6 Weeks till 'Dave': Round 2, Saturday 18th August

Feeling sad that your favourite 4 wheeled mode of transport isn't being represented at the Olympic Games?  Try the World Alternative Games Instead.
http://www.worldalternativegames.co.uk/events/mountain-boarding/

or as it's better known to the Mountainboarding Community:

ATBA Downhill Round 2, Saturday 18th August 2012!

Just over 6 weeks to go until Round 2 of the ATBA Downhill Series at Esgair Dafydd or 'Dave' is round once again.  Very similar to last years event, and like Round 1 earlier this year up in Whinlatter, Lake District, we can expect to see high speed straights, technical cornering and incredibly close action as riders from across the UK compete to get down this tried-and-tested 1.4 mile, 9-cornered track in the fastest time.

Using the synchronised-watch system of clocking the riders in and out of the start and finish gates, riders get the opportunity to complete the course as many times as their stamina will allow with their fastest time being the one that counts.  Take advantage of the on-site uplift to maximise your riding without compromising on the climbing and make the most of the empty track which will be closed to other vehicles on race day.

All of this can be yours for £10 if you are an annual ATBA members or £20 for Day Members i.e those without ATBA membership who want to join in the fun.  Or get your membership now and save money all over the place!

Located near Llanwrtyd Wells, on the A483 in between Buith Wells and Llandovery, Post code: LD5 4TE, this track is pretty remote for everyone so camping may appeal to those travelling a bit further.  I'll add in some camping details here as and when they emerge.

Want to join in the discussion prior to the event?  The official ATBA Page has all the info and the official Facebook Page has all the discussion.

For those that haven't ridden a downhill event before or want to know a little more about the intricacies of riding 'Dave', read on!

"What are you looking forward to at this years event?"

In all honesty, it's basically a dusty track miles from anywhere.  Why do some of last years riders want to do it all again?

Jay rides noSno and since last years event has upgraded to hydraulic brakes for improved speed control.  He say that he is looking forward to bettering his time from last year on this challenging track, whilst making the most of the uplift and enjoying the friendly competition between riders.

Brennig is an innovator in mountainboarding development and creativity and constantly works on updates to his 'nompa' (Trampa/noSno mashup).  You can read all about his adventures at the 'Where the party is' blog and he simply says that he is looking forward to "actually getting out and riding" and adds that "it's an awesome track".

Chris, author of the 'Freeride NW' blog has switched his Comp 26 from last year to a noSno and hopes to improve on previous times by straight-lining the long section before 'Rogers Corner' (Corner '2' on map) without fear of speed wobble.  He too looks forward to catching up with loads of riders.

"What advice or Dave tips would you give to someone who hasn't ridden a downhill event or Dave before?"

It's a long way to go just to crash out on the first corner so we asked a few of last years riders to provide some hints and tips for the first timers.  So without giving away all of Dave's secrets (we don't want everyone to beat us!), here are some of the responses.

Jay says:

"pad up (of course), bring food and drink, have fun, and have some more fun"

Worth restating to take all of the supplies that you think you may need - food, water, spare equipment.  It's a long way from nowhere if you suddenly get the munchies or a flat tyre!  But above all, have fun - we look forward to catching up with as many of you as possible on the day!

Brennig says:

"Riding Brake-less? Practise your sliding and scrubbing, take it slow at first, you have all day to get a good time and you only need one. Pump up your tyres a little bit more every run and try lots of different lines. If you're going to crash the bushes are your friends.

Riding with a brake? Bomb those straights and don't brake too often, after Rogers corner (corner '2' on map above) try not to use it at all. And don't forget to enjoy yourself."

Its a good point to make that whilst many people will be riding with brakes, many others ride without and the fastest times of last year were all done brake-less.  It was an eye-opener last year to be overtaken on one of the practice runs by Steve Morris who was riding brake-less but who had far better cornering technique.  At Dave, equipment may assist, but good riding technique is essential for a good time.

