Mountainboarding at the MEGA RAMP

June 29, 2020 Dylan Warren

The Mega Ramp… You may have seen it in the X Games or Nitro Circus but have you seen one in a backyard? Well Keefer Wilson a 13 year old Skateboarder has one in his and boy is it Mega!

I have known Keefer for years now. Every time I see him at the skate park he always says “When are you coming to ride Mega?”. So we finally we dialed in a date and drove down to his parents beautiful property in Gippsland. As soon as we arrived we watched Keefer fly down his super steep driveway on a drift trike. He really is an adrenaline junkie. It’s probably why he travels the world with Nitro Circus and competes at the X Games in Skateboard Big Air.

Before we started our session on the Mega Ramp we wanted to warm up. So we went and checked out his shed. Now this wasn’t any ordinary shed. This shed had been converted into the ultimate hang out space. Complete with accommodation for their Mega Camps and a full size mini ramp! We spent the morning skating the mini ramp and got the airbag fired up. After a few flips into the airbag we were ready to check out the Mega.

Ricky Glaser VS the airbag by Oliver Dauncey

The Mega Ramp is so massive that they drained their old dam and built the ramp in it. The 1/4 pipe alone is a massive 27ft tall! There is 3 kickers all with different gaps and the roll in has many different places to drop in from varying in different heights. It was time to ride… Now admittedly we were all pretty nervous. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone ride a Mountainboard on a Mega Ramp with a full size 1/4 pipe. The 1/4 pipe was definitely the scariest bit. It also holds the record for the tallest 1/4 pipe in the southern hemisphere. My tactic was to deflate my wheels down to 60 PSI. Pump enough speed on the roll-in to clear the jump but because my tires were soft it allowed me to slow down enough not to fly out of the 1/4 pipe.

I strapped in and spent some time rolling down the landing and airing the 1/4 pipe. Going faster and faster each time. It is such a surreal feeling. It feels like you are riding the transition forever. Once I had the 1/4 pipe figured out I strapped in for my first drop in on the Mega roll-in. The first few jumps were pretty scary. You go super fast and feels very different to any jump I’ve ever ridden. The transition for the jump is very long and mellow and sends you far and you land with a ton of speed into the 1/4 pipe. I managed to work out a line to make the 1/4 pipe a bit more manageable. I was getting more confident… In the end I ended up clearing the jump and did a few grabs over it and was super stoked for the first time riding it. I wanted to spend the day just getting used to the ramp so the next time we go back I can try some spins and harder tricks.

Next up it was James Reynolds and Andy James’ turn. They both havn’t spent much time on a Mountainboard in recent years as they both have been doing back to back Snowboard seasons. What a way to get back into the sport, straight into the deep end! They both like I, warmed up on the 1/4 pipe and then started dropping in the tower. They both cleared the jump and Andy even managed to bust out a backside 360. Stoked!

MBS Australia surprised Keefer with his very own custom Mountainboard! So of course Keefer had to try it out on the Mega. Now Keefer has only rode a Mountainboard a handful of times but was very quick with getting on the Mega. After a couple of turns on the 1/4 pipe he was already at the top of the roll-in tower ready to drop in! You guessed it, he nailed his first run. Cleared the gap and aired the 1/4 pipe. Truly amazing to see a 13 year old dominate the Mega. It just goes to show that age is just a number and if you work at certain skills hard enough it pays off. Not to mention that skills that you learn in Skateboarding defiantly cross over to Mountainboarding.

It was such an epic day on the Mega Ramp. I can’t wait to go back and experiment more at this facility. I am also looking forward to seeing Keefer’s progression on the Mountainboard. Stay tuned for more!

