Why Wear Snowboard Gloves with Wrist Guards at All?

It's no surprise - you fall frequently when snowboarding. And sometimes your falls can be spectacular. With both feet inside boots and both boots attached to the board, you normally fall straight forward or backward. By instinct, you'll reach out with your hands to break your fall. Unfortunately, this puts your wrists at great risk of injury.

From our blog article Top 3 Reasons to Wear Snowboarding Gloves with Wrist Guards?

1. Wrist injuries are the most frequent snowboard injury
2. Many wrist injuries can be prevented by wearing wrist protection
3. Wearing wrist protection does not have to be a hassle or uncomfortable

A significant benefit of wearing gloves with wrist protection already built in, is these gloves are designed as an integrated system. The glove, liner, guard, and strap all work together. This typically makes snowboard protective gloves more effective than independent wrist guards worn underneath regular snowboard gloves. In addition, our experience is that the fit, feel, and comfort of snowboarding wrist guard gloves is superior. And finally, you won't have to worry about keeping track of separate pieces and parts. If you have the gloves on and wear them properly, you'll be protected.

If you're at higher risk of a snowboard wrist injury, you want to outfit yourself with easy to use and effective wrist protection. Snowboarding gloves with wrist guards inside are specifically designed to help protect your wrists from this type of injury. And, they're easy to use and effective. 

How to Choose the Right Snowboard Gloves with Wrist Guards

When you're checking out different snowboard wrist guard gloves, there are some key factors to consider. To choose the best gloves for your situation, use the following criteria to evaluate different models:

• Wrist Guard Design. It all starts here. The protective element of the gloves has to be well designed and proven effective. There are different snowboard wrist guard designs, with LEVEL's BioMex being our recommended choice due to proven effectiveness.
• Fit and Comfort. For snowboard gloves with wrist guards to be effective, you have to wear them and they have to be worn properly. So it's important to choose gloves that are the right size for your hand, and are so comfortable that you will wear them all day and all season.
• Dry Technology. To keep your hands warm, they have to stay dry. Wet hands = cold hands. The gold standard is GoreTex, which will be a feature to look for on higher quality gloves. There are other dry technologies, but be sure to know if the gloves are either "water resistant" or "water proof." On cold wet days, you are going to want water proof technology in your gloves.
• Warmth Technology. Together with keeping your hands dry, the quality of the insulation and membrane will determine how much warmth is retained inside the gloves. Look for specific thermal ratings, or known brands like Gore +, to ensure the gloves will keep your hands warm on colder days.
• Removable Liner. Being able to remove the inside liner a incredibly important for three reasons. First - you can dry out the gloves and liner much faster. Second, it's super easy to clean the liners when they need it. And finally, a removable liner helps you more readily take the glove off and put them back on, without turning everything inside out.
• Vents. Breathable vents aren't very common, but they're an important design element. By venting moisture and sweat out of your gloves, vents help to keep your hands dry. Dry = warm.
• Shell Material. A key to durability. You should not have to replace snowboard gloves every season. And yet, they take a lot of abuse with board grabs, carrying your board, working bindings, etc. The shell material has to be good quality to ensure the gloves last multiple seasons.
• Liner Material. Critical to comfort and warmth. You want the inside liners of your gloves to be warm and soft to the touch. Moisture wicking and durable are also important.
• Durability Details. This includes things like kevlar palms or finger tips. Double stitched seams. Quality workmanship. Thoughtful details that extend the life of the gloves across multiple seasons. Cheap snowboard gloves with wrist guards aren't cheap if you have to buy new ones every season!
• Other thoughtful details, such as:
• Nose Wipe. A nice soft piece of material on the thumb, that allows you to wipe your nose on the mountain while wearing the gloves. 
• Goggle Cleaner. A small strip usually on the index finger, that is a mini "wiper blade" for your goggles.
• Storm Leash. A long leash that you can wrap around your wrist or clip to your jacket, that keeps your gloves on a leash when you're not wearing them.
• Fashion / design / color. I put this very last. Why? Because most snowboard gloves with wrist guards are black. Why? Because they'll go with any color jacket or pants, and if they're good quality gloves, they will last multiple seasons and you'll want to use them with different jacket styles or colors.

What About Gloves vs Mittens?

Many Snowboard Gloves with wrist guards come in a mitten version with the same wrist protection inside. Choosing gloves or mittens comes down to your personal preference. Here's some things to consider:

• Mittens have the reputation for keeping your fingers warmer. There isn't space in between each individual finger for cold air to circulate, which reduces heat loss.
• Gloves give you some manual dexterity - making it easier to manipulate bindings, zippers, clips, and buckles
• At the end of the day, the quality of materials and construction of the gloves or mittens is the most important factor in its ability to keep your hands warm

Read more detailed information about snowboard gloves with wrist guards

Here are links to pages and blog articles that can help you learn about - and choose - the best snowboard wrist guard gloves for you:

• Who is Most at Risk for a Snowboard Wrist Injury?
• Top 3 Reasons to Wear Snowboard Wrist Guards
• Different Snowboard Wrist Guard Designs and How to Choose The Best for You
• Best Snowboard Gloves with Wrist Guards - Top Models Compared
• How to Properly Wear LEVEL Snowboard Gloves
• All About LEVEL's BioMex Wrist Protection System

Ready to Order Your Snowboard Gloves with Wrist Guards?

Shop our collection of LEVEL Snowboard Gloves with Wrist Guards. LEVEL's line up of gloves and mittens offer many - and some offer all - the important features listed above. Scroll down to the product details on the product pages for a list of specific features for that glove model.