Chris B says:

"Practice your cornering (especially heel sides)(Chris rides goofy). Other than speed tucking (which is beyond me anyway) it seems the biggest thing that affects your time is your ability to take corners at speed. Dave has about 9 of them; alternating heel side and toe sides.


There isn't much difference in time between brakes/brake-less at a high level, but for intermediates, brake boarders seem to have an easier time of things.


Don't try and blitz it early on; if you come off and injure yourself on a practice run or your 1st run its no fun."

Speed tucking?  Roger S writes a little about it here, giving plenty of food for thought and also some related interesting articles on Competition Strategy and Cornering.  Point to note that even if you're not going for a full Brazilian speed tuck, that you will be holding a mountainboarding stance for approximately 3.5  to 6 minutes depending on track times.  Multiply this time by 4 or even 5 times for the number of runs on the day and it soon becomes obvious why the day can be tiring.  Spending a few minutes every day holding a pose may reap rewards on the day, or at the very least mean that your legs aren't like jelly after the first couple of runs.

And Chris' point about not injuring yourself on the first run?  It's happened at the last two events now to riders on the first practice run on the first corner so it's definitely worth a mention.

Anything Else???

Some great responses above.  All that I would add is to try and get a good nights sleep the night before.  It can be a long day and is tiring, even with all of the vehicle up-lifts.

Dave has been described by many as 'the top where you try and limit the speed, followed by the rest where you try and maintain the speed'.  This is because of the long, reasonably steep straights leading to the first tight couple of corners.  However, brake too much at this point and it is difficult to regain speed on the lower, shallower half of the course.  In particular, try to maintain speed on the last corner as it is a relatively long straight to the finish - easier said than done with reasonably large rocks on the apex of the corner!

Finally, for those that just want to sit back and watch some videos, a couple for you:  The official 2011 promotional reel, followed by Travis' on board competition run.

Operation: Convert a Snowboarder

Here's the scenario.  For the past couple of years we've had pretty good snow here in the Midlands and with fingers crossed, we'll get some more this winter.  Each time it snows, Allestree Park gets a reasonable number of snowboarders, a popular destination due to its reasonably long and steep slope (fairway) and its close proximity to Derby city centre.  Weather conditions last November were especially bad and so venturing out further into the peaks was particularly sketchy.

The plan this time round is very similar to last years - to chat to as many snowboarders as possible and explain that we ride these hills and the surrounding area all year round, and ultimately to try and convert some of them to the dirt-side.  This time however, I'll be a little more organised and will be arming myself with a few ATBA flyers with the facebook derby details scribbled on the back.  Maybe it'll be worth laminating them so they don't get wrecked in the snow.......

Its worth keeping some flyers to hand generally for those occasions when you get chatting to the dog walkers and a selection of promotional material can be downloaded from the ATBA-UK website.
So, fingers crossed we get some reasonable snow some time this winter, and perhaps we'll get some new riders in the area.  Watch this space.....

Giving Birth to RAD Mag...

It's the tricks Tom Kirkman rejects that makes Tom Kirkman the best.


Giving Birth To RAD mag! from tom kirkman on Vimeo.

The Ultimate Mountainboard How-To Video Guide!

Sometimes it's easier to copy than to describe, so 'do as we do, not as we say', is the premise here.  There a quite a few videos on-line where people have taken the time to produce quality short films showing you exactly how they would repair their mountainboard or tweak a shifty or something...  All that I've done is compiled a list of some of the better ones and linked to them below.

I'll update this post as and when more videos are found so hopefully it should be pretty comprehensive.  Feel free to suggest further links either covering more subjects, or if there are ones that are better than the ones below.  Alternatively, feel free to make your own and show the others how it should be done.  If there are videos that you would like to see, but can't find, then shout and we'll see what we can do here!


