Mountain boarding, also known as dirt boarding or all-terrain boarding (ATB), is a well established extreme sport. All you need is a mountain board and a good hill or designated course but, if you can’t find one of them, other terrains will do. Try a  BMX course or mountainbike trail.

The sport came to the UK in the early nineties and has been growing in popularity ever since. Mountain boarding came out of snowboarding when riders were bored when there was no snow around. The only differences between snowboarding and mountain boarding are the wheels, the hard ground and the temperature. This is a very accessible extreme sport. Just find a hill!

There are two different types of mountain boarding styles:

• Free Ride - Riders take on a variety of terrains from grass and dirt hills to downhill mountain bike courses.

• Racing – This tends to be either slalom (riders weave between poles in the fastest time), a BMX race course or a time trail downhill course.

The boards consist of four inflatable wheels, trucks, suspension, board and feet straps. The size of the wheels depends on the type of boarding you will be doing. Free style/free ride mountain boards generally use a 8” wheel, whereas downhill and racing boards go for the larger wheel. Mountain boards are also used in Kite Land boarding.