How to ease into DH

[Mike Burns]

So, whenever I can afford a helmet, I'd like to try downhill. I don't really know how to go about learning and I feel like its not something I want to jump into without learning a bit first. Ive been skating for transportation for years and I am comfortable on my board and I can slide to stop. However what do you do at intersections? How do you handle wobbles mentally and physically? What do you do in traffic? How do you scope out a good run? How do you know when to initiate drifts, What line to take? ect. Sorry, if any of the questions are dumb but all my searches brought back results about boards and setups.

[jeffrey789]

the best thing you could possibly do is go to the forum page for your location, try to meet up with some locals which im sure that there are where u live, and just ride with them. you will learn so much in such a short amount of time, trust me bro

[frankie18]

It would be best to take at least one partner, thats almost a given for nearly any time of skating. More fun, more safety, more...fun haha.

If the intersection is busy, i usually slide/footbrake before it. Preferably i'll have a buddy at the intersection with a predetermined hand signal saying either "keeping going" or "CAR MOTHER####ER STOP!!!"

Wobbles are all in your mind. Harder bushings, Drop thu'd/drop decks, and other factors help prevent wobbles, but its all in your mind. The more nervous you are the more wobbles you'll get. Be confident and rape the hill!

Google maps, driving around, talking to people...all good ways to find hills.

Drifts and lines and whatnot are mostly for races. Generaly, drift if you want to shave speed and take a corner tight.

Hope this helps!

[Bookworm]

So, whenever I can afford a helmet, I'd like to try downhill.
I don't really know how to go about learning and I feel like its not something I want to jump into without learning a bit first. Ive been skating for transportation for years and I am comfortable on my board and I can slide to stop.

However what do you do at intersections?
How do you handle wobbles mentally and physically?
What do you do in traffic?
How do you scope out a good run?
How do you know when to initiate drifts, What line to take?

I do my very very very very best to avoid intersections. the best way to deal with intersections is to use a spotter, and if you don't have one, at least air and footbrake before them to make sure you're not about to shoot out in front of a car. If there is a car it's best to give them a thumbs up and a smile as you go by.

stay low and keep a clear head. stay loose, just kind of float above your board. riding on shitty pavement at lower speeds (20-25ish) is a good way to learn how to not wobble when your board's being shaken around. essentially, if you're going in the mid 30s and there are cracks in the road, are you gonna fall off? I know I don't want to, so I just ride on through because what other option do you have?
it was more eloquently put earlier: stay on til you fall off.

keep a cool head, I do not advise passing a car in a tuck, MAKE SURE THEY CAN SEE YOU. longboarder vs car is a game over situation. if you can, pull as far over to the right as possible and motion for them to go around.

drive it, skate it.

practice practice practice

[SeaIsleCityCrusher]

how did you experienced riders start? what was your first time actually DH'ing like?

[gabetar]

I started by carving down little hills in the neighborhood and then learning how to slide.

[thumper07]

Yeah, until I got really really good, I'd avoid intersections all together. Drive a little out of the city and scope some slopes where you can stand at the top of the hill and see if any cars are coming up the road or not. When it looks clear, rip down the hill. Make sure there is plenty of run off without having to make emergency stops at the end, such as hairpin turns too or a bottomless run. I look for places that level off smoothly and then go back uphill just a little bit. This gives me sufficient time to scrub off speed without having a stroke from freaking out But then, I AM old, so I have to be careful of sudden heart attacks when riding!! ha ha ha ha ha

[frankie18]

my first DH attempt was on my very first board...a Surf One...thing, randals, and surf one wheels. The board you can buy at Sport Chalet haha. Took it down the steepest ass hill in my entire area (granted you barely hit 30 if youre lucky), scared as #### because i couldnt slide or footbrake...and owned it! This was mostly becuase im a speed junky and had to be better at SOMETHING then my longboarding friend who owns at just about every other disciple. Pssh...stupid MAxx.

So, find yourself a hill, get motivated to own it, and survive. Once you conquer one hill you will be hooked for life.

[longboardnc]

my first DH attempt was on my very first board...a Surf One...thing, randals, and surf one wheels. The board you can buy at Sport Chalet haha. Took it down the steepest ass hill in my entire area (granted you barely hit 30 if youre lucky), scared as #### because i couldnt slide or footbrake...and owned it! This was mostly becuase im a speed junky and had to be better at SOMETHING then my longboarding friend who owns at just about every other disciple. Pssh...stupid MAxx.

So, find yourself a hill, get motivated to own it, and survive. Once you conquer one hill you will be hooked for life.

i did the same exact thing.

had a surf one pakala 3 with all the components like yours and took it to a steep hill and bombed. i later learned to slide and footbrake

[Bookworm]

HA!

I had a surf one classic on my first attempt: half inch risers over indys and nine balls.

I wobbed out hard on run no. 3. The fact that I had learned from SF and videos what to do with speed (FOOTBRAKE, I was way too scared to attempt riding them out) and that footbraking saved me from getting seriously beat up when I jumped off from crazy wobbs.

after that I bought an evo and ran 50/50 randals on it and learned to bomb and slide. I took a good steep wide hill and bombed until I felt I was right on the edge of wobbs, then I would do a shutdown. Pretty soon I was sliding with enough speed to pendy, and now I don't even break tuck on that hill (tops out in the 30s depending on wind)

[The_Agent007]

my first down hill attempt scared the hell outta me but i wanted to do it again. i'm not ashamed to say it i went out and bought a S9 from zumiez, took it home. walked up the fast smooth hill thats one street over from my house. walked to the top and pushed a few times.... then went for the ride of my life (loose trucks set up with super soft double cone) i started wobbling probaly 1/3 the way down the hill but just kept it togeather till the bottom. looked bac up the hill and thought about doing it again, so i did. from the point on it's been all downhill try'n to go fast and score better runs.... the speed is addicting

[frankie18]

is the Surf One Pakala the one with the kick tail, i think it was 46" or something? Thats really funny...great stories here haha!

[benay148]

Was cruising around and found a hill. Decided i would bomb it on completely untightened 9 inch gullwing trucks, about half way down i got wicked speed wobbles, had to bail, tried to run it out, ended up sliding on my side for about 5 feet, road rash, yay!

[Maxx]

my first DH attempt was on my very first board...a Surf One...thing, randals, and surf one wheels. The board you can buy at Sport Chalet haha. Took it down the steepest ass hill in my entire area (granted you barely hit 30 if youre lucky), scared as #### because i couldnt slide or footbrake...and owned it! This was mostly becuase im a speed junky and had to be better at SOMETHING then my longboarding friend who owns at just about every other disciple. Pssh...stupid MAxx.

You're a bitch I remember that run, I also remember when you ate absolute s**t trying to buttboard that hill on my derv hahahaha. Lime reflexes- $8. Seeing Frankie send my board into a curb- another $8 for a noseguard haha.

I think my first real DH run was on a Gravity Hypercarve. Awesome board

[wasssabi5]

my first board was a s9 haleiwa.... about 1 week later i went to this insanely steep hill and at that time i didnt kno wat the difference of tightened trucks and bushings do,(my trucks are double kingpin and i think 1/2 in risers?)so me n some friends went out to this hill and we thought it curved up but after 1 turn we noticed it keeps going foooooooooreverr and half way(it was about 29-32 mph) i got my first wobbles and went into the grass but actually into a hole and i went face first into a tree --_-- my friends just laughed for like 1 hour haha