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Spine protection for kids?

Ashleigh Lawrence

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Does anyone use them for their little ones? If so what kind? I'm considering getting one for my 6yo son, definitely for Ski school in France, but now that all the looneys are coming out to play in the freezer, probably for use there too! :yardsale:
 

Gloria

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Skip over the ones that strap on over the shoulders with a waist belt, they are terribly uncomfortable for kids that have limited ability to adjust things themselves. The POC VPD vest is going to cost more but is comfortable and warm and will not make him miserable. Does he need one? It certainly can't hurt they are designed more to protect the spine from hard landing such as falling on rails, rocks etc, because its a hard case memory foam that simply runs the length of the spine it may or may not be helpful in protecting from skier to skier impacts - it would depend on the point of impact. Either way it won't hurt him to wear one though if you have the extra money to spend.
 

hp72

Diva in Training
Both my kids (8, 11) have worn them for the past 2 years. Required as part of their race program. Loved the POC vest style. They are comfortable and are easy to put on over fleece and under their jacket. A large portion of the kids are wearing them - almost a race requirement at this point.
 

patoswiss

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hi all! I am curious about these. I assume you are speaking of the things that look like a mini turtle shell that cover the chest and back? I noticed them last year but pretty much ignored them. The kids are starting season number two and I am wondering about them. Do they really work? Are they necessary for kids now? Adults? Or just racers? Gloria speaks about them above as far as use and what they are made of. And does anyone have any experience in their effectiveness? Does anyone use them for everyday skiing, kids or adults? They seem like overkill to me but hey, I was surprised to see kids and adults wearing ski helmets last year after a 15 year skiing hiatus :smile:
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
I know a few people who use spine protection daily but they are the types who are jumping off of large cliffs. I have owned a lot of spine protection jackets for downhill mountainbiking though - some are definitely more comfortable than others. As far as how well they work, it's hard to say. I don't know of anyone who has suffered a spinal injury while wearing one, but they're not that common anyway. I do think for biking, mine prevented some potentially nasty bruises and such, but that's about it. I (like a lot of people) have switched over to using a Leatt neck brace and quit using the full length spine protector in recent years, but I also am not racing anymore.
 

Gloria

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hi all! I am curious about these. I assume you are speaking of the things that look like a mini turtle shell that cover the chest and back? I noticed them last year but pretty much ignored them. The kids are starting season number two and I am wondering about them. Do they really work? Are they necessary for kids now? Adults? Or just racers? Gloria speaks about them above as far as use and what they are made of. And does anyone have any experience
in their effectiveness? Does anyone use them for everyday skiing, kids or adults? They seem like overkill to me but hey, I was surprised to see kids and adults wearing ski helmets last year after a 15 year skiing hiatus :smile:

I haven't seen the turtle shell types the one we have just covers the spine. As Altagirl says most people who use them are jumping off large cliffs. DD does a lot of jumping which is why she uses o and I would say the safety is limited to protection from landing on your back on rocks and super icy chop predominantely, IMO it would not protect the spine from a rolling type, headfirst jump landing or sliding type of crash. There is a lot of controversy around the safety of using them for racing, USSA and FIS have strict guidelines about what types can be worn because of the risk of neck injury. I think the guidelines are being taken to mean kids must use them and not as intended by the guidelines which allow only certain types to be used. Some types have been known to ride up the spine and cause injury to the neck during a fall and the guidelines are to prevent these types from being used not requiring them to be used. Although some small clubs are requiring them, I am not sure why. They are not required by USSA, FIS, USASA, IFSA, etc to participate in events.
That being said, the original OP had concerns about her child being hit by another skier which I think is a valid concern, I was always nervous about that, and I think in a certain type of hit by another skier that the spine protector may offer some protection but only in a direct hit to the protector.
The other area that I think they would be of the biggest asset to a child is in the park where they are falling onto rails and other hard features all of the time.
 
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Gloria

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I guess to finish answering, the experience to their effectiveness question, I had to ask about one fall. Last year was the first year she wore one and our decision was mainly because snow coverage was very low at alot of the venues she skied . She took one fall in practice that was bad enough to need protection that I can recall( or that I heard about ) I asked her and she said she landed on her head and side not her back. Her helmet did break in several places though, so protection is protection had she landed on her back it probably would have helped but we don't know. She will be practicing a new invert soon and will likely fall on her back so maybe there will be more to say then.
 

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