The 5 Best Headphones for Snowboarding – [Reviews & Rankings]

Snowboarding headphones, also known as a snowboarding headset, or snowboarding earphones, are headphones that have a set of features that make them ideal for use while snowboarding.

The best headphones for snowboarding will be loud and limit background noise. They will also be waterproof and have a range of connection options (Source).

Snowboarding can be extremely fun, especially when accompanied by music. Going down the slopes listening to your favorite songs can be relaxing and can keep your attention where it needs to be. A good pair of snowboarding headphones can increase your concentration, provide motivation, and boost your performance. (Source).

It’s important for a snowboarding headset to be comfortable over extended periods of time, and secure enough to withstand the forces being exerted while snowboarding. They also need to have good volume, because the sound a snowboard makes sliding across compacted snow can actually be quite loud.

With so many options on the market, finding the right pair of headphones to take with you on your journey down the mountain can be somewhat confusing. Before buying your new headphones for snowboarding, consider the connectivity options, comfort, and durability. You should also consider the cost, warranty, and whether or not they feature noise-canceling technology.

In this review, we will examine the top-rated headphones for snowboarding. All of the headphones in this review will be durable and sound great, whether you’re an avid snowboarder or someone going on your first snowboarding trip.

Why Wear Headphones While Snowboarding?

Snowboarding is a sport that challenges your physical and mental abilities drastically. It would help if you concentrated while maintaining your balance and reading high velocities.

With a good pair of earphones or headphones, you are giving yourself certain advantages. Here they are:

• Concentration – Listening to music while snowboarding can help you increase your focus. Therefore a good pair of earphones can be helpful.
• Motivation – While snowboarding, and playing music on the headphones, you may overcome challenging spots down the snowy slopes.
• Performance – Listening to songs while skiing, etc., gives you a boost in your performance as you are able to overcome your challenges. Thus, listening to music with a tactical pair of headphones can improve your snowboarding experience. It will also give you the fun of listening to your favorite songs while enjoying the sport.

Just make sure to choose a pair that is comfortable and lightweight to wear. You do not want it to distract you with occasional slipping, etc.

How to Choose a Good Pair of Headphones for Snowboarding?

To choose a good pair of headphones, make sure that you are looking for the following features:

• Design – Ensure that the design is practical, durable, non-slippery, sturdy, and lightweight.
• Controllable – Buy headphones for snowboarding that you can control without the need to push buttons on your MP3 player or phone.
• Weatherproof – Snowboarding is done in a harsh climate, so you need a pair that can withstand the harsh environment.
• Connectivity Range – Choose a device that will give you a good range of connectivity while using them.
• Battery Life – Earphones need to have a good battery life, so make sure to target that feature while buying a pair.

Here are our picks for the top headphones for snowboarding.

Comparing The Best Headphones for Snowboarding

1. Outdoor Tech Wired Chips – Best Overall

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Rather than have a separate headset, why not just fit a sound system inside your existing helmet? This product features an in-line microphone as well.

If your helmet includes an audio liner, simply drop the Outdoor Tech Wired Chips into the liner and that’s it. They connect to your musical device through a rugged audio cable that should survive even the most difficult of conditions.

Moreover, these headphones are sweat and water-resistant, even if you’re snowboarding in very cold temperatures. Hence, the Outdoor Tech Wired Chips are the best headphones for snowboarding in temperatures as low as -20C/-4F.

Complete with a carry pouch and stickers, these headphones are safe, secure, easy to install, easy to use, and include features to make your life easier and your snowboarding more fun.

These headphones are not suitable for gaming. In that case, we highly recommend you to buy quality gaming headsets for the best gaming experience.

2. Soundbot SB210 HD Stereo Beanie – Best Hat Headphones

If you’ve been on the slopes awhile, you’ll have noticed a proliferation of beanies. Fashionable and functional, beanies keep your head warm without sacrificing too much style.

While you could wear a regular beanie with a set of headphones, this is a set of headphones built-in to a beanie. The material is soft and comfortable, featuring a premium double soft knit to provide maximum comfort. Because of the stretchable nature of the beanie, it will fit well and won’t slip off your head – and one size fits all.

The beanie itself is fully washable as the headset is removable with the use of a zipper and Velcro. Thus, it can be removed or reinstalled in seconds.

