Protective Gear for Snowboarding in the Terrain Park
Since freestyle snowboarding comes with a higher risk of injury than outside the park, it’s a great idea to get some protective gear, if you don’t already wear these items for your normal everyday riding (which I also recommend doing, if you’re an adult beginner!).
Equipping yourself with the right gear can help you progress your snowboarding skills faster because you’ll be less afraid to fall.
I highly recommend wearing a helmet at all times while snowboarding, not just in the terrain park. ‘Nuff said.
Impact Shorts
Impact shorts are intended to cushion falls to your tailbone and, depending on the brand, your hips. I’ve evaluated a few different brands and you can read my full snowboard impact shorts review for more information.
Knee Pads
Top Left: Some XC ski mittens with decent grip that were also not that expensive, so I won’t cry if they rip. Top Right: $20 pig skin gloves from Farm & Fleet that are nigh indestructable, but have poor grip. Bottom Left: Snowboarding kneepads from Rippl Impact Gear. Bottom Right: Wristguards from the early 2000s that still work great.
I love wearing knee pads while snowboarding because I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone down on my knees after hitting a patch of ice. If you happen to have tight-fitting knee pads from indoor volleyball, you can probably repurpose those for snowboarding with good results. Wear them under your snowboarding pants.
Otherwise, you can find snowboard knee pads online for pretty cheap. Just make sure to check that the padding is fully covering your kneecap throughout the day. Mine have a tendency to slide down my legs.
Wrist Guards
I don’t personally wear wrist guards, but I think they’re a smart option. My wife wears them and feels much safer with them on. I don’t have a good reason for not wearing them. I just think they’re uncomfortable.
Back Protector
I also don’t have or wear a back protector, but I’m including it on this list to make sure you know it’s an option. I think this becomes more important when you start doing aerial tricks. I’m not sure those will ever be in the cards for me, so I haven’t bought one yet.
Durable Gloves or Mittens
If the terrain park at your local hill has a rope tow, I highly recommend having a dedicated pair of gloves or mittens for riding the rope that are either incredibly durable or incredibly cheap. The rope tends to wear out gloves really fast. Since you’ll be working a lot harder in the terrain park than on a normal riding day (and with no breaks for riding the chair lift), you can get away with gloves that are far less insulating than normal. Look for something leather with good grip and a low price tag, and you should be good to go.
Since my primary snowboarding mittens are very expensive heated mittens from Outdoor Research, it’s really important to have a separate cheap pair that I can risk destroying on the rope (see photo above).
A popular brand for terrain park riding is Kinco. I haven’t tried them yet but I’ve seen plenty of riders wearing them.
Snowboard
Riding a chairlift at Little Switzerland Ski Area with my Capita Space Metal Fantasy park board that I bought used.
Last, but not least, your snowboard itself can help you or hurt you in the terrain park. I go into a more in-depth discussion in my guide to choosing a park board, but from a safety perspective, there are just a few considerations:
Use bindings with soft to medium flex (it’ll usually be rated 3–5 out of 10 in the bindings’ specs) to absorb the impact of landings and give you more precision at slow speeds.
Make sure your bindings are securely attached to the board every time you ride.
Consider detuning the edges of your snowboard when you’re ready to try rail tricks.
Remember, freestyle snowboarding is inherently dangerous, and none of this gear can fully prevent every injury. Always ride within your limits and pay attention to the terrain park rules to reduce your chances of injury. Have fun out there!
