski shin guard should suffice, no? Mostly I hit stubbies with my boots or shins. I try to cross-block skier gates with my leading forearm, although once in a while I catch one on the shoulder or the front of my helmet (loud). Its kind of important to cross-block the skier gates so they don't throw you off your line when your boot/shin gets to them.

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A guy on our team has an old pair of "Conquest" brand guards that articulate.

His may be the last pair in existence.

Only got the one, and the last time i used it was on full length poles but it worked. I luckily got mine for free but remember they were very expensive.
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