Top Tips for Choosing your Snowboarding Pants

By Toby Russell

When purchasing snowboarding pants, if you are new to snowboarding, you might at first be tempted to purchase tighter pants. Ideally; however, pants that are looser fitting can provider more advantages.

Snowboarding pants have taken a drastic change from snowsuits of many years ago. Some of the major changes include how they are constructed. Many snowboarding pants today are made from a system of three layers. Be aware that some pants may have only two layers but these pants are for use either in only extremely mild climates or to be worn over underpants.

The 3 Layer System

With a three-layer system the first layer makes up the base layer. This is the layer that comes in direct contact with the skin. Be aware that you will most likely heat up fairly quickly while snowboarding as well as have a tendency to cool down during the lift rides. Therefore, the base layer is extremely important. The base layer helps to ensure that you won’t get cold either while you’re making your way down the hill or up on the lift. Most people tend to get too cold because their perspiration gets trapped in the based layer against the skin and then begins to freeze. A good quality base layer will wick this moisture away, thus preventing this problem.

Layer 2

The second layer is known as the insulation layer. The purpose of this layer is to help retain body heat. It does this by trapping a layer of air around your body and that decreases the heat exchange between the climate outside and your body. The most popular types of snowboarding pants are constructed of pile, bunting and fleece. By and large, fleece is the most common type of material used in snowboarding pants because it is a dense type of fabric. The difference between fleece and pile is that pile is only a single sided fleece. Bunting is also fleece but it has been raked on both sides.

Layer 3

The last layer of a three-layer system is the outer shell. This is the only portion of the pants that will have actual contact with the exterior climate so it’s important for this layer to be wind proof as well as waterproof against snow and rain. It should also allow moisture to escape while protecting you from chaffing as well as cuts and scrapes. Gore-Tex is one of the most popular types of fabrics for this layer.

When you begin shopping around for snowboarding pants be sure to keep all of this information in mind. Other features you may want to consider are reflective strips, particularly if you like to ride at night. You might also wish to look for other features such as zippered pockets and interior pockets that can hold snacks and gadgets.

By keeping your style, needs and the location in which you will be riding in mind you can be sure to find the right snowboarding pants to suit your unique needs.

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