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Introduction to Mountainboarding
| All-Terrain
Boarding also known as Mountain boarding or Off Road Boarding is one of
the fastest growing actions sports worldwide. Often described as a combination of snowboarding, skateboarding and
mountain biking, the sport is widely participated in, visually stunning
and definitely extreme. The
top ATB riders are pushing the limits of the sport further and further
each year with aerial maneuvers and multiple spinning freestyle tricks,
all while riding over dirt, grass and other surfaces.
Tracing its roots to the 1970’s the sport is actively
participated in by over 1 million athletes worldwide (Wall Street Journal,
April 16th 1998) with an estimated 6000+ participants in the UK.
The sport is now starting to be used for cross marketing with other
products. Ford recently used
the boards in their advertising about the Ford Edge and Nissan in the
marketing for the X-Terra.
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All-Terrain
Boards have been around in one form or another since the early 1970’s.
For many years skateboarders have attempted to ride their boards
off road using various designs that employ oversize wheels capable of
handling the rough terrain. The
sport has developed principally through grass roots participation.
Individual riders and companies have developed their own unique designs
and have contributed to the sport through furthering participation in the
sport in their respective countries.
The sport has received increased interest since 1995, as the first
high performance boards became available around the world.
Technology in the sport has steadily increased with complex
suspension, steering mechanisms, brake technology, composite materials and
other advances. Most boards
sold use four wheels; however there are designs that use two to eight
wheels. From the early days
there has been a competitive element encompassing racing and freestyle.
Competitions have been organised in USA since 1994 and in the UK
since 1997. The numbers of
competitors and spectators in the UK have been steadily increasing over
the years with a growth of approximately 100% a year.
This year the UK Championship is moving from a one-day event to a
full series to accommodate the number of entrants and further promote and
publicise the sport.
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present state of the sport is very exhilarating as it sweeps across the
globe. ATB riding has
established itself as one of the fastest growing sports worldwide with
participants in over thirty countries.
Presently there are over twenty-five Manufacturers or Brands and
the sport continues to grow rapidly.
The sport has been shown on many major TV shows, significant
magazines and newspapers. In
the UK it has been seen on BBC, ITV, C4, C5 and Sky TV as well as national
and local press. There are some of the worlds top extreme athletes using
ATB’s, even some of the USA snowboard team have used and endorsed the
boards. The level of
competition has increased dramatically with riders pushing the limits of
safety and sanity within the sport throwing huge air tricks and speeds
exceeding 50mph downhill.
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For more indepth views on mountainboarding check out the wiki article: