Imagine a small snowboard rigged with tires that look like they belong on a monster truck. Then hop on — and hang on — and let gravity take it from there.
Mountainboards are more than just souped-up skateboards. They're big air, speed and one rad ride.
"A lot of people are intimidated by mountainboarding at first. It is an extreme sport, and it is very, very gnarly," said Van DeWitt, founder of the Dirtstar Army mountainboarding team.
Translation: Hold on to your handbrake. Mountainboards are high-tech machines that allow riders to go for big air like their cousin skateboards and BMX bicycles, sheer speed or just a leisurely — albeit bumpy — ride down a hill.
The boards are outfitted with four 8- or 9-inch inflatable tires, available in various treads for different terrains. The wheels are mounted on the board, complete with shocks and springs for added stability.
The boards, a composite of a wood core and synthetic shell, are long and wide like snowboards and beveled at both ends. Riders stick their feet in open-ended bindings, which the feet can slip out of in the event of a wipeout.
And for beginners or riders taking the long way down the mountain who don't want to constantly carve back and forth to keep in control, there is a braking system on the rear wheels.
"For going down single-track trails, you can't really do that without a brake," said Jason Lee, creative director and co-founder of MBS Mountainboards in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Lee started making mountainboards in the early 1990s, hoping to find some way to keep carving the hill during the summer when snowboarding wasn't an option. The idea has caught on, and although mountainboarding remains on the fringe of the extreme sports scene, it is growing.
"I've been doing it a long time. I still love it. It's awesome," Lee said. "Seeing all the new people getting involved in it, that's the best part of it right now."
Riders — or "dirtheads" — can go as slow or as fast as they want if they have a brake. Still, the idea of rumbling down a steep slope or a gravel mountain road is a pretty scary one, especially given the landing pad.
While mountainboarding is like snowboarding, a face full of powder is preferable to grinding to a stop on dirt, gravel and rocks. Mountainboarders wear helmets and armor up with hard plastic padding on their knees and elbows.
"I've never broken a bone. I have torn ligaments and I've had concussions and I've had a lot of road rash," said DeWitt, who also wears heavy gloves to protect his palms.
Although it's still gaining acceptance, mountainboarding gives ski resorts another option to offer customers during the slow summer season. Ski lifts have been carrying mountain bikers to the top for years and some have started allowing mountainboarders, too.
Sue Way, children's director for the Aspen Skiing Co. in Colorado, said mountainboarding was added to the curriculum at Camp Snowmass about five years ago and was an immediate hit with the kids.
"On the right terrain it is probably easier than on a bike," she said. "If you were to take a mountain bike up the hill and you had never really rode it before, you'd probably be going over the top."
Snowmass, which is run by Aspen Skiing, is the annual site of mountainboarding's U.S. Open, which was held at the Colorado resort last weekend. The competition included boardercross, a free-for-all between four riders who try to beat each other to the bottom of a dirt course full of twists, turns and jumps, and slopestyle — a competition for the biggest and boldest air.
Casual riders have a choice of terrain. The beginner ski area provides a gentle, grassy surface for the newcomers. More advanced mountainboarders can tackle the gravel roads higher on the mountain or take on the boardercross and freestyle courses.
"People need to recognize it's not a reckless activity," Way said. "You can control what's happening out there and be at one with the mountain."
Still, other resorts are passing on mountainboarders' business.
John Collins, director of mountain activities at Snowbird, said the terrain at his resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon southeast of Salt Lake City is a little too extreme. A group of mountainboarders gave him a demonstration and he said each rider had at least a fall or two.
"I was a little skeptical, but I was willing to watch these guys," Collins said. "I was actually pretty amazed what they could do on them."
But the areas the mountainboarders couldn't conquer were enough to convince Collins that Snowbird should stick with mountain bikes and two-wheeled scooters until the snow returns.
DeWitt took up mountainboarding 11 years ago on a friend's skateboard that had been modified. He's trying to make it a career, although he does keep a day job at a local RV dealership to keep a steady income.
DeWitt placed sixth last weekend in the pro boardercross division. At 28, he's more focused on getting newcomers into the sport than he is on winning competitions. He teaches a free learn-to-ride program on weekends and in two months has had six of his students go out and buy boards, which range in cost from $150 to $550.
DeWitt starts the beginners on short, grassy hills at a local park. He's trying to initiate similar programs in other states, but one of the hangups has been coming up with a uniform liability waiver.
"It just really comes down to not letting people do something they're not ready to do," he said. "Don't put them in an environment where they're capable of hurting themselves seriously and more than likely they won't do it."