How to choose: ski protection
Protective equipment plays an essential role in reducing the risk of injury in skiing. While helmets have long been standard, the rest of your body is also exposed to potential impacts from falls, collisions, or obstacles on the mountain. VPD certified back protection helps to absorb impact energy and minimise your risk of injury, allowing you to perform with confidence across all types of terrain and conditions.
Article by Keren McGill
What is vpd?
At the core of our protection is VPD by POC – Visco-Elastic Polymer Dough, a unique material that adapts to your body shape for a comfortable fit but hardens instantly on impact to absorb energy and reduce injury risk. Every VPD back protector is tested for both single and multiple impacts, and conditioned at -20°C to ensure consistent performance, even in cold winter conditions.
What is vpd?
At the core of our protection is VPD by POC – Visco-Elastic Polymer Dough, a unique material that adapts to your body shape for a comfortable fit but hardens instantly on impact to absorb energy and reduce injury risk. Every VPD back protector is tested for both single and multiple impacts, and conditioned at -20°C to ensure consistent performance, even in cold winter conditions.
How to choose protection
The level of protection you need depends on how and where you ski. Factors such as terrain, skiing style, and the intensity of your activity all influence the type of protection that’s most suitable. The EN1621-2 certification standard defines two levels of protection based on impact absorption, with each designed to meet different performance needs.
The standards
We test our back protection to the European EN1621 standard – originally developed for motorcycle body armour given the similar types of impacts and forces users may experience. However, a key difference is the range of body movement skiers need while on the slopes, which is why we engineer protection that allows freedom of movement. Protectors are graded to Level 1 or Level 2 standard, where Level 2 offers the highest impact protection.
LEVEL 1 PROTECTION
Well-suited to on-piste skiing and light backcountry terrain, Level 1 protection offers dependable impact absorption with a focus on comfort, flexibility, and low weight, providing effective protection without restricting movement.
LEVEL 2 PROTECTION
Engineered for more demanding conditions, Level 2 protection provides greater impact absorption and coverage. It is ideal for freeride, backcountry, park and race skiing, where higher speeds, big air, unpredictable terrain, and increased exposure require the highest level of certified protection.
The bottom line
Choosing the right protection is about matching your equipment to your style of skiing. Whether you’re spending the day on the piste, chasing powder, or racing through gates, our range of VPD back protectors offers solutions for every skier. Guided by POC’s mission to develop innovative protective equipment that advances safety and performance, each product is carefully engineered, tested, and certified to deliver reliable protection when it matters most.