>>801648I ride race-legal. Helmet, goggles (spring rides I'll wear sunglasses), protective vest w/ shoulder pads, knee braces are req'd for racing.
In addition to that, I typically add elbow pads and armored shorts under my gear as well.
In years past I'd regularly hear "Why do you need all that gear?".
Sometimes it's me that wrecks, find a rock wide-open up the side of a hill that pitches me over the front of the sled and usually bends front-end parts or handlebars...
Sometimes it's them that finds a rock, log, hole in the snow, whatever... end of the day they pull me aside and ask for more info on my vest...
Doesn't happen as much now... i'd say the majority of experienced riders I ride with wear about as much gear as I do. Elbows are about the only thing I wear that's "unique" now, and I don't wear them every day (just when I feel like it, definitely if i'm racing).
The noobs I ride with look up to me for advice/education, so when they see "the professionals" all wearing that sort of gear, they generally follow suit.
>be me, racin the snocross>tight track layout, not a lot of room for error on a couple of features>even less room for error on a long-track>come out of a rhythm section, tight corner, little step-down, immediate right into a hairpin corner on a slope>2nd or 3rd practice lap I undershot the step-down>tail end of my sled hit the top of the landing>compressed the suspension>suspension rebounds as the front of my sled hits the snow>rider.eject();>knocked out for a bit, busted my visor, reset my camera>come to and my sled's off the track, medics asking me my race number and where I am>note to self: more throttle to clear that step-down next time>pic related>fuck that, webm related 
