Mountainboarding for beginners

Beginners guide to Mountainboarding

Here is a basic guide to what you need to start up Mountain Boarding. Remember this is a dangerous sport and injury is not uncommon. Follow the tips below and you should limit the risk of injury. Please remember uk-active can not be held responsible for any injury's which may occur from Mountain boarding. This basic guide is to limit the risks to those of you who will learn this sport without professional help anyway. Happy boarding.

Beginners Board- Beginners boards can range from about £60-90 and can come with feet bindings. If you are just starting it is not advisable to put your feet in the bindings until you are more confident about riding it. This allows getting off quickly and safely. Make sure you pump the tyres to the correct pressure before you take it out.

Pads and guards- Pads and guards are a must when you first start. You WILL fall down allot so you will need protection from cracks, breaks and cuts. You can pick up a cheap set of pads which include elbow pads, wrist guards and knee pads, for about £20. You may think you look stupid but after a few falls you will realize why we suggest you wear them.

Helmets- When it comes to helmets you can get away with wearing skating and bike helmets. When you get a bit quicker then its time to get yourself a proper mountain boarding or super cross helmet which has a built in guard which covers your chin, cheeks and neck.

Pain relief spray !- It's always a good idea to have a can of heat spray with you to spray onto twists and sprains to relieve any pain. This spray will not collect dust.

Now some basics which should get you up an riding.

Begin on a flat surface. Practice mounting and skating your board with you feet free of any straps or boots. Use low tyre pressure when you start out, this will slow it down a bit.
The next step is to learn how to turn in both directions like you would on a snow board. Gently lean into the direction you want to turn and the board should react to this by bringing the wheel that side closer together which in turn makes the board turn. Then try linking these turns together. Put cones down to steer around.Move onto a slight incline next where you can try your new skills. Now insert your feet into the straps or fittings. This means you can move the board around with allot more control. Practice your turns.When you feel you are ready for more then its time to learn how to stop using a power-slide. Basically this involves bending your knees slightly and sliding your foot which is furthest away from the front of the board around level with the front foot. This makes the board turn so that is side on to the incline stopping you dead. This takes practice.
Once you have mastered the basics you are ready to tackle steeper inclines, tracks, jumps and anything else you want to try and ride over, across or under. The best place to go for a better ride is a proper mountain boarding centre where you will find all of the above.

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