Mountain Boarding: The Best Boards of 2022 and How to Ride One

Freestyle Boarding

The best moment on a mountain board is when you are free to make huge jumps, carve rails and do appalling aerial pivots in dirt bowls or countryside unpaved paths.

Putting your board to the test of capability is certainly more enjoyable than putting the head in the game.

Downhill

It takes inclines to be the major challenge handling obstacles and maneuvers.

Skateboarders also call it a big mountain that involves long courses down a huge mountain.

You should have an excellent skill in braking to be able to handle the acceleration.

Getting to the bottom at the quickest speed is the final objective.

Boarder-cross

Two to four riders compete to tear through banks, fly, jump, drop in a bowl and knock each other over.

Though the wrecks are not legal, it encourages the fun.

Deck

As usual, prices define the quality of the material that makes up the board. There are two types of materials.

High-quality decks use composite carbon and plastic on a wooden board, as similarly as the snowboards.

Entry-level boards are usually made out of laminated wood like a longboard deck.

However, the size of the deck is one-of-a-kind. It is larger than any board available.

When choosing a mountain board, compare the deck with your height. Typically, a deck length around 39 to 41 inches is preferably for a 6-inch tall adult.

Juniors can also join this new recreation sport with a deck of 31 to 33 inches in length.

Trucks

Unlike a skateboard or longboard, mountain boards have two main types of trucks: skate and channel.

The trucks on mountain boards are longer and more robust because they take more pressure and have to load two large tires.

Channel trucks are more expensive than the skate ones feature a channel in the middle allows the axle more flexibility for steering.

Typically, channel trucks are more responsive with springs inside to affect the stiffness of the board while turning.

Tires/Wheels

These are the huge noticeable parts on a dirt-board.

You may already know that wheels on skateboards and longboards are made out of polyurethane. Whereas, wheels on board of a mountain are actual inflatable pneumatic tires that mimic the patterns on mountain bike tires.

The purpose comes from the means of the mountain can only be handled by specific tires that have efficient traction.

To attach these wheels on the trucks, there are hubs made from plastic or metal to hold on.

Wheels have sizes ranging from 8 to 13 inches. Smaller wheels are more popular to a majority of riders as it allows proper blend between carving and acceleration.

Bigger wheels are preferable for riders who enjoy maximizing speed because it gives more stability to traverse over bigger snags.

Bindings

You never see this facility on a regular board, but snowboards.

In fact, you don’t rely on the sticky grip tape like on a skateboard to stand sturdy.

The bindings root your feet down the board so that you won’t be thrown off due to harsh brake and turning.

Bindings are tools to attach your feet with firm straps and let you lift the board with ease.

Brakes

You could have imagined foot braking would be something mountain boarders use.

So the creator had thought of a brake system to stop the board in the form of a handheld lever to press and slow down making it far more easy and convenient for the user.

We will find out how to use the brake on the mountain board later below.

Warm Up

A small warming up section will help prevent injuries and make you stronger.

In mountain boarding, stretching your legs is the key; but it’s a good idea to give your upper body a stretch as well.

Safety Gears

Before jumping on the board, there are protective gears to wear.

The first thing is wearing a helmet as well as knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards.

Some people also wear hip pads underneath their pants for better protection.

You may not know, but pads will become your lifesavers when you hit any impacts on the road. They allow you to have fun, not get hurt and be ready to ride the next day.

Also, don’t forget to give your board a quick check for optimal safety.

In particular, make sure the bolts and nuts are tightened, tires are filled with air and shouldn’t be a rattle.

Stance

Now, you need to determine which foot you ride with forward.

In other words, whether you ride a regular or goofy footed.

If you have a skateboard or snowboard background, you probably ride a mountain in the same direction.

If you don’t, the easiest way to figure it out is to slide across a kitchen floor in your socks.

Whichever foot makes you comfortable when you slide is the one you want forward on your board.

Another method is to stand with your feet together and slowly fall forward.

The foot that you step out to catch yourself with should be the leading foot when you ride.

Setting Up

Unlike other skating sports, mountain boarding requires you to stick the board to your feet.

Position your feet in the bindings and point each foot across the width of the board on toe-side and heel-side.

Now, adjust the Velcro straps to lock your feet fit.

It is best to let the feet perpendicular to the board because it will naturally splay when riding.

Some boards come with heel straps, make sure everything is tightened comfortably.

Learning to Fall

Rounding with falling is an element of mountain boarding that no one can avoid.

The only thing you can do is to learn how to cope with it safely.

Falling is due to the lack of balance. Getting yourself as much control as possible and riding with your limit are the solutions for this.

If you find your board wobble during the ride, shifting more weight to the front leg would help out your balance a lot.

Another way to deal with it when the weight on the front doesn’t help is to lower your center of gravity to maintain the entire balance.

Be prepared if you know you are going to fall. Don’t stumble by accident.

To fall with a controlled manner, get your hands to act as an anchor and pull your face uphill while the boarding is riding downhill.

Slap the ground with your hands to create friction; it will be your knee pads and elbow pads that touch the surface and slow down the speed.

This falling method will help protect your head and face from hitting.

The First Skate

Pick a flat area to start with the first lesson.

There are different techniques to skate on the mountain board. The most common is to put your front foot in the bindings and kick with your back foot.

Mountain boards have wider trucks than skateboards, so be careful not to hit your back wheels with your foot. You want to push with a real wide stance.

Once you get familiar with the flat areas, you should be ready to take the board to the hill.

When you ride, your basic stance is going to be centered on the board with your knees bent.

It is usually a good idea to try this while not moving to get a feel for what the board is like.

The way to do it is to lean on your toes and heels to see how the board turns.

The best way to get your feet into the bindings is to loosen them a little and step into them with your toes pointed out slightly.

