There’s something beautiful about a long day of mountainboarding on dirt. One can’t help but notice how the dust in the air from an aggressive powerslide appears to dance in the light of a setting sun. Even the sound of your wheels rolling over the dry crumbling earth has an almost musical effect. Is all this real or is it simply the result of too many wrecks. You decide.

There are many of us who have developed a strange kind of love for the dirt we ride. It seems odd as most humans seek to avoid dirt. The mountainboarding dirt lover, on the other hand, searches for it. Hard packed and sun-dried, soft and crumbly, or wet and muddy, all its varieties are welcomed and equally embraced.

Dirt provides a ride like no other substance can offer. It moves and shifts under your wheels almost as if it has waited its whole existence for the sport of mountainboarding to grace its surface. Its sensitivity to weather make it ever changing and often unpredictable. Sun, wind, and rain gradually mold our playground in order to provide us with new riding opportunities.

Let us not forget our good friend Dirt. As we mountainboard its dusty surfaces, let us not consider it to be simply another peice of earth to ride. Surley it is more. It is Dirt. Let your apreciation reflect in your ride as you carve your tracks into its surface. If you wreck, take a moment to enjoy the cloud of dust that applauds your efforts.

Perhaps these thoughts really are brought on by a few too many wrecks. Whatever the case, to those who share similar feelings, for us the ride is all the more enjoyable. So grab your mountainboard and your gear and go out to thank your local dirt.

A while back we posted this video of an unknown rider as part of an article about Wanyi Park. Then we posted it again later just because we could.

The second time we posted this made us curious as to who the rider was. So after an intense search (20-30 minutes), we found him. I took it upon myself to interview the mystery rider.

As it turns out, our Wanyi Park regular is none other than the amazing Nicky “Stirrups” Geerse. Nicky lives near Amsterdam and rides with the BFC Team. He is sponsored by Forest7, MBS Europe, and of course, BFC. Currently recovering from a wicked knee injury, Stirrups is axious to get back on his board.

I had limited time with Nicky as he was heading off to do some filming and judging at a nearby mountainboard competition. Despite his busy schedule, I was able to get a few questions answered…

Q: So you go by Stirrups?
A: Yeah don’t know why, it is even a bigger mystery than what BFC stands for. you should ask the BFC why they came up with that name.

Q: How long have you been riding.
A: About a year of 4.

Q: So I know you’re recovering from a knee injury, what’s that all about?
A: In December I kind of screwed up my knee when I did a frontflip of an uprail on a too flat landing. I could barely walk after that and 7 days later I had a mountainboard videoshoot for a TV channel. In short: I did try to board, too big of a jump too flat landing, Snap!
I’ve had surgury 4 months ago and still need about 2 months of physical therapy.

Q: What tricks have you been working on?
A: Not much since I haven’t been boarding since December, but usually i try to throw down innovating stuff. Been doing some FS 270 to boardslide 270 off, FS boardslide 270, switch FS boardslide 270 out, back corck 7ns, tree tappin’, one footed extravaganza etc.

Q: What is your favorite trick and why?
A: Laid out flips. they just feel amazing.

Q: Boardercross, Freestyle, Big air, Downhill… What’s your flavor?
A: Freestyle.

Q: What got you into mountainboarding?
A: Internet

Q: Are there any riders that inspire you?
A: Too many!

Q: Goals for the future?
A: Getting back to where I used to be and having fun.

The last couple of weeks Mountainboard.net has been posting sections of One 5 Media’s, “Shralpdown!” their latest mountainboard video. If you haven’t already watched it you can watch the whole thing at www.onefivemedia.com.

Shralpdown! has been captured it full HD in order to deliver an amazingly crisp view of some of the best riding out there. Personally I love the editing job- killer film effects that really set the mood. I’m a freeride guy so I wanted to see more carving and mountain riding, the video was heavy freestyle but still good.

Check it out for yourselves and post your comments on this page. Everyone has their own opinion, what’s yours?

Boardology’s mountainboard girly camp, “DirtFlirt 2008,” was a huge success. The following is their report on the event:

The boom in the number of people taking up boardsports in the UK over the last 10 years has brought about an exciting twist the evolution of the female species. These once demure, fine creatures who sat on the sidelines cheering on the fellas are hatching out of their molds with frenzied speed, sticking a board to their feet and are KICKING BUTT!! This wonderful creation has provided the opportunity for the development of the ‘Girly Camp’ concept where girls can go and learn to ride and grow their skills in a girl-only environment.

