Ski and snowboard gear is often thought of as the same thing, and the two types of clothing do share a lot of similarities. For instance, you can reasonably expect your ski or snowboard gear to be warm and water wicking, however, because ski and snowboard wear serve different purposes, there are some key differences. If you’re unclear about the main variants between the two types of clothing, this article will take you through them.
Snowboard Gear Has More Room
With skiing, the more basic moves like the snow plough and walking don’t need the skier to include a huge variety of hand movements. And due to the more limited range of motion required, ski wear tends to come in a tighter fit. But snowboarding is an altogether different activity.
Snowboarding calls for a much wider range of movements, so naturally, it’s designed to be less restrictive and comes with a looser fit, and there's obvious benefits to this. For example, as well as giving the snowboarder more room to move, the looser fit means that snowboarders have a wider choice of what they can wear underneath. Typically, snowboarders are prone to wear layers to create additional warmth as snowboard gear doesn't always include insulation.
Snowboard Gear Is Longer
Snowboard gear also tends to be a longer than ski wear. This is because it needs to provide added comfort when sitting in the snow or close to ground. The added length will also provide some extra padding, which is essential to beginners, as they’re prone to plenty of falls to start with.
Snowboard And Ski Wear Have Different Styles
If you ever thought that snowboard wear seems far more stylish than ski wear then you’re right: skiing gear is usually bright and colorful. Bold designs like animal print, vibrant reds, purples and luminous greens are just some of the colours you can expect to see from the biggest skiwear brands. However, snowboard gear has a completely different look altogether.
Snowboard gear is generally considered ‘cooler’ and it usually comes in more muted colours such as blacks, dark blues and greys. In addition, snowboard gear is regularly compared to streetwear in its overall style. If it’s got the right look, snowboard gear will sometimes double as streetwear, and you’ll often see these types of fashions being sold alongside one another in online stores.
Snowboard And Ski Gear Has Different Reinforcements
Each type of gear will differ in the type of stresses it’s put under when the wearer is out on the slopes. With skiing, it’s usually the ankle and lower leg area, so the clothing will sometimes come with additional reinforcements in the lower leg area. With snowboarding, there’s stress on the knee area and borders are sat closer to the ground, so these areas are often reinforced.
Conclusion:
Although snowboard and skiing gear are often thought of as the same thing, as you can see there are some obvious differences between the two. Both types of wear have been designed to serve a different range of purposes and to counter some of the common problems that are a natural part of each of the sports. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that some types of ski wear or snowboard gear can’t be used interchangeably, and regular participants in both activities sometimes do this provided it gives them adequate warmth and protection.
Woop! Wear specializes in the sale of alpaca activewear clothing for outdoors lovers. To find out more about our range, to order an item, or to ask us a question, visit the Woop! Wear website today.
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