Wear the Red Men’s Basic Impact Short to drop cliffs and session the park without bruising your ass. The modular armor and removable padding on these breathable mesh shorts isn’t obvious under your snow pants, yet you’ll be so glad it’s there when you bail on a jump or crash in the pipe. An elastic waistband feels comfy as boxers, and loop pulls on the sides help you get these burly shorts on and off easily. **DISCONTINUED**
Bottom Line: Because a broken coccyx is so not cool.
The material used is subpar at best. After only a few uses the material started ripping away from the stitching where the pads are held in place. These things are a mess, and looks like I got attached by a bear while wearing them. They are holes & rips at the seems all over the place. They work great tho, just wish they held together better.
I love these pads and feel naked skiing without them. They have saved me from several "would have been super painful and left a mark" incidents. Feel funny to wear at first, like bike shorts, but get used to them quickly. They also work great for mountain biking!
after sliding out on some ice I was down for a season due to 9 stitches in a tender area. i've been riding comfortably with these bad boys for 3 years now and they've literally saved my ass a number of times. one of the hip plates did start to crack (1-2" along the edge) after a particularly aggressive interaction with a rock, but they're still doing work daily. i've rocked these for MTB downhill racing as well, they're versatile as hell and comfy too. i honestly forget i'm wearing them, until i bail off/into a rail and thank the lawd allmity i'm protected.
tl;dr: WEAR PROTECTION. no reason not to. Getting stitches in the sphincter hurts like a bitch, take my word for it.