Mountain Board

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Mountainboards: An Education

Ahh mountainboarding. What can I say? So much fun, so much butt pain. Mountainboarding is an exhilarating blood pounding sport that can be likened to surfing on grass, dirt , or even pavement. It takes skill, patience and, if i do say so myself, a pretty hefty threshold for pain. There are many types of mountain boards on the market from highly tuned well constructed Pro models to homemade Franken-boards that look like snowboards on steroids. This page will breakdown my experience of discovering the world of mountainboarding, and help you to decipher whether this is a sport which you would enjoy and if so, where to begin.

My Experience Getting into Mountainboarding

My Start in Mountain Boarding - Is this a Sport for You?

A little over a year ago, shortly after all the snow had melted and snowboard season was surely over, I was sitting on my couch in my Spiderman undies, eating bonbons, watching mindless daytime TV, when I had an epiphany. Well not really an epiphany, more of a flashback, a memory of watching TV years and years ago and seeing these crazy guys riding giant skateboards with huge tires and bindings strapped to their feet, bombing down giant hills and pulling off crazy freestyle tricks. It hit me like a freight train... what the heck have I been doing for the last ten summers? Sitting on my butt waiting not so patiently for the snow to return? Why wasn't I mountainboarding? So after some brief consultations with my good buddy and extreme sports partner in crime -"Always Ready" Rich,- to determine if mountainboarding was an acceptable use of our extreme efforts and hard earned money, and determining unequivocally it was, my journey into mountainboarding was on!

Inspiring Mountain Board Vids

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Where to Begin?

The First Step: Finding a Mountain Board to Ride

Where I began...
Well just like you probably did, I began to search the internet for information about Mountainboards. Through my research, I discovered that it is pretty widely accepted by people who Mountainboard that the best Mountainboards are made by a company called MBS. So, armed with this information, and a modest budget, I began to search for a used MBS Mountainboard. I found a very affordable used MBS Ambush Warrior. The Ambush warrior is arguably the bottom tier of the MBS's line and at one time could be found on shelves in your local sporting goods retailer. (This board is now discontinued.) The Mountainboard I bought came with the often optional V-Brake that I will talk about in more detail a little later. So with board in hand it was time to find terrain. I found a grassy hill at a local library which looked to be the perfect spot to test out my new Mountainboard. After the first run down this beautiful grassy wave I was hooked, but after several runs and even with very modest terrain my used ambush warrior left a little something to be desired. But what was it? And would a new more expensive board be much of an improvement? The answer, as I would shortly find out, was yes!

So what now?

Where to go from here?

So with very little actually knowledge about the sport of Mountianboarding, at this point I began to do some research on the MBS website, forums, and around the web and here is what I found. Like snowboarding or even skateboarding there are a few different styles or variations of mountainboarding.This is a crucial thing to consider when deciding on what mountain board is right for you. First you need to determine what type of riding you would like to do primarily. I will briefly breakdown the different styles of mountainboarding for you now and please visit my other page "mountain boarding styles" for a more in depth view of these styles. Here are 6 primary variations of mountainboarding: Freeride, Freestyle, Big Air, Kiting, Carving and Boarder X. There are many Mountainboards out there that can accommodate several styles of riding but not all boards should and can be used for all styles. There are significant differences in weight, size, and even feel depending on what board you choose and it is important to understand how these differences will effect your riding. For example, Freeride Mountainboards are much heavier than Freestyle boards and often are accompanied by a v-brake, where as freestyle boards are lighter and usually do not sport a brake. For the purpose of our discussion I will stick with my preferred type of mountainboarding Freeriding.

What to buy?

And how much will it cost?

So Freeride Mountainboarding is the same as Freeride Snowboarding. The goal is to find steep terrain and tear ass down it with whatever style and flare you desire. You can find Freeride terrain in many different environments and it ranges from single track wooded trails to off season ski resort runs! So obviously, if you are going to tackle this type of difficult terrain you should choose excellent equipment that will not fail and will give you confidence you need to reach the bottom safely. So here are your options. MBS offers several Mountainboards that are more than suitable for even the sketchiest of runs and here are the best ones.

