Mountain Boarding or Dirtboarding, is a new board sport derived from snowboarding. It was originally intended to take the place of snowboarding during warm months while there was no snow available. It was only in the last 4 or 5 years that mountain boarding has developed into a sport in its own right.
 
Board description
A mountain board is similar to an oversized skateboard. The size of the deck is shorter than the average snowboard, being approximately 100 cm in length and with either three or four wheels. The wheels consist of small plastic hubs with tyres of between 8" and 12" diameter. The wheel size varies depending on the type of riding. For example, an 8" wheel would be for freestyle riding and jumping and larger wheels would be used by a downhill rider. Like a snowboard (and unlike a skateboard), the feet of the rider are attached to the board deck with bindings - though boots are not required. Most modern mountain boards also have 'channel trucks', which are a little like skateboard trucks but are spring-loaded to stiffen up turning abilities. 

Riding styles
The two main styles of Mountain Boarding are downhill (either racing or freeride) and freestyle. Freeride downhill is performed on a variety of terrain - from ski resorts when the snow has melted away, to downhill mountain bike courses, to woodlands and forests. More and more dedicated centres are being opened around the world specifically for the sport of Mountain Boarding. Racing tends to be either a slalom – where two riders weaving between poles, or boarder cross; a category of racing that is similar to BMX courses, with berms and jumps.

Freestyle riding consists of ramp jumping; performing tricks including rotations (180, 360 or more degree turns), inverted tricks (back flips, front flips), and board grabs.

A variation of mountain boarding, using a power kite is known as KiteATB.

History
Rick Wilson of San Diego, California, invented the first wheels used for Mountain/Dirtboarding in the early 1990s. Rick's wheels, known as "XT Wheels", were composed of a plastic core with rubber tractor-tyre-style tread. The wheels were typically mounted on standard skateboards. Early Dirtboarders customised longboards (about 36") using uncut skateboard decks from Vision Skateboards and configured them with 215 mm Independent trucks and German sealed bearings. Sky Hooks were often used for bindings, facilitating increased control with the ability to quickly change stance. Use the Your Leisure Time Quick Search to find Mountain Boarding locations and contacts in the UK.