A cold tear streams from the corner of your eye as you continue to gain speed. The rumble of your wheels over the dirt path below sends a surge of adrenaline through your body. You crouch low as you feel the board begin to wobble from the speed.

Then it happens. The board wobbles to the right, or maybe to the left. You panic. The edge of your wheel catches and throws you into a violent tumble.

Next thing you know, your laying on the ground watching the dust settle and making sure your toes still wiggle. You have only two things on your mind. First, you’re wonder if anyone got your near-death experience on film; and second, you’re hoping your protective gear did its job.

Basic mountainboarding protective gear consists of a helmet, knee and elbow pads, wrist guards, and gloves. While there are other items that can be added to the list, these are the ones that you shouldn’t ride without. These basic peices of gear can help prevent injury so that you can keep riding.

Here’s a few things to think about when picking out your gear:

HELMET- The helmet is the most essential piece of protective gear you can own. Some riders go with the basic skate-style, while others prefer a bmx-style which covers the face as well.

Your helmet should fit comfortably and securely. It should not be able to slide around. Every person’s head is different; no one helmet is right for everyone. With that in mind, it’s best to try a few on before buying. If you can’t get a secure fit at the store, than you wont have it when you’re riding.

KNEE AND ELBOW PADS- These pads also need to fit securely and comfortably. Next in priority is breathability.

The pads should stay in place no matter how you move. Some have internal molded cups that prevent slipping. The straps also effect the fit as well as comfort. You should make sure the straps don’t cut into you if your wearing them over bare skin. A lot of styles have a sleeve built in that not only helps to fix this problem but works to keep the pads in place as well.

WRIST GUARDS- With wrist guards you almost have to try them on. When you do, make sure your wrist is supported enough that it isn’t allowed to bend beyond 45 degrees. You want guards that have a splint on both sides. Those splints should fit to the natural contours of your hand and should have as few pressure points as possible.

GLOVES- Gloves are easy. You’re simply looking for comfort and breathability. Then, depending on the terrain you ride, you may need to sacrifice some breathablility for durability.

Gloves give you a nice sense of confidence and allow you to touch the ground, if necessary, without tearing the skin off your fingers or catching a handful of thorns.

Protective gear is very important to the sport of mountainboarding. Not only does it help to prevent injury, but it allows us, as riders, to continue to evolve. We are able to break barriers instead of bones, and write new chapters in the history of mountainboarding.

Any mountainboarder who has done any riding has felt the terrible wrath of speed wobbles. What seemed like a smooth, controlled ride suddenly turns into a violent struggle for balance. The board takes on a mind of its own as it darts from right to left. The trucks become extremely sensitive to the slightest movement or the smallest rock. You become a ticking time bomb, and more often than not, you lose.

A physics lesson is not necessary as I’m sure we can all agree that speed wobbles are, as the name suggests, caused by speed. Both body weight and the speed in which you ride (either due to the steepness of the hill or the terrain you’re on), are part of the equation that causes the wobbles. With speed being a good friend to many a mountainboarder, experience and technology has brought us ways to prevent the ugly side of speed from showing its face.

Your board has a few features that help to defend against this:

First, you can always lower your tire pressure to prevent gaining too much speed, but then you’re not living so let’s move on.

Second, most trucks are equipped with a hex bolt directly over the springs which can be adjusted. This either compresses or decompresses your springs, depending on which way you turn it. The more compressed your springs, the stiffer the ride, and the faster you can ride without speed wobbles.

The last piece of technology available is what’s called egg shocks, or torsion cubes depending on who makes your trucks. These are placed inside your springs (or in the middle of your trucks if you’re using torsion cubes) and further stiffens the compression. There are different levels of stiffness available so that you can tailor to your specific needs.

Of course, even after proper adjustments have been made, we sometimes find ourselves reaching a speed that is just a little faster than what we prepared for. There’s a few things we can do once the wobbling begins. Most importantly, focus and stay calm. Your goal is to slow your board down gradually. Keep in mind that the response time of your board is now much quicker. You will need to fight to maintain your balance and unless you want to wreck, the best way to stay on your board is to mentally eliminate the option of wrecking. Once you consider the option it’s over. Mountainboarding is full of mind games, isn’t it great.