Swadlincote Ski & Snowboard Centre

Website

Location

Went here the other day with brother Rob for some snowboarding action. Cost us £15 for an hour and half with equipment hire included.
I've only riden at Tamworth Snowdome previously, so riding the artificial surface was a bit strange- felt similar to thick Velcro.
Apparently the trick is to ride like you would on ice and if you can ride here, then the real thing is a doddle. mmm.
Two lessons were taking place when we were there but other than that it was quiet. I assume that it may get busier towards christmas.
Friendly staff which is always a bonus.
We had to declare that we were both able to do linked turns in order to ride without instruction. Whilst linked turns were easily do-able at the snowdome, I found it a lot harder to do at Swadlincote. Non of the staff seemed to mind though and let me get on with the falling over.
Didn't bother with helmet. Just wore gloves and kneepads. Under the surface felt springy and I think the worst you can do is get a burn from exposed flesh on the surface. Despite this, on an earlier occasion, Robs gf managed to break both arms independantly there somehow so the risks are definetly there.
So, in conclusion, whilst I preferred riding at Tamworth Snowdome, with Swadlincote being closer to Derby and slightly cheeper (depending on offers), I will be back there soon.
Edit: Updates for spelling mistakes and to state the at peak times (December - Feb) the price goes up by £2 and the centre is much busier. I can also thoroughly recommend the option of a burger for an addition £1 on admission.

Mountainboarding

We don't get much snow in the UK, but we do have plenty of hills and mountainboarding sort of fills the gap inbetween.

I usually describe my mountain board either as a snowboard with wheels, or as an offroad skateboard but pictures are much better so check the links.

A normal mountainboard will feature a ~1m length board with 8-10" chunky tyres, trucks (type depending on rider weight) and some sort of foot binding (from simple strap over the foot, to full bindings, to snowboard style bindings). Similar to snowboarding, being fully strapped to the board allows the rider to directly control the board beneath their feet, and by locking the feet in place results in far less lower body injuries from flailing legs or twisted knees etc.

Rider protection is entirely optional, though if you ride at a dedicated mountainboard centre, the minimum gear required is helmet, elbow pads, kneepads, wrist guards and either heelstaps or a leash to prevent the board from flying off in the event of a crash. Optional extras include padded shorts, body armour including spine protection, and full face helmets.

The largest manufacturers that I can think of right now are MBS, noSno, Trampa and Scrub, though others are available. Prices start at around £100 - £1000+. Basic pad package can be bought for £25 and a helmet for £20. Like everything in life, you do get more for spending a bit more on these sort of things.

I bought my original MBS Comp 16 Pro (complete) for £175 off ebay.
Upgrades included:
trampa dampers* yellow and green - £10 each
heel straps - ~£30
Leon Robbins Pro deck - £150

*dampers - rubber inserts that fit in the truck stiffening the movement of the wheels against the board. Trampa dampers fit better than standards MBS egg shocks for some reason.

Usefull links include:
ATBsports - Forum where most of the UK riders seem to post. Friendly bunch.

Spot Location - Alvaston, Derby - Freebord

As mentioned previously, I intend to include spot guides in the blog. No thoughts as yet on the best format so I may well edit this entire post at a later date. Anyways, lets give it a go:

Alvaston Bypass Underpass

Location <-Click
Surface Type: Pavement
Width: 5m approx
Surface Condition: Very Smooth
Steepness: Relatively Shallow
Board Used: Freebord
Run length: ~115m max (taken from google maps)
# of cars: None, it's all off-road
# of pedestrians: About 2 an hour
Skill Suitability: Beginners / Practice Session

To anyone thats done any kind of downhill boarding, this location will seem ridiculous, but being shallow, smooth, no cracks and extremely quiet, this is a perfect spot to learn to freebord. With two slopes, one steeper and short, the other shallower, longer and with a sweeping bend this spot allowed me to carve and to start practicing slides with almost no one around to bump into, and at no time get faster than was possible to run out of.

To the side of the path is small stones and drainage and grass so no worries about running wide. The underpass has a bit of broken bottles and rubbish but nothing too bad to ride over. If kids do loiter there, they are not there during weekday lunchtimes which is when I try to go. At 5-minutes drive from the office, it a great spot to get away from things and freebord in peace.

Parking is tricky with no official parking spots so I park just off the roundabout to the north west.

Video hopefully to come soon. Must find a way to work out gradient.

Freebord

I first heard of Freebord (no ‘a’) through the mountainboard forums as a skate/long board that behaves more like a snowboard than any other board but on the roads. ‘Snowboard the streets’ as you might say. Its main feature is the two pivoted caster wheels underneath that allow the board to slip sideways allowing not just carving but the ability to slide in a controlled manner.

Anyways

Freebord Ride explained - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98-RhKZwJG4 Note the ability to stop very quickly if desired.

The ‘how to ride’ video that comes with the board -http://www.freebord.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13790 (can be a little misleading by making it look easier to ride than it actually is)

The original ‘how to ride video’ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDI-u7PGzcQ&feature=related (some people prefer this one to the one above)

Freebord main webpage - http://www.freebord.com/main.html

Freebord forum - http://www.freebord.com/forum/index.php

Afraid to ask? - http://www.freebord.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7002

A Derby freeborder (not me) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nJYLUHn580

I bought my bord in August 2008 i.e. I am a total beginner. I aim to document my progress through this blog as I (hopefully) improve.

