Since the onset of coaching freestyle snowboarding, I have unfortunately been witness to a few nasty falls, both on rails and jumps. It’s just one of those things that goes hand in hand with an extreme sport.
It amazes me though, that with all the snowboarding protective equipment available to the public, mouthguards seem to be getting left behind. Over the weekend I visited 2 snowboarding shops asking for mouthguards and both replied “sorry we don’t stock them”.
It’s one of the most important pieces of equipment in so many other sports that both professional and amateurs wear, so why not snowboarding? I know for a fact that some freestyle pro-riders do wear mouthguards when competing in freestyle events so why not old Joe public!?
The Product:
Earlier this month I contacted BruxSportUK, interested in their mouth guard / piece to see what I was missing out on. Last week I received my special edition mouthguard in the post – signed for service via TNT, a nice touch I thought!
Everything is stored in a compact black box protecting the contents during transport. The following is included:
– 1 x BruxSport Mouthgaurd – colour orange (available in a choice of 5 colours)
– Simple step-by-step instructions to moulding, in 12 different Languages
– An ‘adapter key’ to prevent scolding your hands when immersing in hot water
– Plastic shock proof case to store your mouthguard in
– A bunch of BruxSport Stickers
The mouthguard is designed to fit both adults and children – immerse in hot water for 18 seconds and then place on the bottom set of teeth. Closing the mouth and lips with an emphasise on not clenching the teeth together too much. (full step-by-step instruction are including in every product box). Within 60 seconds or so the guard is now moulded to your teeth and, if you feel the need, it is easily re-moulded by following the above process.
Any excess pieces of the mouthguard can easily be trimmed back with some nail-scissors.
My Thoughts:
I liked the general style and comfort of the mouthguard which fitted my teeth well. It took me two remoulds to get the right fit plus a bit of trimming back but once that was all done it felt good.
I wore it on two occasions last week. Namely, Thursday evening during two, 1 hour long, martial arts classes and on Friday night at Hemel Hempstead Snow Centre for the freestyle night. On both occasions it initially felt a little odd, but very quickly I got used to it. It didn’t fall out nor restrict my breathing and, although I hadn’t worn one since playing ruby at school many years ago, didn’t make me want to gag. Which has got to be a good thing!
To sum it up: From straight out of the box, I found there was a nice simple step-by-step fitting guide, that it was comfortable to wear and secure once moulded, even if it did take a couple of re-moulds and some trimming.
I am flying out this Sunday to Davos for a month working for Synergysnowsports so will have plenty of time to test it out more. I will come back and add to the review after wearing it for a couple more weeks when hitting kickers and in the park / pipe. A mini field test you could say!
Check out the product here www.bruxsport.co.uk
Here’s a 10% off discount / coupon code when purchasing: keyaspects500
Update: click here to read my review