Mountainboard Season

Depending on where you are in the world you may be coming in to the summer season. So its time to dust off your board (maybe even invest in a new one) tighten the bolts, pump up the tires and get out there.

Remember where all the safety gear, slop on some sunscreen and be free. The earth is a mountain board park: RIDE IT Ride Life

Simo

The Art of Pumping

A few Blog’s ago I mentioned that pumping is a good way to gain some extra speed. Because this is the only way you can gain extra speed once moving I thought I might give some extra tips.

The object of pumping is to put minimal weight on your board when travelling up and put extra weight into the board while travelling down.

Heres some physics behind why it works.

Les say your coming up to a rollie. To put minimal weight on the board while traveling up bunny hop at the base of the rollie, don’t bunny hop off the ground but just enough to glide you up the rollie. As well as this, as you climb the rollie, absorb it by tucking your body so when you get to the top of the rollie you are squatting.

Now as you start going down this is where you pump, push the board into the ground and straighten your body back out. Really try to work the board into the ground and use you back foot to give one last kick as you leave the rollie.

To make the most of pumping you need to really emphasize the absorbing and pushing your board into the ground, use your arms to help get that extra bit of power from your pump.

Remember to use this technique any time there is a rise or fall in the terrain.

Ride Life

Simo

How to Bunny Hop

Before you’re able to bust out big air and big drops you have to be able to bunny hop comfortably. Here's a few tips for those having trouble.

The best way to bunny hop is to throw your weight back on to your back foot lifting the front wheels in the air. This gets your front wheels over the object while your still on the ground.

Now you jump off your back wheels level out in the air and land with all four wheels touching down at the same time.

This technique is much better than just jumping as you can get your back wheels closer to the object your jumping giving you a greater overall bunny hop distance.

Ride Life

Simo

How to Jump

Ever dream of that floating feeling? Well here’s some tips to get the real thing. This is how to jump a mountainboard.

Jumping is one of the most dangerous things you can do on a mountain board so it is vital that you have good board skills, you know how to fall, you know how to bunny hop and are wearing all the safety gear.

Find a jump that you are able to roll over, such as a rollie or a tabletop. Roll over the jump slowly to get a feel for the environment and your board.

Now with that same amount of speed try bunny hopping at the peak of the jump. Make sure you keep the board straight, your weight centered and try to land with all wheels at the same time.

Once your use to this try bunny hopping higher or going faster so you can get higher and clear the whole jump.

Remember this is dangerous and do not attempt it until you are good with all the basics of boarding.

Ride Life

Simo

How to F/S 360

A F/S 360 is a 360 degree clockwise rotation (for regular boarders) in the air on a mountain board. It is an awesome trick to learn because you can add grabs, do them onto rails and even off drops and stair sets.






1. First hit your jump with a bit of speed, but not too much for your first jump, wind up with you arms the way you are going to spin.
2. Launch of the jump and start your rotation and spin the 180.
3. Keep spinning and look over you shoulder.
4. Spin your feet at the last minute to kick you around the rest of the way.
5. Spin that last extra bit and DON'T BAIL OUT. This is where most people stuff up, so spin as quick and aggressive as you can. Look down at your landing bend your knees and roll away.

By sponsored Rider

Dylan Warren

Mountainboard Glossary

Here is some terms to get you speaking fluent Mountain Board.

All Terrain Board (ATB): Just another name for a mountain board.

Backside Turn: Turning on your heal edge.

Backside Spin: Spinning so your back faces the direction of travel first.

Bail: Purposely jumping off the board to prevent crashing.

Base Plate: A plate that you stand on, giving greater comfort and more options in binding and foot position.

Bearing: The object that connects your wheel to your axel giving it the ability to spin freely. Keep these babies running smooth and replace regularly.

Berm: A banked corner that allows greater speeds, usually seen in boardercross tracks.

Big Air: Similar to freestyle but there is usually just one massive jump.

Bindings: Adjustable foot straps holding your feet to the board.

Bionic Trucks: Trucks designed by G.I. that use urethane blocks to control the stiffness.

Board Bag: Specially made bag that fits your mountain board and gear.

Boardercross: Racing where four riders attack the same track at the same time.

Boardslide: A grind where the actual deck is sliding across a rail.

Box: An object that can be used for stalling and grinds.

Bunny Hop: Jumping the board on flat terrain.

Bushing: A urethane doughnut that is found on skate trucks, it allows them to turn.

Carve: Linking turns to control speed similar to the technique in snowboarding.

Channel Trucks: Adjustable trucks consisting of springs and shocks.

Dampener: The egg shaped spring insert that reduces speed wobbles.

Deck: The main body of a mountain board.

Double: A jump consisting of two parts, the jump and a landing.