MBS Comp 95x Freeride Mountainboard

The Best Freeride Mountainboard Period!

MBS Comp 95X Mountainboard

Amazon Price: $351.52 (as of 06/03/2012)Buy Now

MBS Pro 100 Signature Mountainboard

Exellent freeride mountainboard but consider the addition of a V-Brake for safety

MBS Tom Kirkman Pro 100 Mountainboard

Amazon Price: (as of 06/03/2012)Buy Now

MBS Pro 95 Mountainboard

Good Freeride MountainBoard when sporting a V-Brake but more of an overall rider

MBS Pro 95 Mountainboard - Retaliation

Amazon Price: $599.95 (as of 06/03/2012)Buy Now

The Board I Chose

My Opinions...

So there you have it boys and girls the Top 3 Freeride Mountainboards on the planet. After much research, and with great consideration about where I was going to be riding my Mountainboard, I decided on the MBS Comp 95X Mountainboard with V-brake and here is what I think. I ordered this Mountainboard off Amazon and received it fully assembled and ready to rock within a few days. The first thing I did was sit it side by side to my used Ambush Warrior and the Comp 95x put it to shame. The Comp 95x Mountain Board was bigger, sturdier and the overall construction was very impressive much more so than the outdated Ambush Warrior. This board featured matrix trucks with yellow eggshell shock absorbers that virtually eliminate speed wobble (a big problem with my Ambush Warrior). The matrix trucks are amazing and can be fined tuned to accommodate any desired turning speed right from the top of the board.The deck is strong and in my mind indestructible with normal use. Needless to say I was thrilled with this Mountainboard.The MBS Comp 95x Mountainboard comes with F4 ratcheting bindings which are very comfortable and work quite well. Overall this mountain board has exceeded my expectations but seeing it in person and riding it lead me to some other thoughts...

What I Discovered

Things you Should Consider

After inspecting and more importantly riding my new MBS Comp 95x mountain board I came to several conclusions. The first conclusion I came to was this board fit my current personal needs perfectly. The board is durable and well constructed and because I was planning on pushing this Mountainboard to the limits by engaging it in such activities as ski resort riding it had to be well built and safe. However before receiving this Mountainboard and riding it I had delusions of occasionally removing the v-brake and using this Mountainboard for freestyle riding (riding focusing on tricks) , but after receiving it, I quickly concluded that the board was just too heavy, and overall too large for such activities. With that being said MBS does make several Mountainboards that can better accommodate freestyle or trick riding and also has a few mountain boards which can perform quite well for both Freestyle and Freeride Mountainboarding. First here are the top 3 freestyle mountain boards.

MBS Pro 95 Mountainboard

The Best Freestyle Mountain Board

MBS Pro 95 Mountainboard - Retaliation

Amazon Price: $599.95 (as of 06/03/2012)Buy Now

MBS Pro 90 Mountainboard

Excellent Freestyle Mountainboard - Preferred Mountainboard for Kite Boarding

MBS PRO 90 Kiteboard

Amazon Price: $558.09 (as of 06/03/2012)Buy Now

MBS Comp 90 Mountainboard

Excellent Freestyle Mountainboard for a Great Price

MBS Comp 90 Mountainboard

Amazon Price: $276.05 (as of 06/03/2012)Buy Now

So There you Have it

Other Options for the Budget Conscious Shopper

So there you have it, the best Freeride and Freestyle Mountainboards money can buy. I know what some of you must be thinking, you are not sure if you will like mountainboarding and it looks a tad expensive to find out. Although the boards I have feature are the best available and certainly flaunt a price to match there are some very good options for the budget constrained shopper. Here are some more affordable options.