As far as the sound goes, the speaker drivers are created to reproduce sound well, with balanced deep bass and clear treble. The headphones connect to your device via Bluetooth and will connect to most modern phones, tablets, and other devices.

Meanwhile, a small control panel sits on the outside of the beanie, which allows volume and play/pause control. Likewise, it has a built-in microphone for hands-free calls.

More Reasons to Like this Beanie

These headphones are powered by a rechargeable battery charged via a MicroUSB cable. When fully charged, it will give seven hours of hands-free calling and five hours of wireless music.

Overall, this product can be considered as one of the best in-helmet headphones, as it requires you to use it with the beanie. Plus, the beanie is functional and easily fits with helmets.

3. Senso Sports Earphones – Best Waterproof Headphones

The Senseo Sports earphones have two notable safety features: A large block in front of the earpieces prevent the them from being pushed too far into your ears while over-ear hooks keep them safely in place.

Though wireless, a wire connects the two earpieces behind your neck to ensure you won’t easily lose them. Its wireless connectivity is powered by Bluetooth 4.1 CSR technology, which allows connection to two devices at once.

Additionally, they feature true HD high fidelity sound reproduction with state of the art acoustic components. Its bass is deep and its treble is crystal clear. It also boasts of noise suppression and noise cancelation technology.

Lastly, these headphones are waterproof and can be used for up to eight hours of music on a 1.5-hour charge. Hence, this is one of the best Bluetooth headphones in the market.

4. Skullcandy Lowrider Earcups – Best Over-ear Headphones

Over-ear headphones or earcups often produce some of the best quality sound due to the size of the speaker driver that can be included. These Skullcandy Lowrider Headphones include high-quality 40mm drivers, which give exceptional sound quality.

Additionally, it features a microphone and inline controls compatible with iPhones and most other smartphones, letting you answer calls and control the music with a play/pause button.

Moreover, it is comfortable to wear with super-soft ear cushions. It boasts a connecting band between the headphones, too, which make it possible to wear these great snowboarding headphones under certain helmets.

Lastly, for transport and storage, this product can be folded.

5. BONX Sports Earbud – Best Communication Headphones

The BONX Sports Earbuds are unlike the other headphones in our round up. They are individual earbuds, one for each ear, with no connector in-between. This might make them easier to lose than other headphones on the list, but they have a few tricks that might make them worth a look.

Waterproof and shock-resistant, they will serve you well while snowboarding. Including ear safety features to keep the earbuds in place and featuring noise cancellation but allowing ambient noise, these headphones will keep you physically safe too.

These earbuds connect to your phone via Bluetooth. The BONX system is voice-activated, so you don’t have to touch your phone at all. However, it also supports push-to-talk mode if you prefer.

Consequently, this product features a Group-Talk option. You can create a private group with the BONX app on your smartphone and talk to up to 10 friends at once. As long as your phone has service, you’ll be able to communicate with your group.

Is It Safe to Listen To Headphones While Snowboarding?

Some might feel uncomfortable wearing headphones while snowboarding, but it happens because they are not choosing a relevant pair for such sports activities. To make sure that you are having a good time, you can use headphones that are designed specifically for this purpose.

Headphones for snowboarding need to be tactical so that they do not distract you while you are listening to your favorite audios. It is also essential to choose a safe pair that will not distract you while you are wearing them.

Moreover, headphones can have a significant impact on the way you ski or snowboard. They enhance your experience while performing an adventurous activity. They also need to be built in a way that they do not cover your face thoroughly.

While noise-canceling headphones are great to listen to clear and music, they are not recommended when you are snowboarding.

You might need to keep listening to the surroundings as well. You may never know when you might need to be attentive for an impending avalanche.

How to Use Headphones While Snowboarding Safely

Every sport has challenges. Additionally, adding a headphone over your head can be distracting. However, that happens only when you choose the wrong pair of headphones.

Therefore, you need to take care of certain things while using headphones while snowboarding safely.

• Comfort – Headphones for skiing or snowboarding needs to be comfortable on your ears. Make sure you use a pair that embraces your ears without sliding down all the time.
• Environment-friendly – Do not use a noise-cancellation one, as you want to know what is happening around you. Choose something that also lets you listen to others near you.
• Comfortable Volume – Make sure that the headphones are not too loud while playing music.