Downhill: The style of riding focused on descending large hills or mountains.

Drafting: Riding close to the back of another boarder or car in order to use them as a windbreak allowing greater speeds.

Drifting: A controlled slide around a corner which can be used to wash off speed. Looks very stylish.

Eggs: Shocks that help eliminate speed wobbles. A range of densities available. Harder eggs = less wobble, more speed.

Fakie: When riding in your non preferred direction eg, Regular riders riding goofy.

Flex: The flex in the deck that helps to absorb bumps.

Freeride: Style of riding that is suited to wide open hills. Very relaxed and allows rider to enjoy the environment and Ride Life.

Frame board: A ridged board that has a steel tube under the deck for strength. Very old school. The building blocks of ATB.

Freestyle: Big air and even bigger tricks.

Frontside Spin: Spinning so your toe faces the direction of travel first.

Frontside Turn: Turning on your toe edge.

Goofy: Riding with your right foot up front.

Grab: Performed to add style to your big air freestyle.

Grab Handle: A handle fitted to the middle of the board that kite boarders use to pull one foot out of the bindings and no foot tricks.

Griptape: A sandpaper like tape that is glued to mountainboard decks to improve grip between your shoes and the deck. Replace when required.

Hardware: All the nuts, bolts and screws on your board.

Heal edge: The edge of the board your heals are on.

Heal Straps: An addition to standard bindings that pulls your heals into the binding for greater control.

HelioCore Reverse Cap Composite: G.I. designed deck that uses a foam core instead of the traditional wood.

Hill Bombing: Riding as fast as you can down a hill.

Helmet: Head protection, essential for mountain boarders.

J-Turn: When you turn the board 180 degrees and head back up the hill. It can be used to help slow down or stop.

Kite: A kite that looks like a small parachute used to pull you along flat ground. Mountainboard + kite = kite landboarding.

Kite Landboarding: a style of riding that uses a kite instead of a hill to keep you moving.

Leash: A surf style bungy cable that connects you to your board to stop the board getting away, if your happen to fall.

Long board: An extra long skateboard used for either speed, cruising or sliding.

Manual: Balancing on the back wheels while riding.

Matrix: Adjustable trucks that consist of springs and eggs to control their stiffness.

Matrix-Lite: Lighter versions of the standard Matrix trucks.

Nollie: A bunny hop where you pre-load off the front wheels.

Nose angle: The angle of kick at the ends of your board, greater angle give better turning circle but less stability.

Ollie: A bunny hop where you pre-load off the back wheels.

Pads: A form of body protection. Knee pads, wrist pads, elbow pads etc.

Patch: A rubber seal that repairs punctured tubes.

Ply: Layers of wood in the deck of most boards.

POP: The amount of boost your board gives when you jump.

Power Lam Composite deck: An MBS deck design that consists of a wood core and laminate wrap.

Powerslide: Getting all four wheels to slide, but not stop.

Pump: Using your legs to gain extra speed off the terrain.

Rachet: The device that tightens your bindings via the use of a lever.

Rail: Pipe used to grind and stall on.

Reverse-Cap Composite: An MBS deck design that includes a fiberglass weave giving it greater strength, pop and a better ride for boardslides.

Ride.Life: The philosophy behind MUNRO Boards to ensure you make the most out of every time you ride and every day you live. You’ve got one life, make the most of it.

Rolley: An obstacle in boardercross tracks that are used to pump.

Ruts: Terrain that has lots of long holes in it caused by erosion.

Sandwich Composite: An MBS deck design consisting of multi layer ply.

Single track: Thin tracks that usually involve weaving around trees.

Skate trucks: Trucks that are based on the traditional skateboard design. Light weight and good for kite land boarding and smaller riders.

Slipstreaming: Riding close to the back of another boarder or car in order to use them as a windbreak allowing greater speeds.

Stall: Similar to grinding but you are stationary.

Switch: When riding in your non-preferred direction. E.g. Regular riders riding goofy.

Table Top: A jump that has its center filled so it can be rolled over on a board. Opposite to a gap jump.

Toe edge: The edge of the board your toes are on.

Top Hat: The device that holds the springs in channel trucks. 2 per spring. 8 per board.

Trucks: Hold your wheels to your board. There are two main styles, Skate and Channel.

Tube: The insert to your tire which contains the air pressure.

Unibody: A board that does not consist of a support running beneath the deck.

V5 Brake: A reverse V-brake ideal for single tracks and beginners.

Wheel Bite: when your foot or board touches a tire causing it to stop. Can happen on small boards doing tight turns or riders with big feet/ shoes.

Wind boarding: similar to windsurfing but on a specially designed mountainboard.

Ride Life

Simo