Longboarding’s fans are on a roll

By Stephen Krcmar
August 18, 2008

IT WAS the lure of the snow that drew Jia Yee to longboard skateboarding almost two years ago. The UCLA biology student loved the feeling of schussing down a mountain on a snowboard – but she was less enthusiastic about the cost of the winter sport, its seasonal nature and the necessary travel.

Longboarding seemed like a good way to get the same rush. With longer decks than their shortboard brethren (usually about 38 inches instead of 30 inches), they are more stable at higher speeds and their softer wheels provide better grip. Further, their trucks, which connect the board to the wheels, are designed for turning (rather than for tricks like “grinding” across curbs or down handrails). These three qualities suggested to Yee that fun was as close as the nearest patch of pavement. Her hunch was right.

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Forget bicycles, some MSU students prefer longboards

October 16, 2008 — By Evelyn Boswell, MSU News Service

BOZEMAN — James Binkley skis all over the West, but he wouldn’t even need to leave Montana State University to hit the slopes.

The sophomore from Alaska is one of at least 30 students who ride longboards down the hills of MSU and across campus to reach their classes. More convenient than bicycles and faster than walking, longboards are distinctly longer than skateboards. Students say they’re used more for transportation than tricks.

Binkley rode a 46-inch longboard down the street on a recent fall day. Reed O’Brien rode a 48-inch “Never Summer.” Travis Schademan rode a 40-inch Carvestik and had a 45-inch board at home. Nick Hensley rode a 34-inch “Loaded Vanguard” but said a former roommate had a board more than eight feet long.

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