Set-Up / Maintenance

'Bindings Tutorial'  by JDiurba
'How to change a tire' by munroboards
'Changing Griptape' by munroboards
'Painting Your Board' by Terrainriders
'Filling and Bleeding a HS33 Rim Brake' by Magura 

 Egg-shocks
'The 'easy' method' by AdeMcC
'Second Spring'  by enotramone
'Changing Truck Springs'  by munroboards


Riding Technique

'How to Tic-Tac' by Jasper James
'Scrubbing Speed' by Jasper James
'How to Drop In on a Hill' by Jasper James
'Nose Control Tutorial' by JDiurba
'Jumping Tutorial' by JDiurba
'One Foot and Backflip Tutorial' by JDiurba
'Frontside 180'  by agline27
'Noseroll 180'  by munroboards
'How to Drop In' by munroboards
'Power Slide' by boardoffroad

How to change a set of MBS egg shocks in under two minutes...

...without breaking into a sweat.

So, this is me dipping my toe into video blogging.  Shot a video a couple of nights ago and recorded some audio yesterday.  Thought it may be quicker than text and pictures but actually took much, much longer.  Still, I know the basics now, which is always useful.



Hope it's explanatory enough and  helps a few people, otherwise it's back to the ramblings!  If anyone has any better ways of changing egg shocks or wants to share their maintenance videos, then please get in touch!  Alternatively, if you have any suggestions for any further videos then let me know, Cheers!

Why did I sell my board?

Sometimes the hardest thing about getting people to mountainboard is persuading them to have a go in the first place.  Some people do decide to buy a board but then decide to sell on again.  A quick search on ebay reveals a little about some of the reasons why....

Tits and motors!

"This was my sons Mountain Board and we had some really great fun with it but he's now 17 and isn't interested in anything that doesn't have an engine or a chest!!!"

Link

What reason not to buy?! (The Death Machine!)

"Fancy 3 months of work with a broken leg? Then this is the sport for you! Imagine the thrill of hurtling downhill towards trees, rocks, and sheep, with nothing between you and imminent disaster but an oversized skateboard! Brilliant! ...... I'm selling it cos I haven't really used it since I moved back to the midlands, not cos I'm too scared of it anymore, honest!"

Link

Brake, or no brake, Your choice!

"the brake can be removed if wanted but it is useful for hills that dont have anywhere for slowing down, except for the hedge"

Link

It's not a fault, it's a feature

"there is one of the foot straps missing and i don't have it i find it better like this as its safer for the beginers."

Link 

What could go wrong....

"Selling as I’ve broken my leg and am now skint."

Link 

Bad timing....

"PURCHASED AS PRESENT FOR DAUGHTERS BOYFRIEND WEEK BEFORE THEY BROKE UP"

Link

What's the long term risk?

"I bought 4 years ago from Newquay and used it in anger only once

I realised my kness wouldn't cope and stopped and put it into storage"

Link

Young man's sport

"I'm selling it because I haven't really used it for sometime - getting too old, and perhaps could use the money for something else, not because I'm too scared of it anymore, honest!"

Link

Serious point in all of this being that there are some great bargains to be found on ebay from people who like the idea of mountainboarding, but don't actually like the reality.  Walking uphill isn't to everyones tastes, especially with a 7kg board dragging behind you, and a fall, even at slow speed without pads can really hurt.  Many people reach a point where they feel that without other riders in the area, they are unmotivated to go ride or get bored of their local hills and don't feel like exploring a little further.

On a different slant, perhaps if you see someone selling locally then consider sending them a message and ask if they want to go for a ride if they don't sell?  You may be the motivation that gets them riding again and you'll have a new riding mate.  Otherwise, get in there and make the most of the depreciation.  A few spares are always useful!

Mountainboard Cable Cam

I'll be astonished if you haven't seen or been directed to this video by one of the electronic mountainboard outlets, but hey, on the off chance that you haven't....




"More Coming Soon"?  Fantastic news!

