Mountainboards let you carve hills, trails, even city parks and streets year-round

Once upon a time, two dudes were sitting on a chairlift in Heavenly Valley, Calif. Surveying the melting snow below, like all gonzo snowboarders they became totally bummed about the coming end of the season.

Dude, thought Jason Lee and Patrick McConnell, there's gotta be a way to carve down a mountain all year.

After tinkering in a garage for nearly six months, their slope-shredding, rock-hopping mountainboard was born.

Jeff Muir, left, and Noah Martin, both 17, sail across the grass in Woodland Park on mountainboards they bought just a few months ago. The "anytime, anywhere" sport seems to be thriving, already selling 20,000 boards. Meryl Schenker/P-I

"We got some valve springs from an Army surplus shop, got some tires and carved a deck out of wood -- anything we could find from a used-parts or hardware store," Lee said.

Now their company MountainBoard Sports in Colorado Springs, Colo. produces five models, from a beginner board to a racing version.

With a flexible deck, the mountainboard features four pneumatic tires, shock suspension and bindings that let feet slide out easily. Boarders wear a basic sneakerlike shoe with good tread.

As in snowboarding, turning on a mountainboard requires alternate pressure from the heels and toes. On intense curves, a mountainboarder's hand can skim the ground for stability, much the way a snowboarder does.

Lee hopes the young sport will follow the same fairy-tale evolution of snowboarding, which became a mainstream sport and resort fixture after years of underground pariah status. He and McConnell would especially like to hook the estimated 5 million snowboarders in America.

So far 20,000 of the boards, which retail from $250 to $400, have been sold, and mountainboarding has become popular in fad-happy Japan.

Several other companies make mountainboards in a variety of designs, including a three-wheel version, but MountainBoard Sports' models are generating the most word-of-mouth and racing victories.

Two of the best riders in the world are brothers Austin and Leon Robbins of Edison in Skagit County, who are on a whirlwind tour of the country for MountainBoard Sports.

Leon, 20, is a chef who recently won a steep mountainboarding slalom course at the Red Bull Streets of San Francisco race. Austin, 23, a carpenter, took second place.

"It's the perfect training device for snowboarding unless you can afford to fly to the southern hemisphere in the summer," Austin said. "You can jump over logs, rocks, roots or whatever you come across."

The brothers catch big air, take 6-foot drops and throw tricks while riding down hills, logging roads and uncrowded hiking trails. Most passers-by are curious; a few get annoyed.

"There are others who look down on us and think we're eroding the trails and abusing the land," Austin said. "I don't take it as that big of a deal. We're just trying to have fun. We're not out there trying to trash the land. I love being out in the woods."

No chairlift needed: Muir and Martin enjoy mountainboarding’s convenience as they haul their boards, revving up for another ride. Meryl Schenker/P-I

The brothers have gone as fast as 40 mph on a mountainboard on a gravel road -- something not recommended for most riders.

Wiping out can be a painful, dirty prospect. Hard-packed dirt, jutting rocks and tree stumps cause much more damage than new-fallen snow or even "Cascade concrete," which forms when snow begins to melt then re-freezes. It's also much more difficult to power slide, slow down or stop on a mountainboard than on its snowboard cousin.

MountainBoard Sports urges riders to wear helmets and full padding. There is also an optional brake kit for beginners and for those who want more control.

"I wear all the pads -- elbow, knee, wrist guards, heavy leather gloves, a helmet, eye protection and a butt pad -- because dirt and rocks hurt," said Scott Sedgwick, a mountainboard enthusiast and employee of MountainBoard Sports. "I've got scars from the few times I've ridden without pads."

Though mountainboarding was designed as a downhill sport, flatlanders can take heart. They can always take their mountainboards to a BMX course.

Mountainboarding is targeted toward outdoor, adventurous types and those with a boarding-sport background, whether it's surfing, windsurfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, wakeboarding or another, said Andrea Dowdy, the company's marketing vice president.

Most riders are males from the ages of 12 to 25.

Mountainboarders have carved down the 38-mile, winding road from the 10,000-foot top of Haleakala mountain on the Hawaiian island of Maui. And they've careened down Hyde Street's intensely curvy slope in San Francisco, though mountainboarding isn't street-legal in most places.

But the company says mountainboarding isn't just a niche, hard-core, aggressive sport.

"It can be really mellow or really extreme," Lee said. "It's as extreme as you make it."

Several members of the U.S. Olympic snowboarding team use mountainboards for off-season training. And a number of East Coast and Colorado ski resorts offer mountainboard clinics, rentals and chairlift service.

But the sport doesn't require a resort or a lift -- just schlepping it up a hill.

"One of the great things about it is that you don't have to pay for a lift ticket," said Noah Martin, 17, of Seattle. "But it did take me a couple of paychecks to get my mountainboard."

Martin and his friend, Jeff Muir, 17, could be Seattle's two biggest mountainboard disciples. Each can list the number of layers of maple wood in a laminated deck (eight) or why "egg" shocks are superior or the merits of one model versus another.

On a recent day, Martin was kicking up dust while carving tight S curves down a gravel path in Woodland park. Muir was riding down grass humps and hills. Both have had their boards for just a few months and are experimenting with techniques.

"My parents didn't want me to get one at first," Muir said. "They said I wouldn't ride it enough."

But now, rather than fighting the younger generation, the older has joined it.

"Now my dad rides it -- he's pretty good at board sports," Muir said.

Give it a try

Before buying a mountainboard, you should consider renting one, or taking a demo ride. Local outlets include: Gregg's Green Lake Cycle, Alki Bike and Board, Ride on Snow and Skate in Redmond, BC Surf and Sport in Lynnwood, and Hardline Snowboards in Poulsbo.

For more information, see www.mountainboard.com

P-I reporter Kristin Dizon can be reached at 206-448-8118 or kristindizon@seattle-pi.com

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