BY: BART EYKMANS
PROFESSION:
SNOWBOARD & SKI TEACHER
REVIEW
DAYS IN THE SNOW WHILST RIDING WITH XION PROTECTION:
‐ Freeride Jacket D3O: +/- 140 days
‐ Bermuda Freeride D3O: +/- 50 days
TECHNICAL FUNCTIONALITY & SAFETY
During this “working” season I’ve had multiple days where I got the chance to ride in the park or go freeriding or even went through the Giant Slalom gates. When the protection is close to your body and underneath a sweater or jacket, it stays flexible at all temperatures I got exposed to! That’s from ‐18°C with a cold North Wind in full winter until +20°C on the warm and slushy end of season days!
If you keep the protecion outside exposed to the cold, you quickly understand how the protection works. It get’s pretty hard and doesn’t bend anymore. But after wearing it for a couple of minutes, your body temperature is already enough to make it totally flexible again.
This is the amazing thing about D3O! I could move in al directions without any limitations and when I would crash with my back first about 6m down from the lip of the halfpipe … I’d just be able walk away and shake it off.
I could hit my elbow on a rail or crash with my bum on the box and didn’t really feel a big impact.
Even when I got caught in icy avalanche debris on a freeride, did a tomahawk and landed on my side, the protecion absorbed the smack on my hips, back and shoulders.
SIZE & WEARABILITY
Xion uses very strong stretching fabrics, so they give along really nice. Also no marks or damaged skin on my body after extensive wearing, so the fabric doesn’t cause any allergic or other reactions.
Also one the thing I like a lot about the protecion: because of the flexability of the protection & padding, you can take parts in and out easily and wear only the padding you need.
Compared to other full body protection, the Xion Protective Gear almost didn’t show underneath my outer layers.
OVERALL CONCLUSION
“This protection is a keeper!”
I’m really happy to get the chance to test it on an extensive period. Where a lot of material started to show fails halfway through this long season, the Protective Gear of Xion never failed on me.