Anyone who has ever strapped into a snowboard will have fallen on their butt! Whilst most of the time this is not a serious injury it sure does ruin your day! Falling on your butt is an inevitable part of the sport so impact shorts, along with other snowboarding protective gear, are always a good idea.
Best Value
BodyProX
$34.99
Best for Men
Burton Total Impact
$139.95
Best for Women
Burton Total Impact
$139.95
What Are Impact Shorts, And Do I Need Them?
Impact shorts are padded protective gear designed to be worn under your snowboarding pants. They help cushion your hips, tailbone, and thighs during falls, making them worthwhile for snowboarders of all skill levels.
These shorts slip easily under your snowboarding pants and provide a layer of protection that can make the difference between a minor bump and a serious bruise. If you want to stay comfortable on the slopes, especially when tackling new terrain or practicing jumps, impact shorts are definitely worth considering.
Snowboarding Impact Shorts Top Pick (Unisex)
These shorts from Bodyprox are a really inexpensive way of protecting your tailbone! They may not be as breathable or as technical as some of the other shorts here, but they will none the less do the basic job of taking some of the sting out of learning to snowboard.
They have protective zones all around the hips, thighs and buttocks made up of a flexible EVA foam cushions. They come in sizes from XS-L so they are appropriate for men and women.
Best Men's Impact Shorts
These lightweight shorts from Burton are designed to fit invisibly under your snowboard pants, whilst keeping your butt protected from knock.
They use the same Burton's G-Form™ technology which is found in their knee pads to absorb the impacts. This is a ‘smart' material which is normally soft and malleable but instantly stiffens upon impact.
This means they are able to produce an impact short which is soft, comfortable and does not restrict your movements but still provides the same protection as a solid plastic insert upon impact.
Demon SKINN impact short is a lightweight short which provides just enough protection without a bulky fit which can get in the way of your riding.
They use thermo-formed padding around the hip area, which moulds to your form when it warms up, making them more comfortable and offers better protection. Cut in a compression fit that wicks away moisture they are comfortable enough that you'll forget that you're wearing them.
These top-of-the-range impact shorts from POC, offer maximum protection and maximum comfort. They use their own smart VPD material which adapts to the shape of your body, but when exposed to impact, the material stiffens and has extreme impact absorption properties. This is incorporated into pads around the tailbone and hip areas keeping you safe from all falls and knocks.
They have stretch and ventilated mesh construction in the basic short, which allows the material to breath and keeps you from over heating.
Best Women's Impact Shorts
Demon SKINN impact short is a lightweight short which provides just enough protection without a bulky fit which can get in the way of your riding. Cut in a compression fit that wicks away moisture they are comfortable enough that you'll forget that you're wearing them.
The Burton women's impact shorts are the women's equivalent to the men's shorts.
Sizes come in XS-XL so you're bound to find a size that fits. These women's shorts use the same G-Form technology that you'll find in the men's shorts, designed to be soft and flexible and provide protection from knocks upon impact as the material hardens up.
They are designed to be low profile, breathable and to reduce chaffing when riding with a women-specific fit.
Best Kids Impact Shorts
Burton have a kids' version of their hi-tech snowboarding padded shorts that comes with the same impressive features as the adult versions.
Both super comfortable and breathable, these shorts come in a range of kids sizes from XXS-XL and with a gender neutral, straight fit.
What to Look for When Buying Impact Shorts for Snowboarding
How the shorts fit
It's really important that your impact shorts fit well. If they are too loose they can move around and the protective padding can become misaligned.
If the pads are too small then they may not come up high enough to give you full protection especially of your coccyx.
You also want the shorts to be low profile and not too bulky so that they don't get in the way and restrict your movements. Bulky shorts not only look bad, but it can also be difficult to get your pants over the top of them and then just end staying at home in the draw where they are no use to anyone.
Padding material
The main difference to look for in the material is what the protective pads are made from.
You can either opt for a soft padding or hard plastic padding.
Hard pads are made of solid reinforced plastic panels, which offer maximum protection from impact but do not bend when you move. Soft pads can be made of a variety of materials which are all flexible to your movements, but you may feel a bit more of the impact when you fall.
Although hard plastic can protect better I would recommend going for the soft padding, which enable you to keep moving freely and are more comfortable and in most shorts offer more coverage. The basic short should be made of a breathable material so that you don’t get too warm and your junk doesn't overheat in the spring! You should also look for shorts which are machine washable so you can easily keep them smelling fresh.
Protected zones
Most impact shorts protect 3 areas. Your tailbone, your butt and your hips.
Anyone who has bruised their tailbone will know that this area is definitely worth protecting. Bruised coccyx can be really painful and takes ages to heal. They leave you feeling really uncomfortable so all you can do is lie on the couch and wait for it to heal.
This protective area should run from the base of your spine to about half way down your butt crack.
You are probably less likely to fall on your hip snowboarding than skiing, but a bit of padding just in case is not a bad idea especially if you ride rails and boxes.
You should look for shorts which don't ever do it with the thickness of the hip pads which can make it difficult to get your pants over the top of. The last area to protect is the butt, this is done with smaller pads which sit over your butt cheeks.
Not all impact short project this area as it can reduce your movement. I would recommend going for shorts with soft padding in this area, as it can still really hurt if you are unlucky enough to fall on it.
Other Benefits of Wearing Impact Shorts for Snowboarding
They keep you warm
If you spend a lot of time sitting in the snow, impact shorts are a great way of keeping your butt warm and dry. This is probably the experience of beginner snowboarders who haven’t yet mastered the technique of strapping into your bindings without sitting down, and are still falling a lot.
They increase your confidence
It's really hard to commit to learning something new if you know there's a fair chance that it might result in a sore butt! Whether that's your first turns or a new rail trick, impact shorts can give you the extra confidence to really give it 100%. It's kind of a cruel irony but if you lose your confidence when learning to snowboard, it tends to make you do the wrong thing instead, which results in the fall that you were afraid of.
So if you’re a first timer then, sorry to break it to you, but you are almost certainly going to catch an edge and fall. This is just an inevitable part of snowboarding which you just have to embrace, and wearing impact shorts can really help out.
However, if you are learning on the west coast of Canada or Japan then you probably will be landing in nice soft powder, so you will barely notice that you’ve hit the deck and can probably do without impact shorts!
Or you might already be a competent rider but you are about to try your first backside boardslide. This almost always results in the board slipping out in front of you and you landing on your butt, and a guaranteed sore tailbone! Wearing impact shorts can help you to fully commit to new tricks, knowing that you are less likely to hurt yourself. This can actually help you learn quicker and fall less.
You should wear impact shorts if you are:
- A beginner snowboarder
- A freestyle rider – particularly if you are riding rails and boxes
- Riding in icy conditions, when any fall can hurt
Wrapping Up
These days I have pretty much retired myself from the snowpack, so I feel I don’t need to wear impact shorts any more. I used to back in the day, and I can think of many occasions when they saved me from a more painful landing.
As a snowboard instructor, its something I definitely recommend for my clients. Especially for the beginners. If you are learning on a week's snowboard vacation, then it’s inevitable that over the course of the week you will pick up little knocks which will start to accumulate and slow down your rate of progression. Impact shorts, as well as other protective gear are a small investment which will help you progress faster and get the most out of your time on the snow.
