Best Knee Pads for Snowboarding

If you want the best knee pads for snowboarding, ask the woman with the bum knee, the woman who’s tried them all, the woman who can’t ride without them! (Me.)

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“She’s so hot,” I thought as I watched Kiki ride up to the quarter-pipe and land another backflip on her rollerblades. “How can I impress her?” My skate tricks were limited to street skating, and unfortunately, the park was all ramps.

But I had balls, and jumping off of shit was my forte. I could drop off of 5-foot ledges and big stair gaps. At 17 years old, my balls were bigger than my brains.

I climbed the ladder to the half-pipe and stood at the stop, trying to stop trembling. It was taller than anything I’d ever jumped off of.

I glanced at Kiki to make sure she was watching. Then I leaped, holding the board from the side. My friends and I called this trick a “suicide,” but I am still unsure of the correct term.

The plan was for my feet to land on the board, but my right knee took most of the impact instead. Everything went white and strength drained from my body.

Kiki was not impressed.

To my surprise, an X-ray revealed that nothing was broken, but my knee never fully healed. Doctors called my condition “Osgood-Schlatter’s Disease” in which my tibial tubercle, (the bony area just below the knee), is constantly inflamed.

I used to think that all injuries healed, but the 20-year-old wound proved otherwise. Since that day, my knee has been hyper-sensitive to pain upon the slightest touch, forcing me to wear pads when I skateboard, roller skate, ice skate, or snowboard.

The Problem With Most Knee Pads

I’ve tried many knee pads over the years, as I cannot ride without them. They all get the job done, but the problem with knee pads is that they are always sliding out of place and cutting off my circulation.

Ironically, the device meant to prevent pain is a huge pain in the ass!

How I Found the Best Knee Pads for Snowboarding

“Oh shit,” I said about halfway up the mountain on the chair lift.

“What?” my husband asked.

“I forgot my knee pads!” I said.

Hey, who doesn’t forget to pack something while on vacation? I snowboarded the whole day without protection, and luckily nothing happened to my weakened knee. None of the ski shops at Purgatory sold knee pads, so, that evening we had to trek into Durango, Colorado to Big 5 Sporting Goods.

The store offered a few options, but when my eyes locked onto these little K2s, I was intrigued. I decided to try them on.

Why K2s Are the Best Knee Pads for Snowboarding

When I try on knee pads, the first thing I do is move around to see if they will shift position. The K2s stayed in place, even though I only strapped the Velcro and didn’t wear them through the sleeve.

The next thing I do is hit the pad to make sure I can’t feel pain while wearing them. I couldn’t.

Finally, I test them in the wild. These little K2 knee pads outperformed any knee pad I’ve ever tried. Here’s why:

They stayed in position all day while snowboarding. I didn’t have to re-adjust them once! Again, I only strapped the Velcro and didn’t even wear them through the sleeve.
The hard shell protected my knee from the worst falls on the crunchiest snow.
The pads fit under my snowsuit easily. They are so slim!
The pads didn’t cut off circulation. I forgot I was wearing them!

I love my K2 knee pads so much, I plan to use them while ice skating, roller skating, and skateboarding too!