Words: Dylan Warren

Photos: Eddy Kusdiana + Oliver Dauncey

Best Dirt Jumps in Melbourne

April 18, 2020 Dylan Warren

Life is pretty crazy right now. Life as we know it has changed. We are stuck at home wishing we could be out riding…

Before all of this craziness the crew took a trip to Ballarat. A two hour drive from where we live... It was well worth the trip. Dirt Art built these jumps a few years ago and they are still in great shape. On arrival we were very impressed with how they were riding. From the top to bottom, the trail weaves between trees and fits the landscape perfectly. The jumps are made from a red clay which makes the jumps super hard. This is great news for a Mountainboard because you can pump a lot of speed out of them. Personally my favorite jump is the first feature. A right hand hip that boosts you into the sky. You need the perfect amount of speed to hit this hip. Otherwise you fall short into the gap, but once hit correctly it sets you up for the rest of the line. As I mention in the video there is no better feeling than flowing through BMX jumps. Pumping every bit of transition to give you the right speed to set you up for the next jump. Sometimes you don’t need to do the gnarliest of tricks, but rather enjoy the ride and feel the flow of the trail.

We tend to ride the top part of this particular line because that is where the speed is best for Mountainboards. Although we did spend some time towards the bottom of the trail on the big hip. Eddy sent it. He took some big slams but rolled away with some sick grabs. It would be nice to go back in the summer when its super hard and try and flow through the entire trail top to bottom.

Aside from the jump line, Black Hill has more sick terrain to ride on a Mountainboard. As the whole place is obviously on a hill it makes for some great freeriding. There is plenty of lines you can take through the trees, finding the perfect line to the bottom. There is some epic little embankments and drops you can jump and some gravel fire trails to bomb down. There is a couple of sweet Mountainbike trails you can make it through too. Although unfortunately a lot of the single track is well… to single. Too narrow and tight to make it through to the bottom. As Mountainboarding is gaining popularity here in Australia it would be nice to see public Mountain bike trails be a bit more accommodating to Mountainboarders. We don’t need too much of a modification. If the trails were slightly wider and not as tight and it was a constant down hill with no flats spots and potentially a few more rollers or humps to pump speed it would make the trails great for both boards and bikes. These facilities would be used by more people and ultimately get more people outside.

Anyways rant over, moving on… We spent the afternoon riding this perfect grass hill around the corner. Maybe one of my favorite things to do on a Mountainboard. Probably the most similar thing to Snowboarding. Carving down the hill with mates is where its at. Going as fast as you can, doing big turns, jumping and jibbing. It’s so much fun. No matter your skill level everyone can go out and enjoy a grass hill. Ollie Dauncey captured some epic photos of the boys smashing it down the hill in the middle of golden hour.

This was a great day. This is the prime example of why I Mountainboard. Riding with my best mates, laughing, pushing each other and doing the thing we all love. I cant wait to be able to get back out there and ride in public places. Although in saying that I havn’t stopped riding…

I have built a tiny ramp system in my backyard. It’s a roll-in tower to a platform that sits off the ground. The platform ends with a nice little down rail to practice tricks on. Once you come off the rail you land on some nice gym matting that sets you up for a 1/4 pipe. I’ve been riding it most nights. Trying to work on tricks I can already do and make them better/ smoother and cement them into my memory. I purposely built the rail small so I can learn some new tricks. I am pretty much using this time to practice Mountainboarding. So when we are allowed back into the real world I will be confident in trying new tricks at new spots. After all I don’t know when we will get this time again. Completely to ourselves. A time to really get better at something. I am completely aware people may not have the room at their house to build a ramp. But just getting on your board for an hour a day is going to improve your riding a hell of a lot more then not. Even if its just practicing 180’s and 360’s in your garage. Or maybe your even stretching every day so you can do better grabs or even building a balance board to help with your balance. So when you get to head back to the trails you are much better then before. So how are you going to spend your time during this pandemic? Watching Netflix? Or using this time to get better at the thing you love.

Words: Dylan Warren (@radicalface)
Photos: Oliver Dauncey (@oliver_dauncey)

P.s there will be a backyard video coming soon… watch this space.

Location for Black Hill Jump line

Location for Grass Hill

Red Hill Show 2020 Mountainboard Show

April 2, 2020 Dylan Warren

It was our 5th year performing at the Red Hill Show! We love this show because we always get big crowds, loads of participants and its right next to the Mountainboard park at Ace - Hi. This year was no exception. We had a record number of people attending our learn to ride workshops. All of our sessions were filled up before lunch time. Epic!

