The sun was high in the sky as the three of us hiked up the dusty maintenance road. For Tony and Rodney, this would be their first mountainboarding experience. I had done my best to pick a good beginner location with gentle slopes, “good dirt,” and plenty of run-offs to ease the mind of the often over hesitant newbie. With no boards of their own, I let them use my “loaner board,” an old MBS Sol 16 that has seen more than it’s share of quality mountainboarding chaos.

Aside from it being there first time mountainboarding, Tony and Rodney were two very different people. Tony, a fitness enthusiast in his early 40s, had never attempted a single board sport. He was the kind of person that appears quiet and serious on the surface but keeps you guessing the more you get to know them. Conservative at times but always full of a kind of active ambition, the kind of ambition that spurs great ideas like mountainboarding and base jumping.

Rodney on the other hand was a different animal. Almost 20 years younger and far from quiet. He had, to some extent, participated in nearly every board sport out there except for mountainboarding. On the day this story takes place, Rodney had a sore ankle from a recent injury involving too much alcohol, a flag pole, and…let’s call it a “patriotic urge.”

As you can see, two very different people, but both about to strap in for their first time. Rodney was eager to go first. “I won’t need these,” he said throwing the elbow pads back at me, “I’m a skateboarder.”

I didn’t feel the need to argue. What was the use. His recent flag pole incident had already proven his deep desire to make incredibly bad decisions. Who am I to interfere with dreams like that.

Once he was set I gave him a quick crash course and them rode down to the bottom of the stretch he was about to ride. Rodney didn’t hesitate to let the speed build up. His “less thought, more action” mentality showed in the huge smile on his face as he barreled down the hill. Unfortunately, the mild corner he planned to take was a bit much for the speed he was packing. Soon the flailing began and then, in a desperate attempt to spot, rolled over the berm backwards launching his right shoe about 20 feet. It was beautiful.

After we located the shoe and had a few laughs it was Tony’s turn. Tony strapped in a bit more hesitant than Rodney, possibly because of his nature and possibly because of the shoe-tossing wreck he just witnessed. But without much delay he had clipped on his helmet and was on his way.

His riding appeared somewhat awkward at first which might have had something to do with his conservative- “Listen I’m 40, seen a lot of people get hurt and I don’t want to be one of them”- mentality, but probably more due to his lack of board sports experience. His riding became more smooth as the day went on and he was aggressive enough to take a couple good spills.

All in all it was a great day of riding. Two brand new riders getting their first taste of mountainboarding along with the dirt that comes with it. As I watched the two of them ride I realized there was a few things we all can learn from these newbies.

Tony taught us the value of a good balance between being safe enough to not lose your shoe, and being aggressive enough strap in and ride, despite the hesitation. Rodney taught us on that reckless aggressiveness can have it’s time in place when we want to push through fear and learn quickly, as long as we come out in one piece in the end.

Next time you take a couple newbies out for their first ride, don’t sit back and think you are the all-knowing expert. There is always something you can learn from another rider, no matter what his/her experience level.