So, for years there have been surfing camps, snowboarding camps and skate camps, but last year girl-owned internet board sports retailer Boardology.co.uk teamed up with South West Mountainboarding Centre in Devon to present the World’s first Mountainboarding Girly Camp. Following on from its success and a demand for more, the 2nd Camp (now nicked-named ‘DirtFlirt’ camp), hosted by Hales Superbole Mountainboarding Centre, has just chucked out its latest bunch of mountainboarding graduates after a gruelling 2 days on the lush hills of Chester.

Twenty gutsy girls ranging from newbies to accomplished riders hit the slopes under the expert guidance of the Hales Superbole ATBA qualified instructors. After splitting the group into ability level, the newbs were taught the essentials such as powersliding and carving whilst the advanced group tackled the kickers and boardercross, polishing their technique and style. The girls were further inspired by an impressive freestyle demo by the Hales superbole team, Ladies World Freestyle Champ Jos Kirkman, and Sophie Friedel. Confidence mounted throughout the day and after a very civilised stop for tea and cake even the newbies were flying off the kickers and nailing indie grabs! The evening’s campfire was surrounded a very stoked bunch of girls especially on presentation of the goody bags stuffed with amazing array of cosmetics from Lush, Les Ettes and the Co-op, vouchers from Scar Tissue, stickers from all the sponsors, Boardology t-shirts, gear from Brunotti, Northcore and the DirtFlirt trademark knickers!

Day 2 saw no end to the achievement with confidence levels peaking and everyone trying something they had never done before with spectacular results. The ominous weather held off until all were huddled under the shelter of the Superbole hut for the prize-giving. At that point the heavens opened in a triumphant downpour – a fitting tribute to the very weary, bruised but exceptionally proud ladies of the 2nd Dirt Flirt Camp.

Prizes included a Fat Face Mountainboard, MBS Atom Longboard and MBS Vixen Mountainboard; Clothing from NIKITA, SP snowboarding gear, MBS and Scar Tissue; and Perfume by Les Ettes, Accessories and DVDs from Brunotti and Wind Designs; and 2 VIP tickets to the Fat Face Night Air Freestyle Champs.

Most Improved Newbie Rider award: Felicity Bullamore (Cooler Magazine VIP winner)

Runner up: Amy-Jayne Dutton

Most Improved Advanced Rider: Vicky Holmes

Spirit of the Sport Award: Vicky and Kyrienne Holmes (Mum and daughter duo)

Thanks to all the sponsors for their generosity and for their valuable contribution towards girls mountainboarding.

SHRALPDOWN! OFFICIAL PREMIERE AT WAHOOS

Want to help support the International Mountainboard Freestyle Invitational that’s coming up in October? Well you can, this Friday One 5 Media is presenting an official premiere of their most recent mountainboard video, “Shralpdown!”

Hang with friends, win prizes, watch a mountainboard video, eat tacos, music, happy hour… Sounds like a great way to support the IMFI.

The whole thing goes down at Wahoos Fish Tacos, 1521 Blake, Denver, CO, USA, on Friday the 15th, that’s this coming Friday! The ruckus begins at 7pm and continues strong until 11pm with beats by DJ Matty K.

Email evan@one5media.com for more information.

GERMAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2008

Also this weekend is the boardercross and freestyle events taking place in Willingen, Germany. This three day event is scheduled to begin on the 15th and end on the 17th. For more details, check out www.atbagermany.de.

THE SEARCH FOR “THAT GUY”

In Last week’s “Dirt of the Week” we kicked off an official search for the identity of the rider whose you tube video we had been watching. Well we found him! Turns out it was the amazing Nicky “Stirrups” Geerse, who rides with BFC. Stirrups has done a lot more with the sport of mountainboarding than tweak a couple 720 attempts so we contacted him and conducted a mini interview which will be posted later on this week.

Here’s what Ground Industries themselves has to say:
Finally an ATB travel Bag truly designed for travel. Whether you are going across town or around the world, your board and gear will get to where you want to go safe & sound. The conveniently placed shoulder straps and hip harness make long terminal hikes seem like a walk on the beach. And when you’re ready for a little backcountry riding, the bag quickly converts into a daypack with horizontal board carrying and a Large Stow and Go pocket for all the necessities. The inside of the Bag is lined with a durable insulating layer that keeps your gear cool in the heat & can be washed out with a hose in a pinch. So, throw in your dirty board & gear and all of your messes are safely confined until your next clean up opportunity arrives.