Then twist your toes in to have a good connection between the feet in the bindings.

Make sure that your feet are centered on the board so that you can apply even pressure to your toes and heels.

Once your foot position feels good, tighten down your bindings with the buckle.

Skate Without Fear

When you are ready, choose a spot that is not too steep and hop on the board.

It would be easier to start if you have a friend hold the tire with their foot while you get on the board having someone who is there for you is really helpful. Then they can move the foot and let you ride down the hill.

To get started by yourself, you can swing your front foot downhill or jump off the ground and turn your board 90 degrees.

When you’re jumping, use your arms to wind up and help spin you around. Remember to keep your knees bent, and your weight centered as you roll down.

Turning Technique

Give yourself applause when you feel confident enough with riding down the hill.

It’s time to make some turns.

The J-turn is the easiest way to stop your mountain board.

Start with turning on the heel side. Once you get going, put some pressure on your heels.

Remember to keep your knees bent. To initiate the turn, it helps to put more weight on your front foot than your back, about 60 or 40 is usually right.

You’ll feel the board begin to turn, put more pressure on your heels to turn sharper.

To do a toe-side J-turn, use the exact same technique but on your toes.

When you begin the roll, lean into your toes with a slight weight on your front foot to get into the turn. Always keep your knees bent and stay committed to the turn. Ride it out all the way until you stop.

When doing J-turn on either heel or toe side, it’s essential to keep in mind that wherever your shoulders are pointing is where your board and body will follow.

A different way to think about it is to simply look where you want to go.

The next skill in turning technique is linking turns, which is putting your toe side and heel side rotates together.

When linking turns to start out, it is likewise to J-turn, but when you slow down at the end of the turn, shift your weight to initiate a turn in the other direction this is the most optimized movement you should use.

In particular, when you shift the weight to link turns, start with the heel side, take the pressure off the heels and center your weight to come out of the turn, then lean onto your toes to start turning the other way.

Sometimes, going a little bit faster helps make turning easier.

The most important thing is to keep your knees bent and committed to each turn.

Remember, where your head goes, your body follows.

The Power Slides

Once you’ve mastered the basic turns, it’s time to learn how to power slide.

This is an exciting way to stop.

Just like turns, you can do heel side and toe side power slides.

For most people, the heel side is the easiest to learn, but try whatever you feel comfortable.

To do a heel side slide, get low, grab your board between your toes with your backhand and turn hard in your heels while throwing your front hand behind you onto the ground for balance, practicing this movement carefully can help you a lot.

This is where gloves come in handy when turning using your hand to redirect. If you turn hard enough, your wheels will stop turning and start sliding sideways.

Once you are into this slide, keep your weight distributed evenly between your feet to keep sliding.

The key to a power slide is staying low and using your backhand on the ground for balance.

Nonetheless, if you commit to a hard turn on your toes, keep your knees bent in your front. Hand on the ground for balance. You will get into a clean toe side slide.

A variation of the powerslide is the 180 slide.

This is done by going into a standard power slide but instead of stopping, shift your weight back down the hill and continue riding.

180 slides can be done heel side or toe side.

Deck

When it comes to choosing the board, the rule of thumb is picking the small ones for small people, larger ones for bigger people. The measure to count is in length.

For small kids, a 32-inch board is suitable; and you can go over 40 inches if you are 6 ft tall.

You may like compactly sized boards but in fact, with all-terrain boards, the longer the deck, the more stable and easier to learn it is.

The construction of the board is also vital to consider though it may not be a beginner’s concern.

However, when you get more advanced into the sport, a higher performance deck will be in need.

Speaking into detail, higher-quality decks are made of more than just wood. They use composites to contribute to the durability.

Such decks have Reverse Cap Construction like a snowboard or utilize top qualified wood source from Woven Kevlar.

If you have identified your interest for a mountain board in the long term, it should be worth spending some extra getting a high-quality board rather than having to upgrade your moderate board after a few months.

Trucks

As stated above, with trucks, you can go for the stake or the channel.

If you tend to ride on rough terrain filled with rocks and gravels, it is best to pick the skate trucks.

Skate trucks have a build to handle obstacles with its longer axles for bigger wheels though they are usually found on light and small boards for the cheaper end on the market.

They allow easy maneuvers and turns making them a popular choice for beginners.

Channel trucks on the other hand are built up of a channel-shaped axle using bolts to attach into a hanger with springs and dampers inside. These elements support controlling the amounts of movement generated by the trucks.

Some channel trucks are adjustable to get more or less turn.

For those reasons, people who look for stability and adjustability, channel trucks are always the best choice.

Bindings

Foot straps are available in Velcro straps, snowboarding bindings, and ratchet straps.

They all share a similar operating mechanism and come with the board you’ve bought.

There is no hassle if you want to upgrade the bindings. So, you can be happy with the one you have and replace it when it needs it.

Wheels

Most wheels on mountain boards have a diameter of 8 inches. This standard works greatly for first-timers.

Unless you are customizing the board, otherwise, you will get what comes in the pack.

Brakes

A brake is an option on mountain boards depending on how you want it.
If you look at a brake on your board, you will notice that the hand system is a lot like what you have fitted to a bike, hence the brake mechanism.

Alternatively, normal bikes will clamp either side of the wheel, mountain boards clamp it on the outside of the two wheels attached to the front of the trucks.

The whole can be calibrated to suit how you would like your brake to respond.

How you make it function is just squeezing the trigger, the force will transfer through the wire and tighten onto the brakes.

The suspending system is recommended for beginners as some of them may not be able to stop at first.

The equipment can be taken out when starters reach a new level.

Spares

Other parts of the board are bearings, inner tubes, extra hubs and tires to replace if the assembled elements got broken.

**These components are replaceable whenever you find them not suitable anymore.