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Mountainboarding at the CLA Game Fair 2008

Thursday, July 31st, 2008

After months of preparation and planning it was finally time. We loaded up and set off in convoy. It took the entire MBS fleet to get us and all our kit to Blenheim Palace where the CLA Game Fair 2008 was taking place. We would be doing our Big Air Show with the MBS Pro Ramp and Team. On top of that, we would be running a Hire and Ride operation alongside the ramp. This gives us the opportunity to capitalise on the enthusiasm created by our ramp show and get people to try out mountainboarding. Our aim is to get more and more people from all walks of life into the sport. The massive crowds of the CLA Game Fair are the perfect opportunity.

The drive is steady. Towing a massive trailer limits our travel speed to around 60mph. Once we get there and sort our event passes out it is time to set up. The team have got this down to a fine art now. Within a few hours we are set up. Fat Face, who sponsor the Pro Ramp were there to support us too. They brought a load more banners and signage too. After setting up the ramp and hire and ride area, we set up camp down by the river.

Friday morning at 8am we were woken up and lept (very slowly) into action. The gates open at 9am and we had to set up. All the boards and pads for the hire and ride had to be prepared and cups of (very expensive) coffee had to be drank. On top of that the ramp needed health and safety checking. The sun was out and strong already. The shows all went down really well. There were good crowds and it was a beautiful day and a beautiful setting. The hire and ride had a steady flow of kids coming through, as well as the occasional older kid.

It was a very hot weekend. Before you knew it, we were all sun burnt (some mad tan lines on the backs of our legs), and were very thankful when Fat Face found an extra tent to provide the Hire and Ride team a little shade. The Pro Team were struggling a little with the heat too. Wearing pads whilst climbing up the ladder is very hot work.

The long weekend flew by. We taught hundreds of people to mountainboard, the shows went down a storm, the weather was beautiful, and we had a great spot down by the river.

See more photos of the MBS Pro Ramp at the CLA Game Fair 2008.

Winterberg Park Opening Weekend

Monday, July 21st, 2008

After building the park and training the staff, our next visit to Winterberg Mountain boarding park was for the grand opening on the 19th and 20th of July. There was free riding available for all who came, and a lot of press had gathered to watch and report on the event. We sent 3 riders over to Winterberg to support the event and our German riders. The three riders representing the UK were Stu Lugger, Joe Dickson and Tom Kirkman.

Again the weather did not cooperate leading to another wet event. However there was a good number of people at the event both in terms of riders and spectators. As you can see from the photos the riders got a little muddy but it is nothing they have not done before.

We hope people realise what an amazing place this is and make sure to visit Winterberg if they have a chance.

See more photos of the Winterberg park opening weekend.

Building Winterberg Mountainboard Centre

Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

Winterberg was a big project. We had been in discussions for months and site visits had been made. The time had come for AJ Watkins, our top park builder, responsible for many of the UK’s mountainboard centres, and Tom Kirkman, former World Freestyle Champion, to head out to Germany and start the building work.

Winterberg is based near Dortmund in Germany and operates as a ski and snowboard resort in the winter and run an excellent bike park in the summer. They wanted to make more out of their park in the summer, and mountainboarding was a perfect match.

They cleared some trees to make some space for an epic boarder cross track. After a week in a digger, and a whole lot of tracking in with a quad, raking and stone picking the track was complete. This track is about a kilometre in length and very fast. Very conveniently it ends right next to the lift access. Very few UK centres enjoy lifts like this. Tom Kirkman was there to test it out and make sure the track was running well.

On top of this a beginners area and a freestyle area were built. A lot of the park is designed so it can be used in winter too. Hence the freestyle area is raised quite high, in order to cater for a nice layer of snow.

Without a doubt Winterberg is now one of the best mountainboard centres in the world. Tom and AJ trained up a group of locals into instructors, and we sent them a full fleet of MBS mountain boards. Very soon the park will open to the public and we know people will travel from all over Europe to ride there.

See more photos of AJ and Tom building Winterberg mountainboard park.