Wrist injury is a serious matter. Unlike skiing, where most injuries are in the legs, as much as 19% of snowboard injuries are in the wrists. This isn’t true just for advanced snowboarders sending it down double black diamond runs — when beginners fall, they often try to break their fall with their hands. If this bad habit continues, broken wrists are inevitable.
So what are the best snowboard gloves with wrist guards? I’ve found that the Level Fly Glove is the best bet when it comes to warmth, protection, and durability. Its superb build quality and its extra features put it well ahead of the competition.
But, this isn’t the only pair of gloves on the market. Keep reading to know more about other alternatives, as well as what to look for to pick the right ones for you.
Last update on 2024-04-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Reviews of the Best Snowboard Gloves with Wrist Guards
1. Level Fly Snowboard Gloves with Wrist Guards
The Level Fly Gloves use BioMex wrist guards — one of the industry leaders — to protect wrists from wipeouts.
Their Kevlar palms make these gloves incredibly durable, which means you can take bigger risks and get stuck into carves more. I love my dollars, so this is great for me.
It also comes with a nose wipe on the thumb and a goggle wipe on the side — as well as storm leashes to keep your gloves from flying away. These sorts of convenience features are well worth splashing out for.
The only drawback is that the velcro is liable to wear out quickly. You can always replace this, but it can get annoying.
Pros:
- The BioMex wrists provide excellent protection
- The Kevlar palms
- Helpful extra features like goggle wipes and storm leashes
Cons:
- Its velcro straps will wear down
2. Dakine Wristguard Snowboard Gloves
These gloves use a DK Dry water-protective membrane — the in house waterproofing for Dakine. Its in-built wrist guard — again an in-house feature from Dakine — gives the wearer an excellent level of protection.
It also comes with a wrist strap that helps prevent gloves from flying away on the lifts.
However, there are some concerns about warmth — they’re not suited for the ultra-cold temperatures. On top of this, some snowboarders have complained that they’re challenging to dry out.
Pros:
- They come with Dakine wrist guards, which are a market leader in wrist protection
- They come with wrist straps
- They have DK Dry inserts that protect hands from moisture
Cons:
- It can’t hold up to super-low temperatures
- They may be hard to dry out once they do get wet
3. Burton Support Glove
While the Burton Support Glove isn’t explicitly a wrist guard glove, it provides plenty of support to your wrists. This isn’t going to prevent injury in big wipeouts, but it will reduce the wear and tear your wrists go through over the season.
But admittedly, it doesn’t offer the full protection that other gloves with wrist guards do.
Where does it win out? Well, it’s the only glove on this list that can use smartphone touchscreens. If you’re constantly on your phone to take pictures or trying to call your riding buddy, this is a big deal. When you keep losing gloves after taking them off for a phone call, you’ll appreciate this.
On top of this, they come with decent Thermacore insulation, which will help keep your hands warm in bad weather and keep you riding longer.
Pros:
- They work with touchscreen phones
- Its Thermacore insulation keeps hands toasty
Cons:
- They don’t provide full wrist protection, only support
How to Choose the Best Snowboard Gloves with Wrist Protection – Buyer’s Guide
Significant injuries to your wrists will basically end any season and can even cause life-long damage.
While having a good wipeout technique will help, wrist guards are the most effective way to prevent injury. They restrict the movement of the wrist and absorb impacts, which significantly reduce the chance of sprains and fractures.
While usually wrist guards are sold separately, some manufacturers combine wrist guards with gloves in one convenient package.
Below are some of the most important features you should look for when choosing your pair of gloves.
Protection
Wrist injuries typically happen in snowboarding when you instinctively try to break your fall with your hands. This isn’t a problem while you’re learning and going slow, but as you push your limits, wrist injury is a real danger.
Even if you don’t fracture your wrist, after a few days of abuse, you’ll start to lose a lot of wrist strength and suffer through some wicked soreness.
Wrist guards prevent this by both absorbing impacts and restricting movement. A good pair of gloves with internal wrist guards will feel rigid but not too tight.
Contrary to popular belief, there’s no greater chance of injury if you’re a park rider or any other kind of snowboarder. Even if you’re just riding easy pistes, you shouldn’t assume you need a lower level of protection.
Warmth
You want gloves that will keep you warm — that’s the whole point, right?
It’s a common misconception that super thick gloves will give you a high-level of protection from the cold. High-quality gloves can withstand freezing temperatures without being too bulky. They do this by using high-tech insulation technology like Thermalite to keep gloves nice and toasty even in arctic chills.
But be aware: if you’re after some spring or park gloves for warmer days, there are very few brands that sell them with wrist guards included.
Water-Resistance and Water-Repelling
People underestimate just how soaked you can get when snowboarding. Even in the coldest, driest resorts, snow will melt with your body temperature, and you’ll end up with drenched gloves. This is unpleasant at best and downright dangerous at worst.
While a lot of people talk about “waterproof” gloves, what they mean is “water-repelling” — which means the material is coated with hydrophobic substance. In normal-people words, water-repelling means they are way, way less likely to get wet.
Breathability
On the other hand, you also want gloves that “breath” — which means that they let sweat out. If gloves don’t do this, you’ll end up with totally drenched (and stinky!) hands.
GoreTex is a famously breathable but warm material, and other competitors put out some awesome alternatives.
Durability
When buying a new pair of gloves, with wrist protection or not, you should always think, “how long will these last?”. A good pair of gloves should last a long, long time. Too many people opt for the “cheaper” option and buy gloves that are absolutely shredded after one week.
Sometimes paying that extra bit is, in the long run, more cost-effective than going for the budget option. If you’re regularly doing eurocarves or manhandling your board, it pays off to pay a premium on getting gloves that can take a beating.
While this seems daunting, a lot of high-end gloves come with pretty robust warranties and will send you a new pair if you experience premature wear. If you’re riding a lot, this tends to be a lot cheaper than buying a new $40-pair every few days.
Materials like Kevlar or rubber tend to last a lot longer. Areas particularly vulnerable to wear are the palms, the stitching, and the velcro.
Mittens vs. Gloves
While we’ve talked exclusively about these products as gloves, some of them are actually mittens. The difference between mittens and gloves comes down to dexterity and warmth.
A mitten will have much more insulation but sacrifices your finger independence (and you can’t do shakas!).
Gloves give you much more dexterity, but the greater surface area reduces their warmth. At the end of the day, this comes down to personal preference — there’s no right or wrong choice between mittens and gloves.
Other Features
Little things like storm leashes, nose wipes, and goggle cleaners aren’t necessary, but they are extremely convenient. Once you’ve tried gloves with features like this, you’ll miss them once they’re gone.
My Choice for the Best Snowboarding Gloves with Wrist Guards
With all these factors considered, the Level Fly Gloves are my top pick for the best snowboard gloves with wrist guards. Not only do they have the best insulation, durability, and wrist protection, but they also come with a swath of awesome extras.
Goggle and nose wipes will, once you try them, cut down on the annoyance factor for bad weather massively. Storm leashes will stop gloves from flying away if you need to remove them.
While the Dakine offering does have equally good wrist protection, my concerns about insulation are better dealt with by the Level Fly Glove. And although Burton’s touchscreen compatibility is a cool gimmick, it’s not enough to justify its lack of true wrist protection.
At the end of the day, this is a matter of not just comfort, but safety. Even if you choose not to buy gloves with wrist guards attached, you should always wear some form of wrist protection while snowboarding. Wrist injuries can end your season — and that’s no fun at all!
Top Rated Snowboard Gloves with Wrist Guards
Last update on 2024-04-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