New Website: mountainboarding.uk.com

From the lovely people at the ATBA (All Terrain Boarding Association) and the equally lovely arty-types at Remolition, comes a new website aimed at those who have either just starting out boarding, or simply fancy having a go and want to find out more information.

Go, have a read and if anyone asks you about your wobbly 4x4 boarding, you can point then in the direction of: http://www.mountainboarding.uk.com/

It even has a link to here, so they must be good!  Nice work website people!

Mountainboard Maintenance - A Beginners Guide

Fair-weather rider looking to dust off the board ready for Summer?  Or all-year-round rider looking to maintain the board after a wet Winter?  Then now is as good a time as any to do a complete board maintenance session!

In a nutshell, my advice to you is to do the following to all items:

1. Clean, 
2. Investigate,
3. Tighten,
4. Repair/Replace.

Clean the muck off so that you can clearly investigate all items for wear and tear.  Tighten nuts, screws and bolts and then repair or replace any items where required.

Read on though if you want a more in-depth guide.

Note that this guide is written primarily written for an MBS board, mainly because the photograph collection comes from my own workshop. Contributions for other systems are most welcome!  Note that whilst provided in a step-by-step guide, there isn't really an order to any of this; just do the jobs that you have the time for and look like the most fun.

Do remember that however much maintenance you do on your board, that due to the nature of what we do, that things will break and things will wear out.  This normal wear and tear can be anticipated to a certain degree and by keeping the right supplies in stock, shouldn't prevent a days riding.

More importantly though, by knowing your board, and the condition that it is in, you are far more likely to prevent an accident brought on by sudden equipment malfunction.  Even if you are lucky to break equipment and remain unhurt, through knowing your board, repairs are that much quicker and you can be back on the slopes that much faster.  Bonus all round!

But anyway, the wife is in front of the telly watching a evening of soaps, so lets get dirty!

Cracking Article at Remolition on the Perception of Safety

http://www.remolition.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=224:perception-of-mountainboarding&catid=4&Itemid=11

Go read, then read all the other great articles and features as featured at Remolition.
When your done there then read and follow the Remolition Blog.
Then become a Remolition fan on Facebook.

With their high production values, I assure you that you wont be disappointed!

Mountainboarders Meet-up Map

Whilst going solo has it's thrills, the freedom to do everything at your own pace and the fun of doing things for your own sake, riding with others ups the game, reveals new lines you probably hadn't even considered and has the added benefit that if it all goes wrong, someone's there to phone the ambulance man.

But many people don't know of other people in the area who mountainboard and get bored as a result.  However, Remolitions Artful Rogers has handily put together a mountainboarders Meet-up map where people can see who else is in there area to contact, or can put up their own details and hope that someone gets in touch with them!  The more people, the better for everyone, and remember, you don't have to be specific with your tag, just something in the right town or region.  This should at least stop the stalkers/burglers from knowing where you live.



View Mountainboarders Meet-up Map in a larger map

MBS Mountain Boards - Old vs New

Typical scenario, you want to buy a mountain board but don't want to pay a fortune so buy a second hand MBS board (other manufactures available).  You have a great time and spend all day riding and all night dreaming and so decide to buy a brand new board; but wait - the new boards all have different names and constructions!??! How to compare?  The simple advice is either to a) visit a centre and try out a few different boards that they have on offer, b) ask for advice through the forums, or c) check through the tables below and try to figure it out!

Before we go too far, it should be pointed out that the old MBS naming convention of Comp 16 or Comp 26X referred to the approximate overall board length, i.e. 118cm and 134cm respectively; whilst the new MBS naming convention of Comp 95 or Pro 100 refers to the deck length of 95cm or 100cm respectively.  In a sense, the new naming convention works better than the old as a Comp 26X deck wouldn't be 10cm longer than a Comp 16 deck as a Comp 26X would be issued with 9" tyres as opposed to the Comp 16's 8" 'ers.  Or something like that.....  Confused? Heres a fun table:

