Hard != Protective (Score 1)

The only benefit of a hard material in protective clothing is to prevent piercing injuries. I'd say that the risk of piercing injuries in skiing is remote. For sports where a non-piercing, high-force / high speed impact must be projected against you use clothing containing materials which crumple, absorbing the impact and reducing the force imparted to the wearers body. A company providing this material to a skier and promoting it in this way is generating FUD.