As long as you are new to and are getting acquainted with skiing or snowboarding; are going aggressive on the halfpipe, superpipe, or backcountry riding; or you never had luck with your previous ride and ended up injuring your wrist, it makes sense to invest in a protective wrist guard before hitting the trail again. Ski and snowboard wrist protectors should be part and parcel of any serious ski/snowboarding protective gear. This is because falls cannot be totally eliminated even with the most effective form of protection.

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You can learn to ride or land safely on the ground, but it will not always happen the way you learned in theory. Therefore, you will be better off investing in effective protection to reduce the risk of injury. Wrist protectors are, in fact, essential in any outdoor sport given that the most common, almost 40% of snowboard injuries are connected to the wrist yet they are preventable.

 

Things to Consider

Now that you have a solid reason why you need to get yourself a wrist guard, here is what you need to consider during your purchase.

 

Outer shell

Manufacturers have come up with innovative technologies that combine waterproof and breathability functions coupled with a membrane layer to effectively prevent the penetration of water and water elements into the gloves while at the same time allowing moisture molecules to escape to the outside. Some common membrane materials include Gore-Tex and Windstopper fabrics while shells will be made of nylon, PU, or leather materials.

 

Insulation

Underneath the outer waterproof shell is an insulating layer. Your choice of insulation will depend on the weather conditions you will be skiing or snowboarding in. All the same, the core function of insulation is to provide warmth and breathability. It should deliver a great fit without feeling bulky or limiting the natural movement of your fingers. Some good examples of insulation include down, merino wool, synthetic fiber, and Thinsulate.

 

Liners

Liners are layers inside the pair of gloves or mitts intended to provide warmth. They are often moisture-wicking and are suitable if your hands run cold or if you expect to ski/snowboard in unpredictable temperatures. They are mostly made of fleece or wool and are good if removable.

 

Gloves or mittens

Mittens tend to be warmer than gloves since they have all fingers sharing one compartment apart from the thumb. On the con, however, mitts limit the free movement of fingers and might be less mobile especially if you are involved in aggressive activities that need a lot of handling. Gloves, on the other hand, have separate compartments for each finger hence tend to run colder even though they are pretty dexterous. However, there is another hybrid set that combines the mobility of gloves and warmth of mittens. These combine three fingers in one compartment leaving the thumb and the index finger with their own separate compartments.

 

Palms

Palms are usually reinforced with materials like vinyl or leather to make them more durable. Some are designed with vents at the tips of the fingers. Some feature a rubber lining to give them a better grip.

 

Cuffs

Some gloves come with long cuffs and others with short ones. Long gauntlet-style cuffs provide better protectors since they are designed with a fastening mechanism around the wrist to lock out snow. They tend to be bulky. Short cuffs, on the, on the other hand, are good if one intends to tuck them under the sleeves of ski or snowboard jackets. They are typically designed with inbuilt cuffs on the inside to enhance their ability to lock out snow.

 

The extras

Extra features like nose and goggle wipes, cinch straps for tightening, pockets for keeping cards and change, and storm leashes for suspending them to yourself to prevent losing them, are great additions to gloves and make a significant difference in their functionality.

 

Technological additions

Some gloves, particularly the current ones, are designed with sensitivity to Smartphone screens for convenient operation without having to take off the gloves.

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Best Ski and Snowboard Wrist Guards (Including Gloves) 2024

Here are 11 top wrist guards you should check out when making your selection.

 

1. Seirus Innovation Glove Wrist Protection

Seirus innovation 5658 Jam Master II, an over-the-glove guard is made of ABS plastic bones in a padded shell and a mesh-lined perforated neoprene making them durable, protective, and highly breathable. The ABS plastic offers excellent wrist, palm, and back-of-the-hand protection to keep your hands safe during impact. These guards are designed with adjustable Velcro closures to give you a great fit and an easy time putting them on and taking them off. They are designed to be worn over any glove or mitt and come in a range of sizes from small through to extra large.

 

2. Triple Eight Wristsaver Wrist Guards for Skateboarding

Triple Eight wristguards are designed to protect the wrists during skateboarding. They are made of removable moldable impact-resistant ABS splints at the front and back of the wrist to offer maximum support, generous EVA foam between the splints and wrists to provide for shock absorption, as well as the durable 4-way stretching nylon mesh sleeve to provide a great fit and high breathability. They feature a slide-on design that lets you put them on and off easily. Select between the strap closure with a butterfly closure design and hook-and-loop straps or the slide-on design. These wrist guards come in four sizes from junior to large sizes.

 

3. Seirus Innovation 5660 Jam Master Exo Under Wrist Gloves

From Seirus Jam Master’s line of wrist guards is this Exo Innovation 5660 model worn under the gloves. It features advanced polymer wrist and palm supports along with an ultra-slim mesh liner to deliver excellent protection and breathability. Its construction takes into account the fact that your palms and wrists need to remain cool and dry under multiple layers while at the same time remaining safe from impact. An elastic cinch secures the wrist guard in place. A big advantage it has, like the other masks in Seirus Jam Master’s wrist guards is that it fits under any glove or mitt.

