This page will give you lots of really good first hand information about kids snowboards. Snowboarding gear and clothing and some good resources on where to buy kids snowboards and gear.
Most kids gotta have fun 99% of the time! If they are cold or wet… thats it for the day…for the KIDS…and YOU TOO! BELIEVE ME I been there and it’ no fun for anybody!
Of any age group, kids can be the hardest to please…especially when it comes to keeping WARM and DRY…
This means you need to pay EXTRA SPECIAL attention to their snowboarding clothes and gear…and less attention to the kids snowboards… So lets deal with their clothes first and the kids snowboards after…
Starting from their heads to toes…
Contents
SNOWBOARDING HELMETS… 2 GOOD REASONS
My own experience is that kids should wear snowsports helmets…Period…No IFS..No ANDS..NO BUTS..Why?
THE #1 reason is snowboard helmets protect their heads from serious injury if someone bigger crashes into them or they get going too fast and crash and burn….My own kids learned to ski and then snowboard real fast…The problem was that they could go much faster than their skill level allowed them to stop quickly and sooner than later they would take a high speed wipe out. If they are lucky, its only snow, if unlucky…maybe a tree, a pole or a rock… YOU GET THE PICTURE…
Reason #2…SNOWBOARD HELMETS are perfect for kids because they are much WARMER than most hats……Especially helmets with insulated ear flaps…My own kids prefer their helmets for this reason alone..They rarely have a problem with their helmets being TOO warm.Remember.. it is way easier to cool off than to warm up….This can be as simple as removing their helmet for a minute or two on the ride up the lift..
Make sure your kids helmet fits very well.
DO NOT buy them a size bigger thinking they will grow into it..Their heads don’t grow in size nearly as fast as their feet! There are a number of good places to buy kids snowboarding helmets on the net…
HATS
DO NOT BUY YOUR KIDS A HAT FOR SNOWBOARDING!!! Buy them a hat to use before or after snowboarding…Buy your kid a nice and warm hat, get as thick a hat as possible…Ear flaps are a good idea…Make sure its not wool…they get itchy and even if warm when wet….Kids won’t tolerate it for too long.A wool hat with a wicking fabric liner IS OK and works very well…
MASKS & NECKWARMERS
Make sure they have a neck warmer and or a good facemask…
MAKE SURE THEY DO NOT WEAR SCARVES instead of a neck warmer or facemask…
EVERY year there are always accidents related to scarves catching on trees, moving chairlifts ,etc. They are easy to lose and a hassle to wear usually…They always seem to slide off, get bunched up or tangled at the wrong time…Plus they catch and hold a large amount of snow…which melts when you go inside and then you have a soggy heavy cold and wet mess…
Scarves are fine for the city , town or school playground SCARVES are NOT for the snowboard slopes…
GOGGLES & SUNGLASSES
Goggles are a NECESSITY for snowy, windy and colder days. Goggles should be double lens and have anti fog coating…Make sure they fit your kids face well…It is a very good idea to buy snowboarding goggles and helmets at the same time…
Make sure to ask that they are compatible, if possible check the fit on your kid with helmet on and off…Dont settle for less that a firm comfortable fit….that will not allow snow to enter between your kids face and goggles…
Sunglasses are a NECESSITY for the warmer sunny days….Make sure kids sunglasses have a headband to keep them in place on their head and or a neck strap to keep them from getting dropped or lost if not in immediate use… You can get more information about goggle and sunglass technology and features at the
Snowboard Goggles page … and at the Sunglasses page …
THERMAL BASE LAYER
A thermal base layer is the first part of the 3 layering system designed to keep
people warm and dry when its cold and wet outside…Ok so what exactly is the 3 layer system…It is simple.
Layer #1… is a NON-COTTON layer of clothing that soaks up body moisture and moves it away from the body….Good examples are thermal underwear made of silk or polartec or any other fabric designed to wick moisture away from the body…
THE BEST PLACE to get schooled and buy thermals for kids and adults is WICKERS.com…You can learn real fast all about thermal technology and their fabric called…
wickers insulating clothes
Layer #2… is one or more layers that insulate the body from cold…a good example would be a fleece longsleeve shirt and long legged bottoms…The colder it is the more insulating layers can be added as needed… avoid cotton…If you snowboard in areas that are more wet than cold, smart wool or natural wool can be a good choice…You want a thicker material that holds air but wicks moisture…
Layer #3… is the outer layer, that is waterproof and windproof…It is waterproof in one direction… water cannot get in, but water vapor can disperse out….The best example is GORETEX…Goretex is expensive but well worth the extra cash if you spend alot of time outdoors in the cold and wet…
Unfortunately, there are very few kids snowboarding jackets and pants made with goretex due to the high cost… Everyone needs to wear a thermal base layer including kids…DO NOT wear cotton as a base layer,DO NOT dress your kids in a cotton base layer!!! Cotton gets wet easily from kids sweating and does not wick water and moisture away from the skin, and it feels cold when wet, IT IS COLD when wet!!!
Always buy your kids a thermal base layer made specifically for winter wear or snow sports…Cotton can be worn for intermediate layers but its better not to wear it at all…Try fleece or other fabrics made for snowsports …Some of the best are Capilene, Polartec,Cool Max, Helly Hansen Lifa ,Patagonia and many more…
You can find out good info about Capilene versus wool at PATAGONIA.com… If you can… try to find GORETEX outerwear, Goretex is the absolute best, but is one of the most EXPENSIVE and very difficult to find in kids sizes and styles…
MITTENS VERSUS GLOVES
Now my advice for GLOVES versus MITTENS… MITTENS are warmer but they can be but more difficult to use to adjust gear or other clothing items… Still you can wriggle your fingers in mittens more easily and I have always found them to be easier to get on and off than gloves, but they take practice to learn how to adjust your gear with them on…
My own personal experience is that a pair of goretex mittens are the best way to go…2nd choice is a goretex pair of gloves…The choice whether to use gloves or mittens is personal…My advice is to try on both at least at the store and ask your child which feels more comfortable,see if your kids can zip up their jacket or some other function with the gloves or mittens on and then pick the most favorable from your kids comments…
SOCKS,SOCKS,WARM SOCKS…
DO NOT DRESS YOUR KIDS IN COTTON SOCKS!!!
BUY socks made of smartwool, polartec, or any other fabric used for snowsports, even natural wool socks are ok, although they can be itchy….
Natural wool is the ONLY fabric/cloth that will keep you warm when soaking wet…..proven fact….Although that may change in the near future as technology creaps toward a material better than natural wool…
It is a good idea to have an extra pair of dry socks that your kid can change into at lunch!
WHERE TO BUY KIDS SNOWBOARDS AND OTHER GEAR…
So now lets look at all the kids snowboards and snowboarding gear available for kids… I have tried to divide this page up into easy and fast to use sections so YOU can easily and quickly find and buy what you need…I know if you have kids and YOU are shopping for kids snowboards and kids snowboarding gear for them , you need to make good use of your time…Oh I almost forgot…!!!!Take my advice and go through this entire page and check out all of the kids snowboards and gear your kids need first.
Take a few notes on kids snowboards price , sizes available, snowboard brands. I highly recommend Burton snowboards for your kids and beside that also get some input from your kids too..
Then go back and buy only what you need…You will find that many of the snowboard shops have the exact same products, but offer free shipping or excellent service as well as competive prices…Good SERVICE is just as important as PRICE…
Go check out my section NOW about SNOWBOARD SIZING to get schooled about sizing snowboards before buying your kids snowboards.
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