"My First Experience Mountainboarding"

or

"How I Stole My Son's Christmas Present & Fell In Love With A New Sport"

by Nick Carver

“Dad, I really need it!” my son screams the top of his lungs pointing at what looks like a monster truck skateboard. “Well, we’ll see. Maybe for your birthday.” I respond. My only defense against the onslaught of the usual wants. “What the heck is it?” I say. “It’s a mountainboard of course, check it out.” He tells me mimicking apparently the way you ride this overgrown toy. We make it out of the store with a few tears as I vouch I will check into it and maybe get it for his birthday. I tuck it into the back of my mind and we drive home. He's of course pouting and telling me over and over that it’s the coolest new board sport and a way for snowboarders to keep riding in the summer. “Oh, that’s nice.” I say, hurrying to get home for the football game.

Working the sports section for our local newspaper usually keeps me on top of all things new and sporty. Someone comes out with a new golf ball that flies 5 feet further, I’m on it. A new way to grip your putter? Tell me more, I’ll write a thesis on it. But the new skateboards or snowboards or basically anything thing to do with riding something sideways and I’m clueless. Nonetheless, I’m a bit bored at work and I type in “mountainboard” to Google. I think that is what he called it. It certainly looked like some mountain monster went crazy and created a way to fly down the hill. Mountainboard, yes, there it is, over 5,000 entries. Hmmmn, guess he was right.

So at the top of the list I click on MBS Mountainboards, apparently the “creators” of the “sport” and I do a bit of research. Two guys in the early 90s were tired of not snowboarding after the snow melted. Makes sense. Poking around a bit more not only do I realize this seems to be an actual sport but it is apparently taking off not only around the country but also around the world. Races, events, dvds, camps. Wow, very cool. Sometimes these kids know what they are talking about. With my curiosity piqued I call the “global headquarters” for MBS.

“MBS Mountainboards, how can I help you?” a friendly voice answers. “Uh…yes…how much is a mountainboard?” It’s all I can think to ask. I certainly don’t know anything else to ask and after all it’s just a present for my son. “Well, they range from about $150 to $550 depending on what type of riding you like to do and how much you want to invest.” they answer. “Oh, no, no, no…it’s for my son, he’s a snowboarder and said this will make him a better rider.” I answer; they must have thought that I was interested in a board. How old can people be to ride these things I ask myself? Heck, I used to ride skateboards many years back and even tried snowboarding a few times. “Ok then, how much does your son weigh?” I come to find out I’m talking to Jason Lee one of the “sports” creators. “Well, about 120 lbs, I think.” I say this just trying to picture my son James next to me and sizing him up. "The Atom 95X is a great place for him to start to learn the basics of boarding but of course he can go with something a bit higher level like the Comp 95 with Matrix trucks, F3 ergonomic bindings and a Power Laminate deck.” What? I mean I figured these things were large skateboards…but I come to find out they are amazing machines that were specifically made for snowboarders to really continue the carving that they miss once the snow melts. Hmmmn…. so I keep asking questions, being the inquisitive thinker that I am…I mean I interviewed the local high school football head coach on his defensive strategy just a few weeks ago. Now I’m getting excited. 

Basically by the end of the conversation not only have I bought a board for my son, an Atom 95X, but I’ve gotten a quick history of the sport, where you can ride the boards, what the different types of boards are for, what tire pressure is good for different surfaces but I also learn there are full blown events and races.

Well, a few days later we get a big brown box from MBS in Colorado. I kind of feel like it's an early Christmas here. I open it up and peer inside. Board, check, wheels, check, hand brake, check. Looks like it’s all there. Well, I better take it out of the box and make sure nothing is missing. This thing is big. It’s like a board and a bike mixed together. I didn’t realize there was actually air in the tires. I take off the plastic covering, pull off the Owners Manual and get ready to wrap this thing up. My first thought is that I will need a LOT more wrapping paper. I say to myself, you know, I used to skateboard when I was a teen; I better give this thing a try before I get it all wrapped up. My son will be at school for a few more hours and I doubt he will ever know that I have stood on it.