 

4. Level Fly Trigger Snowboard Gloves with Wrist Guards

The Fly Trigger gloves by Level feature more or less the same features and mechanisms as the Fly Glove model by the same manufacturer. It is integrated with the BioMex wrist protection technology that positions your wrist securely in place inside the gloves to give it the freedom of natural movement while protecting it from injury, the Membra-Therm technology which keeps your hands dry and warm, a breathable durable water-resistant shell, and a warm removable fleece liner on its inside.

This pair of gloves takes the design of a mitten except that it has the index and the thumb fingers compartment separate from the other hence striking a good balance between warmth and dexterity. Again, this is what distinguishes it from Level’s Fly Glove.

Level’s trigger model is lightweight and features the protective Kevlar palm with a rubber element to enhance its grip and waterproofing ability. It is also outfitted with cuffs that fasten around the wrist to prevent snow from penetrating into the hands.

 

5. Level Half Pipe GTX Snowboard Protective Wrist Guards

Level’s Half Pipe GTX mittens rank well among the best snowboard wrist guards and also the most protective, making them ideal for very aggressive sporting, most specifically the halfpipe. These mittens integrate Biomex Plus technology which, unlike the usual Biomex, goes ahead to include extra padding for enhanced wrist protection. Again, rather than the Membra-Therm dry technology, Half Pipe GTX mittens incorporates the breathable waterproof Gore-Tex shell. Its palms are layered with the durable, impact, heat, and abrasion resistant Kevlar fabric.

These mittens come with warm removable fleece liners for easy cleaning along with a nose wipe at the thumb, goggle cleaner at the index, and vents at the fingertip area. Half Pipe has been rated to withstand sub-zero temperatures up to -15 °C which makes it ideal for all weather use. Like other Level’s wrist guards, this model too has a storm leash to stop you from losing it.

 

6. Level Super Pipe Snowboard Gloves with Advanced Wrist Protection

Like the Half Pipe model, Level’s Superpipe is designed with the dual density BioMex Plus wrist guard for enhanced wrist protection in this type of aggressive snowboarding. With the effective waterproof Gore-Tex shell and the lightweight removable Polartec fleece lining, your hands will retain warmth and remain dry throughout since no amount of water will penetrate to the inside and the moisture produced by your hands will be wicked away. Gore-Tex is also pretty breathable making it a good moisture manager.

Super Pipe snowboard wrist guards also feature reinforcement at the palm with a hardwearing, abrasion-resistant fabric to keep them serving you for a longer time to come while giving your palm maximum protection. The gauntlet-style cuffs will lock out every drop of snow.

 

7. Level Butterfly Protection Mitten Women’s

Level has also designed some great products for women like this Butterfly model. The most outstanding feature about these mittens is that they provide a very relaxed fit hence allowing as much dexterity with fingers as possible while still delivering maximum protection. In addition to this, they come outfitted with Level’s signature features including the standard Biomex wrist protection on the inside, the innovative Membra-Therma Plus technology responsible for forming a waterproof barrier on the inside to keep the hands dry and warm, and removable fleece lining for ease of cleaning.

Quite impressively, these mitts allow you to warm your fingers by breathing in warm air whose moisture escapes through the breathable membrane leaving your fingers warm and dry. Finally, the adjustable wrist straps will fasten securely to prevent snow and water from sipping in.

 

8. DaKine Unisex Wristguard Gloves

DaKine’s unisex wrist guards are built for warmth and performance. Featuring the soft and warm High Loft fleece insulation with a weight rating of only 230 g and a water-resistant shell made of blended nylon with DWR treatment, these wrist protection gloves will keep your hands warm and dry throughout. They also come with DaKine’s own removable waterproof liner making it easy to clean, dry, and use them for other applications. They have a Rubbertec palm that has worked great to improve their grip and durability. And because they are real gloves with separate finger compartments, they make a great option if you are looking for grip and dexterity.

This pair also features a built-in wrist guard and a fastening strap with Velcro closure at the writs to lock out snow and other weather elements.

 

9. Burton Impact Wrist Guard

Burton has a way of standing out of the crowd with unique products. These Impact wrist guards are not the usual mitts or gloves but wrist guards. They feature pure polyester fabric construction in a low profile design to be worn comfortably under snowboard gloves or mittens. They are designed with soft padding on the palms with Velcro adjustment to deliver a custom fit and a secure fastening on your wrists.

This is among the best snowboard wrist protection considering that they come in a range of sizes from XS through to XXL with designs for men, women, kids, and toddlers.

 

10. Dakine Wristguards

Dakine’s wrist guard is made of stretchy abrasion-resistant neoprene material making it a form-fitting wrist guard. It features a low profile design since it is worn under gloves or mittens. On the inside is an aluminum stay that is strong enough to offer ample protection but lightweight for undisturbed mobility of the hands. It comes with an adjustable wrist cinch outfitted with a hook and loop closure to give it a good comfortable fit on your hands.

 

Conclusion

Selecting the right snowboard or ski wrist guards is important as the safety of your wrists depend on them. They come with a whole range of features but the most important ones you should give priority are the outer shell, palm, liners, insulation, and design. The extra features will be more of preference but they still go a long way to make your gloves or mitts comfortable and convenient to use.