Tobagganing Longboard Luge

[Smitty010493]

Face first Luge Belly on the board going down big hills is the best. Board can slide out on turns if not carefully done but if you go head first you will go faster

[krebhorn]

that sounds scary. very scary. how the heck do you stop?

and google ice skeleton.

[phil6x]

very very scary.
if you hit a rock you go flying face first =o
or a free, that woul-d hurt more

[doctor worm]

[Smitty010493]

you use your shoes to stop, just like all luging, or sliding gloves to stop. you can slide stop as well just like a coffin slide only on your stomach

[thokk2]

Originally Posted by doctor worm

Those things have breaks, that's cheating!

[lollygag]

He's in this vid I think.. this is still one of the best vids Ive ever seen.. clic the window.. you gotta watch In High Quality on You tube..

Pontarlier Freeride

[rwadley]

I rode with some of these guys in GA.

XSS - XTREME SLED SYSTEMS

[Smitty010493]

those ones are ideal but you have to sign a waiver and its a ridiculous amount of money, im guessing over a thousand

[neuros]

smitty, the nice thing about laying on your back is you get to use the BOTTOM of your shoes to stop. stopping with your toes doesn't really work as well... laying down headfirst on a skateboard is a generally horrible idea.
and the "thing" dr worm posted doesn't have mechanical brakes... I saw a few at munnsville this year and talked to the pilots in some broken english. you push your belly down and the board (which has a braking surface) makes contact with the road.

[thokk2]

Oh, wow. That's cool. I still prefer luge and buttboarding.

[chrismcb]

Originally Posted by neuros

smitty, the nice thing about laying on your back is you get to use the BOTTOM of your shoes to stop. stopping with your toes doesn't really work as well... laying down headfirst on a skateboard is a generally horrible idea.
and the "thing" dr worm posted doesn't have mechanical brakes... I saw a few at munnsville this year and talked to the pilots in some broken english. you push your belly down and the board (which has a braking surface) makes contact with the road.

the "thing" dr.worm posted is called a skull board. They are actually the best designed skeleton style luges I've seen. Yes the brake is a large piece of rubber under your belly. Probably has a larger surface area than the bottom of your shoes.

The xtreme sleds are kind of scary. The sleds are ridiculously heavy and use several wheels, partially because you throw the board into a slide to slow down.
Cameron was working on a head first board, and he was using a mechanical brake. Unfortunately a mechanical brake isn't the best thing to use at high speeds as the contact patch is fairly small.

Kurtis Head used to ride feet first on a street luge like luge, and would almost stand up and used the bottom of his feet to stop. You know those ab roller things? Well that is how he would "standup."

Currently the skullboards have the largest contingent of racers, and they regularly show up at the European races with a half dozen riders.

But I think I'll ride feet first, thank you very much.