Old Board	Length (cm)	Weight (kg)
MBS Pro 16 (Leon Robbins)	118	6.7
MBS Comp 26X	134	10.5
MBS Comp 16	118	6.8
MBS Comp 6*	106	6.5
MBS Core 16	117	7.4
MBS Core 8	108	5.4
MBS Core 1*	98	5.1
Jeep Renegade	108	7
Jeep CJ-5*	91	5.7
MBS Atom	106	5.4
MBS Atom Lowrider	99	3.3
MBS Longboard	112	3.8
New Boards	Length (cm)	Weight (kg)
MBS Pro 100	119	7.26
MBS Pro 95	109	7
MBS Pro 90	104	5.2
MBS Comp 95X	120	9
MBS Comp 95	116	6.5
MBS Comp 90	108	5.9
MBS Core 95	110	6.2
MBS Core 90	104	5.4
MBS Atom 95X	110	7
MBS Atom 95	110	6.9
MBS Pro 95*	109	7
MBS Pro 90*	104	5.2
MBS Comp 90*	108	5.9
MBS Core 90*	104	5.4
MBS Atom 80X*	91	5.4
* designates junior boards

Maybe the following will help.  Below are the 'Board Chooser' tables as supplied by MBS back in the day.  I don't know which day specifically so I'm going to guess at pre '07.  The two tables show similar information but neither are exclusive, so I've included both.

 

This can be compared to MBS' newest range by going straight to the 'Product Selector' here.

I've got a bit of the old literature originally provided by MBS with their original boards and intend to gradually post the interesting bits here (assuming MBS don't mind???).  I'd have thought its all good publicity.

Edit: Edited sections where I was being an idiot-hole 

Edit 2: Confirmation of MBS naming conventions clarified here!

How to make a mountain board go faster? Better Bearings?

Was reading through random google links over the weekend when I came across some fella on yahoo questions asking about which bearings were the best as he wanted to go faster.  Fair enough!

Bearings, a particular talking point in the skating community usually comes down so some bloke with anecdotal data who swears his mega bucks bearings are fantastic, verses those who advise to save their money on good old reliable cheap (but not mega cheap) equivalents.

A lot of the myths and confusions does seem to revolve around bearing standards and Lush Longboards (whos longboards are non coincidently lush!) do a great job of explaining things here.

If we want to transcribe the data above to mountain boarding, then its probably safe to say that we do not speed as fast as downhill longboards, our wheels have larger diameters than downhill longboarders; therefore it should be safe to say that our bearings rotate slower than downhill longboarders.  In this case, the advice above given by Lush about not seeing the benefit of fitting expensive bearings should equally apply to us.

Good bearings can be bought straight from ATBSports from here, £10 for 8.  I've looked previously online for equivalent bearings straight from the manufacturer, best I could do was £2.50 each plus p&p.

So, going back to the original question about making a mountain board go faster, I can think of the following: (feel free to add your own!)

• Pump up tires - more pump = more umph!
  
• Steeper slope - let gravity do its magic!
  
• Smoother slope - tarmacs quicker than deep grass!
  
• Dryer slope - don't get stuck in the mud!
  
• Wear Lycra - you perv!

Edit: thought of a couple more....

• Fit larger tires - 9 or 10 inch or even larger
• Make sure your axle nuts aren't too tight - hand tighten and then release by quarter or half a turn or so.

And by stating the obvious, heading straight down the hill will be quicker than cutting across it.

Ps the resolved Y! answer was 'Kite buggy bearings'....

Pps, need more pictures, I can never be arsed to add pictures : (

Pump Review - BikeHut Suspension Shock Pump for Mountain Board use

After 18 months of use, my BikeHut Suspension Shock Pump finally gave up the ghost, that is to say that when using, tires deflate quicker than you can inflate. This appears to be due to washers that have deteriorated rather than anything physically breaking or wearing out so, if I can get hold of some replacement washers, I will.
Still, seems to be a good time to give it a review as any so here we go!