Furthermore, you can try a pair that does not go over the ears, as you need something that is lightweight. After all, you want to keep moving your head around while snowboarding without straining yourself.

What You Need To Know Before Buying Headphones for Snowboarding

Choosing anything for snowboarding can be a matter of style over substance, as brand names and appearance often matter more than the quality of the item.

With regards to headphones, this shouldn’t be the case and the choice made should reflect your own individual requirements.

Types of Headphones

As you may be aware, there are many different types of headphones on the market today, in many different shapes and sizes.

For the purpose of snowboarding, it is generally best to avoid in-ear headphones (also known as earphones or earbuds) as there is a potential health risk associated with them. While they may be the best for dampening external noise, their in-ear fitting could cause problems in the event of an accident. In-Ear headphones are good to use on the bus, subway, while jogging or at home, not for snowboarding.

It could be quite easy for the earphones to be pushed further down the ear canal than is safe, potentially damaging the canal and the eardrum. This would be very painful and could cause a loss of hearing and permanently affect your ability to balance properly – something that is vital when riding on a snowboard.

Therefore, this risk can be lowered by using the best earbuds with external fixings to prevent ingress into the ear.

However, over-ear headphones are the safest option. They could be the traditional-style with a connecting band over or around the head, or less traditional where they are embedded inside a hat.

Wired or Wireless?

Wireless headphones generally work on Bluetooth, and so your music source must support this – most phones do. You can easily connect bluetooth headphones to a PC to enjoy the music or podcast while doing your household. Wireless may be safer as there are no wires to become tangled in, but the sound quality may not be as good as wired. Thick clothing can also impede Bluetooth signals, which may cause the sound to cut out.

Additionally, wireless headphones require a battery to work, whereas most wired headphones do not require a battery.

Helmet Audio

Some headphones are supplied as just the speaker component with an attached wire. These mini speakers are designed to be installed inside a safety helmet, allowing you to continue to wear your safety equipment while listening to music.

Larger headphones may prevent you from wearing a helmet, depending on the style of your helmet. If this is the case, in-helmet headphones are the safest way to go.

Phone Headsets

One feature that some of the headphones include is a built-in microphone. This allows you to take calls whilst wearing the headphones. Usually, a microphone is not an essential feature. However, it is a convenience you might appreciate.

Sound Isolation

While you’ll enjoy better sound quality with a set of isolating headphones, excluding too much of the sound of the world around you could be a problem.

Sometimes it is sound that alerts you to danger – even someone shouting to you – and if you are unable to hear this warning, you may be putting yourself at risk.

While sound isolation can be great, if you are going to be snowboarding around a lot of other people, it is much better to be able to hear what is going on around you. Music should never be more important than your safety and the safety of other people.

FAQs About Headphones for Snowboarding

Q: Do the Headphones Need To Be Waterproof?

Generally, no. Whilst being waterproof would be an added bonus, even falling into soft snow would not be the same as dipping the headphones in water. A light sprinkling should be fine. If anything, the headphones should be weatherproof rather than waterproof.

Q: How do you listen to music while snowboarding?

Simple: Buy a good snowboarding headphone or earphone. After that, it would be a matter of attaching the device. Some helmets have a built-in to accommodate headphones, while some do not. Be sure to check if your helmet and earphones match each other.

Ready To Buy The Best Headphones for Snowboarding?

For the total convenience of being able to wear a standard helmet and just add audio to it, the Outdoor Tech Wired Audio Chips are the best headphones for snowboarding as they produce excellent sound while keeping your head perfectly safe.

Meanwhile, the Soundbot Beanie headphones make a good choice if you are looking for something more stylish. Finally, the BONX earbuds will let you communicate with your group even if you can’t see them, whilst also allowing you to track down your missing friends.

If you’re looking for a great sounding pair of IEMs, we have made a guide that will help you during the search. These headphones will serve you whether you use them on the bus, subway, while jogging or at home.

Don’t forget to use the right protection when snowboarding or when using a snowmobile. And, in the event you need an amp for your headphones, check out the guide we linked up.

Have you ever used headphones while taking part in an extreme sport? Comment below!