HOW TO DO A FLATGROUND BACKSIDE 180
Step 1: Come into this trick with a moderate amount of speed and wind your body in the opposite direction you want to spin. In this case Joel is pre-winding his body to his left but he willwant to spin back to his right.
Step 2: Now lower your center of gravity a bit and start releasing your body in the direction you want to spin.
Step 3: As you start to spin pop into the air and start looking into the direction you want to go.
Step 4: Now start estimating how much more you need to hold onto your spin and adjust your body to come down.
Step 5: Try to land exactly 180 degrees from the where you started in step one. The closer you are to a true 180 the easier it will make riding away.
INTERMEDIATE RIDE TIPS
RACE TIPS by J Lee
Here are some simple things to practice in order to become a proficient mountainboard racer.
#1 - Pump Rollers - There is a fine line between slowing down over a roller and speeding up. It's all in the timing. Suck it up as you start over it and then compress as you go over. Rollers are a good opportunity to make up some speed if you get a bad start.
#2 - Riding in Traffic - Not with cars but other riders. Become comfortable with riders on your left and right as you head into a berm or jump. One key I've found is to get low. The lower you are the more sturdy you are when you get hit. Practice riding with friends in a tight formation.
#3 - High Speed Berm Manuvering - Different berms call for different approaches. You really need to know where you are going before heading into a berm. Either set up high or low depending on your ability to attack the berm and where other riders are in relation to the berm.
#4 - Gate Starts - This is potentially the most important part of racing. So start doing your push-ups now. It's all in the timing and your upper body strength. You gotta just fly out of the gate as if you're the only one racing. And then hold on for the rest of the race and don't mess up.
#5 - Handling losses - Most of the time in boardercross racing you will not always come in first. But typically as long as you come in second you keep moving on in the race bracket. So even if you lose one of your heats just keep it cool and don't worry about the loss. Just concentrate on your next heat.
#6 - Pace Yourself - There is a fine line between practicing and just wearing yourself out. Make sure to keep in the shade, stay hydrated and only take as many practice runs as you need to be comfortable with the course. Save most of your energy for the real runs, that's when you really need it.
CURB STALL WITH TAIL GRAB
For all you flatland tricksters out there here's a relatively easy one to do.
Step 1: Approch a standard sized curb with about 3-5mph of speed. The slower you go the harder it will be to start the endo process but the faster you go the more chances you're just going to flip over. Basically a few mellow pushes into the curb should be good.
Step 2 & 3: Once you make contact with the curb throw your weight forward enough to lift the back wheels off the ground.
Step 3 & 4: As your back end goes higher you will need to level off the endo and stall the board. The idea is to be close to vertical but not quite. At your farthest stall point go for the tail grab. Grab it. Smile and then let the rear end of the board go back to the ground. When you land try to keep some of this backward momentum in order to roll back out from the curb.
NOSE GRAB - Beginner to Intermediate Trick Tip
Simple grabs are a mainstay of freestyle riding. You can spin and flip all you want but a solid grab with good amplitude and a stomped landing goes a long way.
Step 1: Find or build a decent sized jump. A good-sized jump for a solid grab is one where your time in the air is at least 2 seconds. Become familiar with this jump and be able to do a nice floaty straight air with a solid landing first. As always make sure to be wearing the proper protective gear like a helmet and pads and also make sure your landing area has a clear and safe run out. If there is a question on the run-out are always make sure you have a friend who is spotting that area.
Step 2: As you begin to jump and are leaving the lip (the end of the jump) concentrate on being centered on your board at first. Once you are nearing the apex (highest point) of the jump reach forward and grab the front truck. Do this several times. Get the grab, stay centered, let go and land.
Step 3: Now start to tweak the grab and put some style behind it. What I like to do is as I am leaving the lip of the jump I keep my board in that "pointing upward" position. This way the front truck is nearer to my hand, I can hold the grab longer and it accentuates the look of this grab.
Step 4: When you master the first three steps then try to combine this grab with another grab or incorporate it into a 180 or 360 spin. I like to do a front truck grab into a back truck grab. Good luck and have fun.
ADVANCED RIDE TIPS
CLIFF DROPS by Jason Lee
Step 1: Make sure you are an all-around strong rider with strong legs.
Step 2: Identify drops of about 5' + and work your way up. Don't think that you can drop cliffs like on a snowboard with powder landings. This is mountainboarding - you land on dirt. The largest rideable cliff drop will be about 20' vert and that is for baddass riders. Good candidates for jumpable cliffs are not only sheer drops but they have good and safe run-out areas. A good cliff drop will not only have a decent drop but a good angle to land on. The steeper the angle, the easier the drop. People can drop off anything but the key of course is to ride it out. In addition to a good landing angle the landing must be solid. The more hard-packed the landing is the easier it will be to stick the landing. The softer the landing the more you will sink and usually get thrown forward on your board.
Step 3: Make sure as you head into the drop you are confident. Basically don't chicken out at the last moment and just fall off the cliff. Just say to yourself "I'm gonna stick this sh_t! And do it."
Step 4: Now that you are committed to the drop make sure you have enough speed. Speed is your friend. Stay forward on your board and get ready for the impact. Absorb the impact, regain control and ride it out.
Step 5: Celebrate, bask in the glory, do it again and make sure to get the grab this time.
Mountainboards