MBS Core 95 Mountainboard

Great Overall Board for the Budget Conscious

MBS Core 95 Mountainboard

Amazon Price: $299.95 (as of 06/03/2012)Buy Now

MBS Core 90 Mountainboard

Good Freestyle Board for an Amazing Price

MBS Core 90 Mountainboard

Amazon Price: $226.50 (as of 06/03/2012)Buy Now

Atom 95X MountainBoard

Good Entry Level Freeride Mountainboard

Atom 95X MountainBoard

Amazon Price: $199.95 (as of 06/03/2012)Buy Now

Atom 90 MountainBoard

True Entry Level Board with a Price to Match

Atom 90 MountainBoard

Amazon Price: $137.50 (as of 06/03/2012)Buy Now

Conclusions

Mods and Upgrades Briefly Discussed

The Mountain Boards listed above, although significantly cheaper then some of their higher end counterparts are still excellent high quality Mountain Boards. If you are just starting out I would definitely recommended purchasing one of these brand new entry level Mountainboards, opposed to an outdated used board. Also like many other sports/hobbies you do get what you pay for and the more you spend the better components you will receive (trucks,wheels,hubs,etc...). Rest assured though if you choose one of these entry level Mountainboards you can easily upgrade your components at a later time. I will briefly list some of the most popular components/upgrades for MBS Mountainboards below.

Mountain Board Truck Upgrades

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Mountain Board Hub Upgrades

Upgrade You Wheel Hubs

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Mountain Board Wheel Upgrades

Upgrade the Wheels on Your Mountainboard

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Mountain Board Binding Upgrades

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Mountain Board Accesories

So as you can see there are plenty of upgrades and mods available for MBS mountain boards. The upgrades listed above are only a sample of the options available. Many of the items listed are available in additional colors, sizes, tread patterns etc.. So be sure to browse through Amazons excellent selection of items if you are looking for something specific. So now that you are up to speed on upgrades I will list a few of the most popular mountain board accessories.

Top Mountainboard Accessories

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Replacement Parts

What to Do if Something Breaks

As you can imagine while mountainboarding many of us are consistently testing the limits of our mountain boards. However, rest assured that if something breaks almost every component or piece can be easily replaced. MBS offers some very useful kits which will assure that you will not have to miss any riding time due to broken equipment. Below is a list of essential replacement parts and kits for your MBS mountain boards.

Tech Kits and Replacement Parts

Mountainboard Replacement Parts

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Finally: Is Mountainboarding Safe?

What Precautions Should you Take?

The answer is yes, mountainboarding is a safe activity which can be enjoyed by many. With that being said like any other extreme sport, there is always risk of injury (that is where the extreme part comes in ). But as long as you learn slowly and are aware of your own limitations and you don't push them too quickly you should have a safe enjoyable experience mountainboarding. There are also many ways to reduce the threat of injury the most important being wearing the proper safety gear. I know what some of you might be thinking (BS, pads are for wussies). Well I will tell you from personal experience even when riding the easiest of terrain the more pads the better. I neglected this advice for the first month I was mountainboarding and oh boy do I wish I hadn't. I took a couple of nasty rookie spills early on and my tail bone was bruised for months and I had many nasty scraps and plenty of bruising to show off to family and friends. So remember to pad up and cover as much skin as possible so when you spill you can pop up quickly for another run. Below is a list of essential safety equipment that I recommend.

Top Safety Gear

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Safety Equipment Revisited

Final Thoughts

The above safety equipment is, in my mind, mandatory while mountainboarding, especially the helmets! Trust me don't be a macho jerk protect that squash of yours, you'll thank me later. Also the hillbilly butt and wrist guards are very good products. I have them both and I wear them all the time. The butt pads do a nice job of adding a decent layer of protection for your tailbone which is a part of your body you could be slamming a lot. They are quite streamlined and can easily be concealed under a loose pair of pants. The wrist guards although a bit bulky offer superior protection for both your wrists and hands.

So that's about it. I hope this information was useful to you and remember take it slow and pad up! And who knows maybe one day we will cross paths while riding on some sick Colorado single track. Oh and be sure to take the time to answer the poll question and also to check out some of the sickest mountain board videos on the web. Be careful and happy riding.

Mountainboarding Style Poll

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Thoughts on Mountainboarding

Have any questions or thoughts about Mountainboarding? Share them here

  • Nov 7, 2011 @ 2:43 am | delete
    Interesting sport:) great lens!

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