We taught so many kids how to ride through out the day. My personal favorite was teaching the dads though! Super eager to give it a go and show the kids a thing or too. Some of them had come from Snowboarding backgrounds so made the transition to the Mountainboard easy.

Showtime! This year we had a new addition to our stunt show team. Nathan Paul, only riding for just a few months had proved to us that he was ready to launch the demo ramp. He had an amazing first show and managed to land a 360 mid show! A massive shout out to Eddy Kusdiana for surprising us with his ever backflip during a show too. So epic! The crowd was so fired up it left our MC Daniel Foreman speechless.

Speaking of shout outs. Shout out to all of the Peninsula crew that come back every year to ride with us. You boys went harder then ever this year with all different types of 180’s, frontside and backside. A real treat to see how far you have all progressed since last year. Looking forward to riding with you all at Ace-Hi soon.

A truly amazing day that couldn’t have run anymore smoothly. We hope that all the people that tried Mountainboarding come and ride with us around the corner at Ace-Hi Mountainboard park. Bring on next summer we can’t wait to ride in our next show!

Photos: Oliver Dauncey - https://www.instagram.com/oliver_dauncey/
Words: Dylan Warren - https://www.instagram.com/radicalface/

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Mountainboarding at The Big Adventure Sydney!

November 14, 2019 Dylan Warren

The past two months Craig Hallihan and I have been working on a new portable Mountainboard ramp. A ramp that would fit into our brand new trailer for our annual road trip to Sydney. A 12 hour drive, the ramp needed to be light weight and easy to set-up and pack down. We came up with the perfect design. The landing ramp breaks down into three sections, packs away and sits nicely on the wheel arch of the trailer. A super minimal design and fun to ride. Our 25 Mountainboards, helmets, PA system, tables, tools and bits and pieces all fit perfectly and rather satisfyingly into the trailer. With a fresh coat of paint and some new signage. The new trailer was looking amazing we were ready to head to Sydney!

Our lovely sponsor Ford Australia supplied us with a brand new Ford Everest for the weekend. It towed the new trailer with ease. After driving through rain all day we drove through the tunnel into Sydney and arrived in beautiful 28 degree weather.

Saturday morning we set up the ramp system and after a few test jumps 10am rolled around and it was show time. We rode from 10am to 2pm. With a demonstration on the hour followed by two 15 minute learn to ride workshops. The new ramp is a bunch of fun. Small enough you can try new tricks on and do old tricks switch, it’s also just tall enough you can still do a couple of flips. The crowd loved it, MC Craigos was on the microphone informing people how awesome Mountainboarding is and the boys had a blast riding. The best thing for me was seeing kids coming back to ride with us from years before. An honorable mention to the little girl we nicknamed ‘Rainbow’ as she had so many of our wristbands that the collection resembled a rainbow! So awesome! The event was another huge success and in just 5 hours we taught 200 people how to Mountainboard!

We all woke up quite saw and tired on the Sunday so we decide to dust the cobwebs off at one of Sydney’s new skateparks. Craig and Eddy rode the nice big grass hill, carving down the slope and underneath the big ol’ pine tree. After lunch we drove the Ford Everest over to Sydney Olympic Park to ride the BMX and Mountainbike Track. The BMX track had been resurfaced with this awesome concrete like material that made it super fast. Jason and I spent most of the afternoon riding the Mountain bike track. It took a while to find the right line to get speed to clear the jumps but we sorted it out and used the rest of our energy to shoot the photos below.

As the sun was setting we drove into the city and had one last ride on this lovely grass hill with an amazing view of the iconic Sydney Opera house. Another fantastic trip to Sydney, bring on 2020!

If you made it this far, check out our new look HOME page! Please let me know what you think in the comments below!

Words: Dylan Warren
Video: Dylan and Eddy
Photo: Eddy Kusdiana

Moutainboarding Blog

Location for Black Hill Jump line

Location for Grass Hill