The Longboard Skateboard

Skateboarding has come a very long way in recent years. Its no longer a underground sport thanks to professional skaters like Tony Hawk who helped pave the way for the multi-billion dollar industry it has become. Street skating in the 70's gave way to the Vert Ramp style's of the 80's and 90's. Today there has been a big move back to freestyle skating in competition. In between the street and vert competitive world of skating there is a a more mellow yet still very exciting niche of boards known as the longboard skateboard.

Longboard surfing of the 50's also produced a style of skating. Longboard skateboards are mostly used for cruising. Southern California is famous for its board walks along the beaches where longboard skaters can go cruising for miles with little effort at all. Longboard skateboards are also used in competitive skating in events like downhills racing and slalom racing. Longboard skating closely mimics surfing with big arching turns and more fluid motion. Some believe this style of skating got its start in Hawaii. When there were no waves surfers took to the streets on their longboard skateboards and surfed concrete.

The modern longboard skateboard comes in all shapes and sizes depending on the type of skating you want to do. Most longboard skateboards measure anywhere from 35 to 60 inches in length. They are predominately made of wood or a composite of wood and other materials. How much the board flexes will dictate what type of style the board will adhere too. So each skater is different and will prefer either a more flexing board for responsiveness or a board that is stiffer that is much easier to push and cruise with. Downhill boards tend to be a bit stiffer so the rider is able to build a lot of speed without having to worry about warble. Falling at 50 mph is not fun.

The tails of longboard skateboards will be cut differently for various styles of skating also. Pin tail boards are great because the allow the skater to ride with looser trucks, which are the metal base that the wheels are attached to. A looser style allows the skater to have a more fluid, surf like style. Wheels play a big roll in longboard skating. Wheels will come in varying degree's of hardness based on the type of skating a skater is doing. They are easily changed out and taken off the trucks based on terrain. Harder wheels are used for speed and downhill riding where as softer wheels are used often for cruising and arching turns on hills. Wheels tend to be a matter of preference for skaters and based on skill level certain people will ride certain wheels based on what they want to do.

Longboard skateboards have become a great mode of transportation on college campuses and in small communities nation wide. You just as likely to see people longboard skateboarding in Aspen, Colorado as you are to see people on them on the boardwalks of Venice Beach, California.

If you haven't given this style of skating a try yet and your looking for a great form of exercise this is a fun why to get around. Be sure you where a helmet at a minimum. The pavement is not very forgiving. If you're athletic and have picked up surfing or snowboarding, longboard skateboards will feel very natural under your feet. As with many of these high impact progressive sports it is a matter of putting in the time to enjoy it. Be sure to surf online and check out all the different styles are out there. The longboard skateboard is here to stay that's for sure. Give it a try at least once in your life. Its a blast.