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.