Featured in: The Brighton Standard Blade
By Staff Writer
08/07/2007
Brandon Meyers
MetroWest Sports Correspondent
DENVER – While most people have heard of mountain biking and snowboarding, very few have seen the relatively new sport that daringly combines the most exciting parts of both.
Dirtsurfing traces its beginnings back nine years to Australia. To get an idea of the sport, one only needs to picture a snowboard balancing on two in-line tires, one at either end. Strapped into the center of the board, stands the rider who races downhill on virtually any terrain.
In Denver, as in the rest of the country, inline boarders are pioneering the path to popularity for future riders. In fact, one of the sport’s original founders, Quin Lee Ng, recently relocated to Denver, no doubt to take advantage of the endless mountain terrain that makes for excellent dirtsurfing.
Many will attest to the appeal of the Rocky Mountains to cross-terrain riders, as was seen over the weekend, when the U.S. Open Mountainboarding Championships were hosted in Snowmass Village. Although the biggest national mountain boarding contest boasted 100 entrants, all but four racers were on four-wheeled boards. The two-wheeled dirtsurfers raced for exhibition, but are shooting to have their own category in the competition next year.
By touring across the United States, they are hoping to expand the sport and the field of future competitors.
“Even though we’re going to be riding on the same terrain, we’re known to be much faster than the four-wheeled boarders,” says Canadian dirtsurfer Jeremy Bresciani.
Some of the other terrains that the sporting pioneers are working their way into, besides the mountains are downhill cement half-pipes, wind-powered desert riding in Las Vegas, Nev., and pretty much anywhere else that looks like fun.
Those with interest in learning more about where and when future dirtsurfing events are happening, or are looking to buy a dirtsurfer board can visit the official Web site at dirtsurfer.com.
