Essential Top Layer Snowboarding Gear

The outer layer, or the top layer is going to be that barrier between you and the cold wind and other elements of fun you’ll encounter due to the weather. Most of your body heat will be trapped within the first two layers, so the clothes on the top layer is going to need to be able to maintain a good barrier between you, snow and water, while at the same time allowing moisture vapour to escape. This layer of clothing will need to be able to breathe and essentially, it needs to be water and wind-proof while also being very lightweight.

From head to toe, the first piece of clothing we’ll go into is your hat. You should never, ever expose either your head or your ears to very low temperatures. You need to have either a beanie or a decent hat. If you do go with a hat you want one that has ear flaps to protect your ears. Everyone has heard that you can lose up to ninety percent of your body heat through the top of your head, and so keeping it protected is important. You’ll also want to make sure that if you do wear a snowboard helmet, that the hat or beanie you chose will fit underneath.

You’ll also need to protect your eyes. Everyone who has been out in the snow knows that the glare can be fierce, but also you’re blocking against UV rays, tree branches, ice, wind and snow. You need to find goggles that fit very well and they need to be able to fit over your hat.

The snowboarding jacket is next. You want to be careful here because not all are created equally. Some are made with insulation, some are not. Whichever you choose will depend greatly on you, the type of snowboarding you intend to do and the temperature where you’re doing it. Also be sure that the jacket you choose is a lightweight and breathable material. Burton, Helly Hansen, and Sessions all offer a wide variety of jackets in many different styles, but there are tons of brands out there to choose from.

An aspect of the outer layer not often discussed in clothing terms are the bindings. However, these are also important and should be mentioned. They usually comes in small, medium and large and depending on the snowboard boots you have, your needs may be different. Binding needs to be correctly sized and you should be able to easily adjust straps without having a lot of excess.

Lastly, the gloves. You might want gloves or mittens but either way you go you need to have some that are specially designed for snowboarding. Some believe that you can go with other types of gloves but these really are going to be the best for what you need. Helly Hansen, Rome, and Spyder are all perfect examples of retailers that do offer this specialised type of glove. Gloves need to be durable, have insulated inner liners, and be waterproof.