An inspired beginning: Craig's tale

I’m traditionally not someone who entertains the outdoor world. My car is faster and more comfortable than my feet and during the winter I’m like a creature in hibernation clinging to radiators for warmth. Mountainboarding changed everything.

As a freelance journalist I'm always on the look out for ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and on coming across Jason Lee, the self-proclaimed founding father of the sport.

I decided that an interview with him would not only making an exciting read but possibly be a personal learning curve.

I asked him questions about what inspired him to create the early prototype boards and how he's built an empire around such a strange hybrid sport.

The more we spoke the more inspiring and appealing mountainboarding became to me, so I asked him, what does it take to learn?

“A beginner can be a self-sufficient rider within a few days if they do it a lot and get friends to buy boards too,” he said, “Get protective gear so if you fall you can get back up and just ride, ride, ride.”

It seemed simple enough so I heeded his advice (except about the pads) and purchased a bottom-of-the-line BluEarth board from eBay, which was only £50, second-hand on skate trucks. But how to actually control this monstrous creation was somewhat of a different matter with no professional training.

“Lead with your strongest foot, lean one way to carve left, lean another to turn right and push your back leg out whilst turning hard to stop,” Jason said.

With that I headed to Wendover Woods, a Buckinhamshire haven for boarders and bikers. The slopes around Wendover are ideal for the sport. From top to bottom the hill is a mile run with multiple different tracks and paths to ride on. (Ed. - Craig was unaware that the Rem crew ride here regularly!)

My first reactions of the sport were that it was very easy to underestimate the gradient of a slope. Those that looked gentle caused the board to fly wildly out of control and on slopes that appeared much steeper, just riding a few metres without falling was tricky. Eventually I spotted a perfect hill near the top of the park sporting a covering of trimmed grass, which allowed me to practice turning and stopping before moving onto something more challenging.

Bent knees seemed to be the key to balancing on the board, which I learned after several rolling falls, and turning was easy enough.

The vast array of Buckinghamshire's dog-walking population were scattered around the location, many looking on in wonderment as I calved and stopped, returned to the top of the hill and repeated. It quickly became an exercise in trying to look like I had any idea what I was doing, though slowly, though doing that, I actually began to easily turn the board and stop it.

Stopping the board was admittedly tricky and something that I’m still mastering, but I suddenly felt a sense of empowerment and freedom in boarding. I began to see what the obsession was all about.

"Who needs lessons," I’d thought, "when you’ve got stupidity and ridiculously steep inclines". And for once, in a twist of luck, I was actually correct.

There’s a moment when you’re flying down a hill that’s unbearably steep with your feet strapped to the board so that you can’t bail, and you get an incredible adrenaline rush.

But it also becomes a tool of exploration, with a love of finding and conquering new places.

I can throw the board into the back of my car and just drive until I find a slope that looks adequate and then hare from top to bottom exploring woodlands and places I’ve never had any reason to visit.

It’s become a welcome means of relaxation, exploration and a learning experience when a gap in the workload appears.

And since buying the board I’ve managed to convert a few fellow-indoors-men to this adrenaline rush – the latest of which was my girlfriend who I took back to Wendover Woods to learn to board.

She too was astounded at how easy the boards are to initially use, but how challenging the sport can be when attempting tricks and larger slopes on more rugged terrain.

Since my initial visit to Wendover it’s become the hub of my learning curve as I constantly search for new routes; on concrete, grass hills and narrow pathways...

So whether a new rider like myself or a world champion, mountainboarding has something for everyone.

Get hooked.

Craig Evans is Managing Director of Gateway Media and a freelance adventure sports journalist. Follow his fascinating journey into the underworld of the sports community at his blog: www.craigevans.wordpress.com