Quote Originally Posted by Jax
Guys, let me lay down a little bit of my widsom. High speed runs are my favorite times to fall down for a few reasons: First, you slide like no other when you sit down going 40mph. Second, bruises aren't as bad as low speeds, I've found. When I am going really fast, I want my pads to be able to take the sliding that I am going to be doing on them. I like thick plastic. Leathers are good too. When you're going fast, you typically don't crash into something when you fall, as opposed to when you are in a skatepark and you crash into a hip or a grom or something. When you are hauling, you just slide down a flat road and come to a stop 30 feet later. High speed pads aren't meant to protect you from bruises, they're mean to protect you from abrasions because that's where the real danger is. No matter how fast you are going, gravity will make you fall the same speed, but if you are going really fast, the energy from the fall is spread out over a larger area. Get good road rash protection, who gives a rats' about bruises.
what you said about gravity and falling is true if you don't get propelled forward. i.e. your board suddenly stops and you go flying forward. you'll fly farther if you were going faster and that'll definitely leave its mark.