Functionality of back protectors in snow sports concerning safety requirements

Approximately 13% skiers and 38% snowboarders wore wearing a back protector during the last season in Switzerland. This huge number suggests an ensured functionality of such back protectors. However, there is no specific standard regarding snow sports available. Therefore, the main goal of the study was to get an initial overview about the functionality in terms of potential protective effects of back protectors. The whole project was divided into an athlete survey and an experimental performance test (drop test). The results from the surveys clearly pointed out, that back protectors belong to the most important pieces of protection equipment in snow sports. The related customer expectations emphasize the importance in terms of injury prevention particularly regarding severe spinal column injuries. Concerning the performance test according to the standard for motorcyclists’ back protectors EN 1621-2 most of the samples did pass protection level 1. However, considering the test procedure there appears to be a mismatch between customer expectations, injury occurrence and the actual preventive potential of currently available protectors.