skater small talk

I am light weight and i have been doing downhill for a while. Before i was a downhill mountainbiker and i always tought that heavier riders were advantaged of getting more speed but lighter riders were advantaged on keeping the line nice and clean. The speed on a mountainbike won t be as fast as on a longboard due the terrein is always different but on a longboard things are different...you go fast! Phisically talking if you drop two different weights at the same time they will land at the same time on the ground but i have been riding with heavier riders and unless i tuck properly they will overtake me anyway. But a heavier rider is less affected by air resistance, which is actually a huge factor in longboarding. I have noticed that heavier riders tend to be slower in curves because its harder to stick the line and not slide out,lighter guys can be sloppier in the corners and still grip through and not lose speed.... Is it even possible that the friction between the wheels and the track that affect speed on a longboard? Weight here also plays an important part, with the heavier you are, the more friction you get. So theoretically, both longboarders would be just as fast, but the heavier one would have to work harder to maintain that speed. Pietro Bonetti What are your thoughts about it?

When I started skating downhill I watched videos of people going fast, hammering huge slides round corners and that seemed like a distant dream. As I began to meet other like minded skaters that is when I realised that we could be skating big roads too and it wasn’t an elitist club or an unachievable dream. We started to attend events and quickly found how friendly the whole community is, how everyone is stoked to see people progress and encourage people to get to a competent level of skating. I feel that for many people it is not about being the fastest down a hill but the experience shared shredding it with somebody else. So it makes sense for everybody to give confidence to new riders and push the growth of the sport. I know myself when I make it to the bottom of the hill there is no way to put into words what I was feeling truthfully but I turn and look at the person or the people that came with me and I do not need words, a fist bump does the job. I see it this way you can nail a corner on your own time and time again, perfect always; but then you throw five more riders into that corner at the same time and it is going to be different every time. Spotting is important you should all know it. This is why we have to encourage people to get out and skate, so you can lay thane round crazy corners that are not safe unless someone is spotting. It’s key to skating safely and being able to skate where you want without having to organise an event and get roads closed, which is easily achievable for those thinking of organising an event. Anybody given enough time to practice and to learn the confidence you need to bomb hills, can be shredding with a group of friends. So you all need to get out there and film some gnarly lines down some beautiful roads. Skate safe and remember no helmet no respect. Ben Woods