I bought my bord from Bucks Boarding Centre, Milton Keynes. The people are nice, helpful and ride themselves which helps a lot. A range of Corporate / Revolt / Fader in sizes 80 / 83 / 85 (board length) and choice of bindings were available though I’m sure stock fluctuates. One thing to note is that the G3 range of boards are now available in the US and these will filter through to the UK hopefully sometimes soon. Upgrade wheels as recommended by the forums were not available at the time but I hope to comment on these as time progresses.
Freebords are not cheap at approximately £165 for a complete setup, as there is one manufacturer and they are US based. Like all things, ebay is your friend if money is not immediately available.
The best piece of advice I have been given so far is in the 3rd video from the top.
“Freebording looks easy. It isn’t”
Damn right.

Kelstedge Mountainboard Centre

Slightly out of order from my intentions but I'm doing a spot guide to Kelstedge Mountainboard Centre (KMC) as they close this season at the end of September and I didn't want to leave this till next year. I was hoping to write an introduction to mountain boarding first before doing this but hey ho!

Anyways...KMC is where I learned to mountain board back in September 2006. Pretty much all you need to know can be found through the website LINKY including opening times, prices, etc.

I really like the place as the people are friendly, I can get there in around half an hours drive, and most of the features are challenging enough for me but I know that I'm not going to kill myself. They also allow me to pay up front so I don't need to remember cash each and everytime.

Features include large grassy slope to learn the basics up to 2 man boarder-x and freestyle area. There is also a nice freeride bit that I really need to get my arse over sometime soon.

Numbers fluctuate but there are usually between 6-12 on the slope not incuding those having lessons. The quietest times are when GCSE's/A-level exams are in place. On many occations I am far from the youngest there which makes a change from the skate scene.

All good fun unless you expect nothing less than that seen at the Fat Face comps.

Location

Any general questions leave a response or call the number on the website and ask for Mishy or Steve or reply and arrange a visit with me sometime. As stated above, the centre will close after the last week in September and will (hopefully) reopen around April of next year. Note that all equipment is hire-able unless you have your own kit in which full pads (helmet, wrist guards, elbow pads, knee pads and heel straps/leash) are a requirement. KMC is only normally open at weekends, but negotiations with cash is possible! Also note that there is no credit card facilities on site so it's cash or cheque all the way!

I'll add more / edit to make more pretty / edit to make more legiable as and when I get opportunity.

EDIT: KMC reopens 2nd May 2009 - WooHoo!

Cheers!

Contents

Re-reading through my initial post, I quickly realised that I didn't clarify what I would be blogging about. In brief, I fully intend to write about:

1 - Me. It's my blog so who better! Although I only intend at this stage to include board related items. This may change.
2 - Boarding, primarily mountain boarding, longboarding and freebording. This list of boards may increase or decrease as I latch myself onto 'the next big thing'.
3 - A spot guide to locations I have personally ridden. No thoughts yet on format or information contained, but this should iron itself out over time. Includes dedicated centres and free-riding.
4 - Descriptions of places I have visited that warrant a return visit with a board of some type.
5 - Response to feedback should I get any. hahaha.

Like all things of this nature, this is all subject to change, but so far so good.

Introduction

Hello and welcome to my blog. This is my first attempt at blogging and came about through the need to get all my musings down in one place on all things boardy. I am not a writer as is probably apparent, and am pretty rubbish at all things boardy. This has not stopped me so far....

I guess an introduction is only polite so hey, I'm Ade, how do you do.

I am (at the time of writing) 29 and approximately a month away from turning 30. This is not normally considered middle aged, but in a world where most skateboarders retire at 18, I feel the blog name is appropriate. I have a long term gf and a mortgage and I think far too much about boarding far too much. Perhaps if I write all my thoughts down I will be able to get on with the important things a bit more - free my mind so to speak.

My first go on a skateboard was at the age of 8 when my brother got an old style fish-shaped board. Living on a gravelly cul-de-sac meant that this never amounted to much till later in life.

My second go on a skateboard was at the age of 10 on my mates brothers board in the school playground. In any other story, this would be the inspiration to a whole new world of boarding. However, I don't remember being so fussed to do anything about it.

At the age of 16 I took up wind-surfing for a while. Wind surfing is wicked. Knackering, but wicked all the same. Wind surfing has a few things that make it harder to keep up as a hobby that shall be described later at some point.

At the age of 18 made a snowboardy type board using brothers old fish board facing backwards and holding on with a bit of string. Fun but without any control whatsoever and I don't recall having half of much snow in the midlands since that winter.

In 2006 my mum paid for my brother and I to have an hours lesson mountain boarding at KMC in north Derbyshire. This lead to me buying off ebay a board that I have been using at least once a week for most weeks since. More information about this later.

In December 2007 on a whim, I bought a long board. More information about this later.

In May 2008 I tried snowboarding at Tamworth Snowdome. More information about this later.

In August 2008 I bought a Freebord. More information about this later.

So, this'll do for a start. With best intentions, I intend to update this weekly, though we'll see what happens. It's as much about the experiment as anything else.

Cheers,

Ade