Overview:
A cross between surfing and skateboarding, mountain boarding is now used by the US Olympic Snowboard team to keep up their sharpness in the off season. It's something pretty darn different for those who have tried all the standard stuff in the past and a big adrenaline rush to boot.
This purpose built site set in the hills of the Yorkshire countryside is one of the UK’s first dedicated mountain board layouts. There is a maximum of 20 boards permitted on the 7 slopes at any 1 time so you're guaranteed to have the place pretty much to yourselves for the whole session.
The Course:
The hills on this property have been specially adapted to provide a good range of riding experiences from beginners right on up to advanced exponents of the art. The seven different riding areas each have their own characteristics, from small bumps and jumps to banked turns, ramps, kickers and gravel powerslides (bring some sticking plasters for this part). Each area has been graded and named just like a ski slope.
1. Far Slope - beginners
2. The Furrows - beginners
3. The Rattler - advanced
4. The Rattler II - advanced
5. Main Slope - advanced
6. The Trees - intermediate
7. The Pines - beginners
On the Slopes:
When you arrive you will be outfitted with a board and all the safety gear – helmets, knee & elbow pads wrist guards etc – and run through the basic safety requirements. From there you’ll get some pointers in elementary board handling techniques and then it's onto the slopes.
You will be left alone for 15 mins on one of the easy sections to get the hang of it, before a quick look over from the instructor to make sure you're ready for the good stuff. From there you are left largely to your own devices and can choose to step it up gradually, or head straight for ‘The Rattler’ and risk a bit of skin.
A two hour session will leave even those of you with a relative level of fitness pretty well tuckered out by the end of it and ready for a hard earned drink. There are sure to be plenty of stories and perhaps a few war wounds as well.
Duration:
- Sessions run for 2 hours.
- A ½ hour safety briefing is conducted prior to the start of the session.