I bought this specifically for its small size - around 6 inches, and the handy gauge that purports to go up to 300 psi... I don't know how accurate the gauge was, but at least it did mean that I could inflate to the same amount each time for each tire. The screw on valve attachment was also handy and easy attachable compared to some of the bulky quick release versions that couldn't fit to the valves being so close to the rims. The pump also has a decent bleed valve for further adjustment. Seems to be solidly construct with metal shaft and housing.

On the downside, inflating even an 8 inch tire to 40 psi took time and many, many pumps which was knackering, took a while to use and I suspected was the reason for the pump wearing out quicker than it would normally. Also, although the pump was small, it was still too large to fit in my camelbak and so would typically remain in the boot of the car.

20 quid from Halfords here so about midrange price range and I do intend to repair, if I can track down the right size washers. I did need a pump though in the meantime, so with size out the window, I've bought a Top Joe Blow Sport Pump here, review to follow in about a year, or if it breaks in the meantime. Just for those that are curious about my links, I am all for supporting my local bike shop, but I visited a handful in and around Derby and the selection of pumps was terrible!

New ATBA-UK Website

Just a heads up on the new ATBA-UK website

Linky

Home page to the 'All-Terrain-Boarding-Association', the not for profit, membership organisation set up to administer, represent and promote the sport of mountain boarding.

Website under construction so check in periodically.

MBS Rockstar Pros

After my Rockstar hubs went a bit 50p shaped, decided to upgrade to the Rockstar Pros

Linky

Not a huge amount to say about them, except the ride feels a bit smoother due to less wheel wobble than before.

To give a indication of weight difference, the Pros weighed between 163-165 grams, whilst the Standards weighed 140-141 grams. Weight in both cases did not include spacers, bearings, or tyres, but did include nuts and bolts. This equates to a weight increase of around 94 grams for 4 tyres i.e. not very much really.

Converting the hubs over took around half an hour although most of this was taken hunting round for a correct size spanner and removing the old Rockstars, them being quite a tight fit onto the tyres. One method that worked really well was to pop the really sticky ones into the freezer for 15 minutes. This either causes the hubs to shrink slightly, or the tyre to become rigid enough to come straight off. Tip taken from mbs.com.

The benifits of the Pros are as follows as taken from ATBSports website:

The Extra strength allows them to be run on harder pressures for higher speed and faster accelleration on race tracks. The web design also adds extra side forces strength for kite flying. Available as just hubs or with bearings and also as a single hub for replacements and now in Black and Gold options as well as the chrome standards.

The outer rim edges are the same as a standard hub so they can be run at all normal pressures without breakages they do not need to be run max pressure.

These are also narrower than a standard rockstar making the tyre sit higher and run faster. All in all the top of the line hub that performs as well as it looks.

Mountainboarding Wiki

News taken from ATBSports forums user Dunstan:

link

Searching for mountainboarding through wikipedia now links to a much better page than before detailing the history of the sport and a good detail about the diversity and range of activites going on around the globe. Link below:

link

Egg Shocks verses Trampa Dampas

MBS Egg Shocks (Left) and Trampa Dampas (Right)

MBS Egg Shocks

From the website:

The MBS Eggshocks are the small plastic/rubber dampers that fit inside the springs on the board to dampen vibrations such as speed wobble. They do wear over time and are worth replacing after about a year of use. Also heavier riders or riders wanting higher speeds would be worth upgrading to stiffer shocks.

Yellow Eggshocks - Medium - set of 4 - Intended to add stability.
             For a stiffer ride than springs alone - Yellow for a GS feel. (GS??)
Orange Eggshocks - Hard - set of 4 - Intended to add stability.
             For a super-stiff ride - Orange for downhill and Big Air.
Red Eggshocks - Hard - set of 4 - Intended to add stability.
             For a super-stiff ride - RED for Speed and Big Air.

£10 per pack of 4 + p&p from ATBSports here!

