I ended up going over on my first day in Austria.
Can't remember all the technical terms, but I was mincing down the slope facing down it, taking my time.

Caught the front edge in a lip and went over. I instinctively stuck my hands out and properly spannered my wrist. It was really painful for the rest of the day & rotating my hand was very painful.

Next morning I bought some wrist guards before heading off to the slopes & found that made my wrists felt a lot less vulnerable than without them. I landed a few more times on my hands (yes, I know I was probably falling wrong) but the wrist guards really helped.
As mentioned above though, they are quite bulky so you'll need a bit of space in your glove.

I can see how the theory of wrist guards shifting the energy to a higher point & causing a break in a different location works, but in my instance if I hadn't bought them I wouldn't have felt like my knackered wrist could have taken anymore amateur snowboarding abuse & probably wouldn't have done anymore for the holiday.

sharkbait –

My gear for a quick drag around on wednesday:

wifey doesn't look to be having quite as much fun as you in that first pic 😆

wifey doesn't look to be having quite as much fun as you in that first pic

you're right……… she got board after about 10 laps of the field 😛 off to the hill tomorrow hopefully.

Having been skiing in the Alps most seasons for nigh on 30 years, I have very rarely needed a fully waterproof jacket. In the UK, where often the snow can be wet and miserable, get full waterproofs.

I ski in a thin long-sleeved base layer, a mid-weight fleece and a thin, very breathable and very windproof top. It is not waterproof but will keep out all but the wettest snow showers. I carry a small mid-weight fleece for if it gets colder but have rarely needed it. I find breathability a more important factor than out-and-out waterproofing. My mid-layer fleece cost less than £10 from Aldi.

A good hat, gloves and – for me anyway – a neck gaiter, are essential.

That said you will end up on your bum a lot, so do get some decent, hard-wearing and waterproof trousers. Salopettes are good because they give you slighter better coverage around the lower back and can't fall down. Ease of movement is key but the baggy question is one of style IMO.

To put this in context, it used to be my job to convince people to buy super-expensive ski and snowboard gear. For the base layers and fleeces the deep-discounting supermarkets are a great bet. The money you save can be spent on a nice looking pair of goggles 😀