new to longboarding

[Kex]

I'm a snowboarder, have been since I was 6 or so. I got interested in hardbooting and finally got the chance to try it last year. Bought my first alpine board this year and have had a lot of fun on it this season.

Honestly, Ive never been into skateboarding, but I think that is mainly because the only skateboarding that I've seen people do is freestyle. freestyle just isn't my style, which is part of the reason I got into alpine snowboarding in the first place. I figure if im not catching huge air and doing tricks, why be on a freestyle snowboard?
Anyway, recently ive seen an increase in people on longboards riding around campus, and I have to say, it looks pretty sick. Ive never really seen people carve turns on skateboards before recently, and I have to say, watching them(and people on youtube videos) carve turns and feel the G's at high speeds has been giving me the urge to try it. Since I have pretty much no knowledge of skateboarding, I figured I would turn to bomber, like I did for hardbooting.

So if any of you longboarding genius' out there could give me some pointers and such, I really have no idea what I am looking for. just browsing the site ive already seen some things that I have no knowledge of. terms like "loaded", "WB", truck width, that kind of stuff. I don't really know how length, different types of wheels, or the shape of the deck effect the ride. Ive seen some crazy shaped decks and dont know what the differences are, I've seen some people riding decks that seem to flex to the point they are going to touch the ground in between the wheels while they are riding, which seems strange. does flex on a skateboard deck work the same way as it does for snowboarding(the more flex, the smaller the turn radius at a given speed)?

Anyway, i know ive asked a lot of questions and havent been very specific, but i think im catching the bug and dont even know where to start, so any info would be great!
If it matters, I'm 5'11" and 190 lbs

thanks!

[xxguitarist]

Take a look around silverfishlongboarding.com, and i/we will answer the questions that remain.

[Gecko]

Loaded=a company that makes well made boards that though expensive and somewhat trendy, embrace a certain style of riding that can be both very similar to snowboarding and very fun....I personally am not a fan of their boards but have learned to live with my prejudice. Loaded Boards are a high end gateway drugs....plus they sponsor Adam Colton, Adam Stokowski (aka A-squared) and Louis "cowboy" Piloni three of the most talented and influential freeriders on the planet, so they can't be that bad.

WB (wheelbase, the distance between the inner bolt holes on a skateboard) think of it as sidecut radius...longer = more stable, but also related to flex, I have 2 boards with 31" WB one is a stiff, damp DH board (custom made by xxguitarist)http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k271/aikigecko/boards/090406_catnboard_0011.jpg
and the other is a soft compliant alround board which is the board I ride more than any in my quiver (Earthwing Supercharger), So in alpine speak my DH board is like a NSR and my Supercharger is like an AM board. Flex doesn't change a turning radius enough so much as ride comfort at various speeds

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k271/aikigecko/boards/090129_Boardsandstuff_0013.jpg

Truck width, generally speaking the truck should be as wide as the board....

Deck shape = I'm gonna quote Michael Breem, owner of Gravity skateboards and Randal trucks. "any board that is ridden on city streets should have a useable tail" part of my prejudice against loaded, the only exception for this is downhill boards.

Wheels= simple stereotypical answer
round lips = loose, slidey, freeride wheels
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k271/aikigecko/boards/090328_0109.jpg

square/hard lips = Traction, control, speed, carving
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k271/aikigecko/boards/090421_0034.jpg

My recommendation to anyone starting out has been buy an Earthwing Supercharger....I know I sold 10 people on them over this winter, sadly Earthwing is between runs at the moment so the boards are scarce though there are dealers who still have completes still available

[Kex]

wow gecko, thanks for all the answers, definitely clears a lot up. I really appreciate you taking the time to write all that. a nice reminder of why i love BOL so much :1luvu:

Thanks for the link xx, i was wondering what sites might be reliable information sources. When I was first picking up hardbooting I spent a lot of time at the carvers almanac (www.alpinecarving.com) soaking up all the info they have there, and I think that really helped me get a grasp on all the subtleties of the sport and feel like i was buying gear as an informed buyer.

[Gecko]

Word of warning about Silverfish....

lots of good information,
use the serch function,
many young kids who will flame noobies,
there is a Dervish cult looking for new souls to corrupt:ices_ange
the Earthwing Army is very welcoming

one of the above statements may be more true than the others

[wavechaser]

...i was wondering what sites might be reliable information sources.

Also try www.ncdsa.com (http://www.ncdsa.com) and www.slalomskateboarder.com (http://www.slalomskateboarder.com) - and http://www.concretedisciples.com/ can be fun ingeneral.

In particular, you can get advice from world-class riders here:
http://www.slalomskateboarder.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=124&sid=1f4c782b8eb384894f8997bb1ee023bc

Welcome to the summer carve!

-RF