Wristguards seems a relatively simple thing to stir up so much debate but they are often hotly contested among snowboarders. While some defend wristguards as protecting from wrist injuries, others feel that they just cause worse damage in other places.

You can read some orthopedic surgeons' opinions in New Zealand's Dominion Post.

One surgeon (and snowboarder) said that 80% of the time snowboarders fall in a way that wristguards offer wrist protection, but the other 20% is when they can cause bones in your arm to break.  This article doesn't make any edicts on wearing wristguards, but it's telling to know whether the surgeons wear wristguards themselves when boarding.