• Travel worthy 600 Dinear Nylon outer.
• Dual function Travel Mode and Day pack Mode.
• Insulated to protect your goods especially composites from heat.
• Heat resistant “Easy Clean” inner.
• Fits 1 complete with wheels on or two completes with wheels off, plus gear.
• Ergonomic shoulder and waist straps for convenient hands free carrying.

But who cares what the dealer says, here’s my own personal review!

What better time to test out the Ground Industries Sherpa Board Bag than on a trip to Alaska. I have to admit, saying goodbye to my boards as I checked them in made me worry a little, but soon I was on the plane and eating strange pretzels. All I could do was wait until landing to find out if my boards survived the trip.

My main concern was the axles. The Sherpa Board Bag is built to hold one board with wheels and gear or two boards with wheels off and some gear. I was packing two boards and the exposed axles made me nervous as I imagined some huge piece of luggage being thrown onto my bag and tweaking something.

The outer material is tough. It looks like you could drag the thing behind your car for miles before it would wear through (no, I haven’t tried that yet). The zipper appears to be pretty bomb proof as well although I avoided testing it out too much as a busted zipper makes for a miserable day.

Overall I was impressed. Ground Industries though of everything when they designed this thing. The interior is lined with some kind of space-age looking reflective stuff that protects the boards from the sun (especially composite decks and kites). The whole bag is made to get as dirty as we do and can be cleaned with hose or strapped to the top of your car in the car wash if you wanted (haven’t tried that one yet either).

The bag is also designed to fold up into thirds and attach to itself, forming a backpack. A roomy outside pocket gives you room for gear and the backpack can easily be wrapped around your board for horizontal hauling if you’re hiking for you ride.

I tested out this backpack because I had my doubts, but it proved to work pretty well. The board sets in the haul position very comfortably and doesn’t cut up you pack like it does on a regular pack. The pocket had enough room to hold all my pads, with the exception of my helmet which I clipped to the outside. Riding with the pack was a little weird as the pack is wider than what I‘m used to, but I got used to it pretty quick.

Finally, as I got off the plan and after waiting anxiously at the baggage claim I found my board in one piece. The Ground Industries Sherpa Board Bag is a good piece of gear. Built to last and not a bad price. If you’re a traveling rider I definitely recommend this product.

Each week MountainBoard.net posts the news and events for the world of mountainboarding. We do our best to stay on top of all that is going on but we can always use help. If you know of an event or other news related issue, or if you have your own local event you’re hosting, email us at Editor@MountainBoard.net.

This weekend, the 9th and 10th, Belgium is throwing down another event at Wanyi Park. Along with the music festival, Wanyi Park will be filling the air with the sounds of true dirt slashing with boarder cross, big air, and a rail jam competition.

You can find more information at www.mountainboard.be.

I know we posted this video the last time there was an event at Wanyi Park but we just can’t seem to tire of watching this guy fall.

Although we love to see this guy slam into the ground over and over again, we should all give him credit for his dedication. He definitely kept at it until he finally nailed it. So we want to thank him not only for the quality entertainment but also for his classic example of the “get back up and ride” attitude that is essential to a true mountainboarder.

If you are “That Guy,” or if you know him, please email us so that we can get in contact with you. We think it would be even more entertaining to get a little background information on him. The search for “That Guy” begins!

Also, MBS just released the results from the 2008 US Open!

Each week MountainBoard.net posts the news and events for the world of mountainboarding. We do our best to stay on top of all that is going on but we can always use help. If you know of an event or other news related issue, or if you have your own local event you’re hosting, email us at Editor@MountainBoard.net.

This week is a quiet one as far as mountainboarding news and events goes. But France has kept the week from total silence.

Loge des Gardes, France is hosting a “Film n’ Ride” contest that will take place starting on August 1st and finishing on August 3rd. The event has attracted pro riders world wide and is sure to lure in a good number of spectator as well. There will be multiple film crews scattered throughout the course collecting footage for 2009 mountainboard DVDs.

You can find more information at www.logedesgardes.com (click here if you don’t speak French)

Last week we talked about fractures, this week we will discuss one of the most common injuries in the sport of mountainboarding, “road rash.” At first it doesn’t seem too bad, it gives you something to show off- a nice visual aid to go with your post-ride story. Then it starts to get miserable. Scabs, restless nights, ooze, and a long healing process.

So what do you do? How do you best treat it for the quickest recovery?