Trampa Dampas

From the website:

The Trampa Dampa is a specifically designed elastomer which due to its special shape fits perfectly into the cap of most spring designed or Channel / Matrix truck.

The design incorporates 3 Balls which are stacked ontop of each other, sligtly larger in overall length and width than any other Egg shaped elastomer, the result gives a more progressive compression allowing confident high speed steering for the rider

Yellow 65shore Medium
Green >75 shore Hard
Blue 85 shore Super stiff

£10 each (pack of 4) + p&p from Trampa here!

Edit: Noticed that Red (80 shore) and White (90 shore) are now available

Definition of 'shore' here

Comparison

My original board came equip with yellow (medium) egg shocks. I was advised by Nathan of Team BAD (Bristol and District group) to upgrade to Trampa Dampas of which I bought a set of yellow (mediums). To prevent speed wobbles, I then changed to a set of green (hard) Trampa Dampas.

Trampa Dampas have the advantage of being longer than egg shocks that result in less cranking down of the springs required before damping starts when turning. This in turn puts less stress on the springs so I guess in theory the springs should last longer.  I imagine (though cannot back it up) that given the length of the dampas, there is less chance of them popping out accidentally.  I cannot understand why MBS made their egg shocks require so much cranking in order to become effective?  In reality, it takes me less time to set up and get riding much quicker.

For me the green Trampa Dampas run great in all types of mountain board disciplines, except for freestyle and big air in which I am openly rubbish.  I reckon its been a couple of years since original instillation and they still look absolutely fine, if a little grubby.

It should be noted that I weigh around 13-14 stone at present and lighter / heavier riders and riding style will have an effect on what damping system (if indeed used at all) is preferred.

Allestree Park

Work in progress......

Allestree Park, situated just off the A6 between Derby and Duffield is a nice location for free ride mountain boarding having everything to wide grassy slopes to off the path darting through the trees. Due to the size of the park it is not unknown for people to struggle to find other people who have turned up earlier or to find particular fun features.

It should be noted that while the majority of the wide open spots are associated with the golf club, the locals have a habit of walking where they like, and the public footpaths are a little ambiguious. So, mind the golf balls, and don't worry about the rangers - I've never had a run in with anyone. Just don't mess up the greens, right?!

Anyway, firstly parking can be one of three main parking spots:
Parking 1 - Off the A6 when signposted for the park. Follow the road along and either follow it left towards the big car park space, or park before it turns left by the tree and access the site on foot along the path. The parking spot of choice for those who like to climb first, ride downhill back. If you believe local legend, be careful of the doggers.
Parking 2 - Top of the hill with access straight into 'Big Wood'. Can get busy at weekends though is probably the best spot for getting to the fun the quickest. Is indicated on the 'sketch' below.
Parking 3 - Just another alternative. No specific parking; the dog walkers just park at the end of this lane before wandering onto the park. I also mention this spot as I believe that there is potential in the path directly west of this location, but that further investigation is required.

Lovingly stolen from the ATBSports forum is the following sketch showing several locations:
Its roughly correct and indicates Parking Location #2 above. Whilst it shows many of the features available, it is in no way exhaustive and many other areas should be explored depending on what type of riding is preferred. Hopefully a fuller map will be put together by myself before too long...
But for starters, several features can be found by following a rough line between the water tower (found by following the road from Parking Location 2 north) and the M of 'Main Slope', including a new I found at the weekend that drops off sharply to begin with and then runs for approximately 60 metres through the trees following the tree line to the east. Very nice to ride after a bit of wet weather as it makes the ground very forgiving and opens up more lines that might have been previously a bit beyond the abilities.
The main slope itself starts nicely dropping sharply away from the greens a couple of times but then is a little featureless and a little too shallow for anyone with a little experience unless you seek out the undulations here and there. May benefit from larger tyres??

There is plenty to go on here, so best thing is to give it a go and report back here or on the ATBSports forums. I'll try and update post when possible.

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.