What Kind of Clothes Do Guys Wear When Going Snowboarding?

As with any sport, having the appropriate and most effective equipment when snowboarding will aid you toward maximizing your potential and increasing safety as well. Guys who snowboard will want to make sure to have bodily protection, but also to avoid overexposure to cold. Men’s snowboarding style often balances the “hang loose” style with wider trends and other styles promoted by superstar Shaun White’s commercial endeavors.

  1. Cold

    • Frostbite and hypothermia are a risk for anyone who snowboards in extremely cold temperatures. Men who snowboard should wear multiple layers of clothing all over the body in order to provide layers of protection. Snowboarders should wear thermal underwear or long underwear as a base leg layer. They should avoid denim and heavily lined ski pants. Socks and sock liners will provide lower body warmth. On the upper body, men should wear various layers, from thermal turtlenecks to hoodies to puffy jackets. Specially designed snowboarding clothes allow maximum warmth without sacrificing flexibility or impairing movement. Additionally, snowboarders should wear scarves or other neck protection, head covering that warms the entire head including the ears, and gloves for their hands.

    Bodily Protection

    • Perhaps the safest protection a snowboarder can have is fully functioning equipment. Ensure that your clips and board are in fine shape, and that they fit correctly. Using shoes or boards that are not the right size can be dangerous for even an experienced rider. Also wear helmets specifically designed for snowboarding. Bicycle helmets, for example, are not sufficient. Likewise, the helmet should fit and be in fine shape as well. Snowboarders should also wear wrist guards and kneepads to protect from injuries from falling. Braces for joints like the ankles and knees will help provide extra support in those areas, too.

      Snowboarders who focus particularly in certain styles of snowboarding will want to tailor their equipment to their style. Competitive half pipe snowboarders, for example, will want more formidable helmets and bodily protection than recreational downhill snowboarders who do not plan on doing any jumps or tricks. To find the best equipment it is important to be flexible and try out different brands in order to determine the ideal fit for your style.

    Snowboarding Fashion

    • Snowboarding fashion exists at the intersection of the functionality of the clothes they must wear for safety and protection as well as the lifestyle and personal expression they want to convey. Many snowboarders, for example, exemplify the “hang loose” style of clothes. That style elevates comfort over socially expected fashion norms and often consists of baggy and comfortable clothes. That said, snowboarders are not immune to popular fashion trends. For example, many snowboarders wore skinnier pants at the 2010 Winter Olympics, reflecting the wider trend in menswear towards skinnier bottoms.

    Shaun White

    • Because of his success in both domestic and international snowboarding competitions, as well as his broad commercial appeal, Shaun White is responsible for many of the trends in what guys wear when snowboarding. His personal clothing line is sold through Target stores, and includes skinny denim jeans, vests and jackets inspired by motorcycle fashion. In a July 2011 interview with "Complex" magazine, White was asked about his large faced watch. White said that it’s too big to wear while skating (White's other sporting passion), an indication that despite his focus on selling fashion, he still cares about the functionality of the clothes he -- and the guys he markets his clothes to -- ought to wear while snowboarding.