All-terrain board
Allterrainboard (German "Allgeländebrett") or mountain board (general name) is a fun sports device . It is visually and technically a mixture of skateboard and snowboard and is equipped with pneumatic tires so that it can be used on any surface.
history
Worldwide
By the early 1990s, snowboarding down the slopes in winter wasn't enough for some snowboarders from the United States , so the idea arose of finding an alternative for the summer months. Based on the construction and design of snowboards and skateboards , the all-terrain board (ATB) or mountain board was created after various development phases - the name illustrates the ability to ride on almost all surfaces.
After some enthusiastic fun athletes quickly found each other in America and this new fun sport spread rapidly, athletes from Europe also began to listen over the Internet. The trend from America first migrated to England and France , and then found supporters in all other European countries. In England in particular, a functioning community with sponsors and organizers formed who, in constant cooperation with the functionaries from America, copied the standards and thus created a dynamic scene, which to this day differs greatly from the level of performance in other countries.
After there had been national competitions, they wanted to compete in international competitions and therefore the first world championship was organized in cooperation between Belgian and English boarders, which took place in England, Belgium , France , Spain , the Czech Republic and Germany and based on a previously established point system ensured the same opportunities for all participants. However, this trend of a world championship ("World Series") has been limited to a small number of venues over the years, as the organizers had to recognize that it was not possible for the boarders to attend all dates. This is why the term "Open" (e.g. German Open) has been formed to this day, which stands for the open national championship with scores for international competition.
Germany
The development started with the enthusiasm for mountainboarding in England when a German developer (Karl Kroher) took up the idea of mountainboarding and produced the first boards in a Bavarian workshop. In search of interested boarders, advertising for the sport was mainly carried out in the Sauerland , and so an active community was formed in Germany from 2002 with the first base on a ski slope in Halver . After more and more active boarders have found each other over the years or have become aware of the sport via the Internet and the mass media , in cooperation with the associations of other countries, a station of the world championships was held in 2004 in Lenggries, Germany, and thus mountain boarding popular.
In the meantime, with the establishment of the All-Terrain-Boarding-Association (ATBA-Germany), a central association has been founded to organize the community and to organize national and international events in Germany, as well as youth camps.
Thanks to the good cooperation, further bases have now formed in addition to Halver in Willingen (Upland). The highlight in 2008 was the opening of a mountain board park in Winterberg, which was promoted by the lift operators as an attraction for tourists in summer and has since been regularly visited by international boarders and at the same time gives the opportunity to take courses for beginners.
Structure and components
The mountainboard essentially consists of a deck, wheels, bindings and axles. The sophisticated construction ensures an almost perfect snowboard feeling. The time and experience brought some innovations with it, such as the channel truck axles, which in contrast to the normal skate axles (as you can also find them on a skateboard) guarantee a stable driving style and thus safety for the boarder.
deck
As with the skateboard, the basis of the mountainboard is the so-called deck . This is the area on which the driver ( rider ) is. It is in size between the deck of the skateboard and snowboard. However, it is much more stable than that of the skateboard because it is laminated with fiberglass and other plastics in addition to wood. Each deck has a certain flexibility ( flex ), which gives the mountainboard the resilient properties under load, which is required for jumps through the terrain or in freestyle . The decks are built differently depending on the purpose, so that longer and more rigid decks are used for downhill and boarder-X , but shorter and more flexible designs are preferred for freestyle.
Ties
The hold on the mountain board is guaranteed by bindings mounted on the deck. There are two different types of bindings: The first are the snowboard bindings, which attach the rider to the board so tightly that they cannot jump off. However, the more commonly used bindings are stiff loops into which the feet are only pushed. This ensures a firm hold, as the foot is fixed against upward movement, but the driver is still able to jump off to the side.
Wheels / tires
The wheels / tires consist of casings mounted on rims with tubes which i. d. Usually do not exceed the size of a disc. Depending on the surface, you can choose between different treaded tires, whereby the air pressure (~ 2.5 bar) is decisive for the acceleration and speed as this influences the rolling resistance. The position of the tires is to the side next to the deck, which is made possible by extended axles in order to keep the driver's center of gravity as low as possible and thus guarantee a stable driving position.
axes
The wheels are mounted on the axles, for which conventional skateboard axles were used in the beginning . They are made of aluminum and are mostly used today in kite landboarding and downhill . In the meantime, so-called “channel trucks” have also been developed. They are usually made of steel and are therefore heavier than the skateboard trucks. The channel trucks are equipped with individually adjustable shock absorbers and springs, which make the mountain board smoother.
Driving styles
Similar to snowboarding, there are four different riding styles: "Downhill", "Boarder-X", "Freestyle" and "Kiteboarding".
Downhill
Due to the relationship to snowboarding, downhill was the original type of mountain boarding. In principle, it corresponds to alpine snowboarding, in which the slope is skied and various jumps are made over jumps ( kickers ). Downhill off-piste, for example through a wooded area, is known as freeride . In the competition, in the "Downhill" discipline, one rides against the clock alone on a given route in order to determine the placements for the "Boarder-X".
Boarder-X
At "Boarder-X" at least two drivers compete against each other on a given route in the knockout system. In contrast to "downhill", there are often body touches and collisions which also increase the tension for the spectators, as the outcome of a passage can often be decided at the last second.
Freestyle
The freestyle style, in which the rider does various tricks and jumps, was developed by the skateboarders . The obstacles, jumps and halfpipes used or included are summarized under the umbrella term obstacle .
Kiteboarding
The majority of mountain boarders are kite landboarders . With this style, you can be pulled by so-called steering mats (rodless kites). These build up an enormous pulling force, so that when there is enough wind you can make meter high and wide jumps. You can basically see it as kitesurfing in the country.
Course
The first German mountain board park is located in Winterberg in the Sauerland . A tug and a chairlift of the ski lift carousel Winterberg transport the athletes to five different routes of varying difficulty, including a Mountain boarder-cross course and a green slope.
Remarks
- ↑ Fun on the slopes without any snow . In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger / Rhein-Sieg-Anzeiger (Cologne, No. 170, July 23, 2008)
