AmSnow.com is now SnoWest.com
Would you get on a professional motoGP bike without at least a leather jacket on? Would you send your kid out on the football field without his pads on? Nope, not a chance.
So why would you jump on a 500+ lb. machine with 150+ hp and rip around a racetrack? Or, something that happens even more often, would you ride narrow trails, with 2-way traffic and all kinds of obstacles and fast moving sleds without putting on protective gear?
We’ve talked with racers and non-racers about protective vests and overwhelmingly their reaction has been that EVERYONE should wear protective vests if they are going out on the trails or doing ANY racing.
Obviously wearing a protective vest for racing is a no-brainer and is required by nearly every racing organization, but unfortunately, the majority of trail riders, and to a large extent many riders in the mountains, have not gotten the message.
Why does this one important piece of safety equipment that every racer wears and swears by not translate to recreational riders?
For many years protective vests were thought to be bulky and unmanageable. That is simply not the case anymore. In addition, for many years there was only one company making vests for snowmobilers, TekVest. That changed last year when EVS started making protective vests for snowmobilers in both its SV1R Race and SV1 Trail models.
Both EVS and TeKVest offer race-oriented and trail-oriented gear. But to give you an idea on fit, I weigh 180 pounds and can fit my full racer-style protective vests under any medium jacket and still be comfortable. There is no need with most jackets to get a larger size as the vests are all fairly contoured and snug.
The entire AmSnow crew wears protective vests EVERY time we ride. Western Editor Stephen Clark says it’s just as important to wear a vest in the mountains as chances of a get-off there is high.
A protective vest will save you from blunt force impacts, being skewered by branches or limbs, from sharp studs, from breaking ribs on your handlebar riser, and many more little accidents that might happen more often than that one big bad crash.
I have been saved from serious injury (or worse) several times by wearing a vest.
Cost and New Additions
Traditionally TekVests cost well over $300, but the EVS vests are slightly more cost effective at just over $200 after tax. I own vests made by both companies and have worn them extensively. But this is not a comparison article. We just hope more riders begin wearing protective vests.
Both EVS and TekVest have incorporated neck brace technology into their vests. The SV1R from EVS will work perfectly with the R4 Race collar from EVS and others while the new ProLite Max from TekVest will work with several race collars. In addition, the SV1R vest from EVS comes with adjustable tail roost tabs and RECCO avalanche detection system.
More info: www.evs-sports.com or www.tekrider.com.