Before you can do anything, you need to equip yourself (preferably before the you wreck):

• Bottle of water

• Wash cloth

• A mild antibacterial liquid soap

• Antibiotic Ointment (e.g. Neosporin)

• Non-stick gauze pads

• Self adhering gauze wrap

The first thing you want to do after the wreck is inspect the injury. There are different types of road rash, some more serious than others. If you’ve completely peeled away the skin layer and you feel like you’re in science class when you look at it, then you probably need professional medical attention. The skin can’t heal if too much of the underneath stuff is messed up, or missing.

On the other hand, sometimes road rash effects only a very thin layer of the surface of the skin. These types need hardly any attention at all. Just keep them clean and dry and they heal themselves.

The road rash we will discuss is the kind that fall between the two we just mentioned. These are the kind that sting, throb, and ooze. The following steps are for this kind of injury:

1. Clean the area. If nothing else is done at the crash site, you should at least clean the area. This is done with water, a wash cloth, and mild antibiotic liquid soap (most sporting goods stores sell small empty containers that can easily be filled with soap and packed away). Avoid using hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, or anything like that as they’ve been found to mess with the healing process. Scrubbing too hard will also make things worse. If you’re not able to clean away dirt and debris with gentle washing, you can soak the area until it is soft enough to work with.

2. Once clean, pat the area dry.

3. Apply antibiotic ointment (e.g. Neosporin).

4. Cover the area with a non-stick gauze pad. If you’re gauze pad is not a non-stick type, you’ll regret it later.

5. With a self adhering gauze, wrap the area (some areas are not able to hold a wrap, like the back for example. The non-stick gauze pad will have to do for these areas). The wrap will help to secure and protect the gauze pad so it can do its job.

A few last words…

The road rash is an injury that requires daily maintenance. Your goal is to keep the wound moist, covered, and clean. Only the lightest of skin abrasions should be left to scab and “heal on their own.” When they are deeper, we want to avoid the scabbing process. Scabs tend to crack and they don’t allow enough oxygen to pass through for proper healing.

Keeping the area moist helps to prevent the scabbing process. Each day you need to remove the dressing, clean the area with soap and water, and remove any slimy film (the beginning of scab formation). Then apply the antibiotic ointment (e.g. Neosporin) and a new dressing as you did before. Within a week or two you should start seeing a healthy pink color and the oozing should be done. After this point, covering becomes optional.

So now that you’re a pro at treating road rash, go out and tear up the hill side. If you’re lucky you’ll get to practice what you’ve learned.

 

Mountainboards take quite a beating and keep rolling. After a long day of riding, it’s not unusual for your board to be jammed with dirt, mud, grass, and whatever else you thrashed that day. Post-ride maintenance is an important habit to develop. Not only does it keep your board running smoother for longer, it also helps to prevent problems on the mountain when you might not be prepared to deal with it.

The level of maintenance you do depends on many factors: how hard you rode, what you rode on, if water was involved, if you live in a dry or wet place, and many more. I do most of my riding in coastal areas, so I have to deal with rust issues more than some riders. Typically I do the post-ride maintenance described below after each day of riding, then once a month or sometimes every other month, I’ll do some deeper mountainboard maintenance work.

The following maintenance steps are for an MBS mountainboard. Some differences might exist for other types of mountainboards.

1. First thing I do after inspecting my mountianboard for any obvious damage is assemble my tools: a rag, a toothbrush of some sort, tool (what ever you need to remove your wheels, and tighten the hardware on your trucks and bindings), water, and or Tri-Flow, or anything that claims to penetrate, clean, fight rust, and lubricate.

2. Remove wheels.

3. Wipe wheel bearing with rag and brush edges with toothbrush.

4. Squirt a small amount of WD-40 on a rag and wipe wheel bearing, break up any rust with toothbrush, then dry with rag.

5. Squirt with WD-40 each of the hub screws, then dry with rag.

6. Squirt with WD-40 each of the axle nuts, then dry with rag.

7. Set wheels aside.

8. Clean axles, using rag and WD-40, then dry with rag.

9. Wipe off any dirt from kingpin, kingpin nut, and kingpin bearings (both sides of truck), the same way you did for the wheel bearings.

10. Squirt each of these parts with WD-40 including the space between the metal and the plastic parts of the truck, then dry with rag.

11. If mountainboard has been squeaking a lot, squirt a small amount of WD-40 between the trucks and the deck. This sometimes does the trick.

12. Pour water on the rag and wipe clean the deck, then dry. This isn’t necessary but I do it as a way of bonding with my mountainboard. Take care of your board and it’ll take care of you.

13. Put wheels back on.

14. Tighten all hardware on bindings, and trucks.

Regular maintenance will keep your board happy. Don’t dread it. It’s a time to bond with your mountainboard and reflect on the ride.