I grab the brake handle in my hand. It feels like a bike brake handle but not attached to anything. I better hold onto it while I get my feet into the bindings. When they said bindings I figured they were like snowboard bindings where you were locked in and couldn’t come out. These are more like windsurf bindings where you are only partially fixed to the board. I put my feet in the bindings, adjust the Velcro strap a bit…pretend I know what I’m doing and stand there in my living room looking like a pro-boarder standing atop an Alaskan mountain ready to drop in and get gnarly. I bounce around a bit, make the board lean from left and right by leaning on my toes and then alternating leaning on my heels. Wow, I could really see myself riding this thing. Hmmm…. I have at least another hour until my son comes home. I could easily take this thing for a spin down our driveway. Hopefully the neighbors are at work and won’t give it away.

I grab the board leaving the box in the middle of the floor and make my way to the garage looking for at least a helmet and any other skate gear my son has lying around. I can’t find any pads but I do locate a bike helmet and some garden gloves. I don’t plan to exactly get rad but just in case I certainly don’t want to crash on my head. What would my wife think? I was supposed to be home working on my next story about the pros and cons of instant replay in major league baseball.

So there I am. Top of my driveway. It certainly didn’t look that steep the other day taking out the trash. Well, I made it this far, might as well see how this thing works. I grab the brake, get my feet set into the binding, slowly let go of the brake and start rolling down the hill. So far so good. Not too fast. I lean a bit to the left and…I start going to the left…. cool. I lean back to the right and…. start going to the right. Wow…way easier than I thought. I continue down my driveway and onto the street. No cars this time of the day. Now I’m cruising making turns back and forth getting a bit cocky when I look to the right and see my neighbor out raking leaves. I wave to him. “Morning Richard!” I shout trying to look like I’m not having the time of my life. “Morning John!” he responds with a look that reminds me of the way my dad used to look at me when I was acting a bit too young for my age. Playing on the small swing set when I was 13. Never mind him. I continue on down the street. Carve. Carve. Slow down with the brake a bit. Don’t want to get going too fast. Carve, carve. I look up ahead and see a driveway entrance that drops off into the park. A big grassy park. When I talked to the guy at MBS they said it could go on any surface. Well, grass is definitely a “surface”. I’ll just turn into the driveway and onto he grass. Bracing for the impact that never comes, I just keep rolling smoothly down the grass hill. Just like carving on the street but a little slower. Hey! I'm riding a giant skateboard down a grass hill! Keep carving. Moms and their kids are now pointing in my direction. I’m not sure if they are looking at the board or at what could be their own dad in a helmet and gloves apparently making a fool out of himself. I on the other hand feel about 20 years younger and way more coordinated than I ever thought I could have been. I watch my son on his skateboard doing tricks that I could never imagine myself doing. But this is easy. I am actually doing it. And not trying to brag too much but I think I’m doing it pretty darn well.

I come to the end of the hill near some picnic benches where a family seems like they are having a birthday party.  The board and myself come to a stop a few yards away. I step out of the bindings, unbuckle my helmet, take off my gloves and take a few breaths. I didn’t realize just going downhill could give me such a workout. Perhaps it’s the combination of riding and adrenaline and the smile muscles on my face getting such a workout. I feel like I just conquered Everest for the first time.

“What is that thing?” the birthday party asks in unison. Huh…oh this thing? It’s a....mountainboard.” I respond as I pretend I’m a pro and wipe the sweat off my brow. A few yards up the hill, a huge grin on my face, I’m thinking I never realized we lived in such a cool neighborhood. There are places to ride all over this place. I just have to do another run. I start walking a bit faster as I hear in the distance,  “Dad, can I have one for my birthday?” Oh my god! I forgot. I got to get home, get this thing cleaned off and wrapped, or at least hidden before my son gets home from school. Now I really feel like a kid. A kid who, while there parents were out shopping took one of their Christmas presents out from under the tree, unwrapped it and played with it. I make it back in time, brush off the board a little, put it back in the box, tape it back up and hide it in the back of my closet. Whew! Made it just as they pull into the driveway.