Point Reyes Light - July 10, 2003
West Marin boarders dominate contest
By Dewey Livingston
West Marin’s mountainboarding team almost swept the third annual Donner Summit Downhill Festival. Ben Livingston, Galen Huntsman, and Erik Carlsen, who practice locally and compete nationally, stood out in a field of more than 30 competitors.
Inverness resident Ben Livingston, 15, received the "NPD Ripper Award" for best overall competitor. He also placed first in the under-18 expert dual slalom, riding down a steep and rocky track known for its difficulty. Ben set the track record during trials with a time of 46 seconds.
"That was an amazingly fast time," said race organizer Chris Pincetich, "which made the course look easy."
Longtime Point Reyes Station resident Galen Huntsman, 14, is regarded by the mountainboarding community as a fine example of the future of the sport, followed with a second place showing in the dual slalom and made the course in 47.2 seconds, beating many more-experienced riders.
Good things in small packages
"It proves that big things come in small packages," Pincetich said.
After a series of elimination races, both Ben and Galen raced challenger Benton Jackson of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and both lost a shoe at the same location near the bottom of the course. Galen, to the delight of the crowd, tossed the errant shoe away and completed the race in his sock for the win, while Ben diligently put his shoe back on yet still beat Jackson.
The afternoon’s Big Air competition drew the most spectators for its dramatic displays of snowboard-style tricks.
The major difference is that mountainboarders fall on dirt and rocks instead of snow. The West Marin boys decided at the last minute to compete in the pro division Big Air as a challenge to National champion Kody Stewart of Southern California and other older veterans.
Kody Stewart, who is 17 and embarking on a pro tour of the British Isles, is a long-time friend and competitive nemesis of the West Marin teenagers.
The four have traveled to the Midwest and throughout California to ride and compete. Kody had recently gone pro, which put him in a separate competitive category. The local boys’ entry as pro Big Air riders renewed the friendly rivalry.
National following
Judged on four jumps by a panel of experts (mostly acting as judges because of previous mountainboarding injuries), Ben, Galen, and Erik placed second, third, and fourth respectively, only behind Stewart whose fearless moves have gained him a national following.
Erik’s fourth place finish in Big Air was acknowledged by the organizers of the event as heroic. The 15-year-old Point Reyes Station resident has been repeatedly injured in the previous races and practice runs on slalom courses.
Erik is currently ranked seventh nationally in the under-18 Big Air division.
The Donner Summit Downhill Festival, held at Donner Ski Ranch and organized by mountainboard manufacturer and promoter NPD Landboards followed the second annual Sand Hill Ranch race held in May near Brentwood, in which Ben placed third in his division.
The West Marin trio hopes to compete in events in Oregon and North Carolina during August.
Drake High students Erik and Galen will miss the Nationals at Snowmass, Colorado in late August, but Tomales High’s Ben, who broke his arm at the Nationals last year, will attend.
Limited practice area
Ironically, local mountainboarders can only practice on private property, as riding the gravity-propelled boards is banned in the parklands that surround their homes.
They have set up courses and jumps in backyards and otherwise travel to other parts of the state to practice. There are only six competitive mountainboarders in Marin County. Inverness Park’s Matt Volpert, 15, works for his parents’ river rafting company during the summer and misses most events.
Mountainboarding, also called off-road boarding, developed in the late 1980s in response to the popularity of snowboarding, mountain biking and skateboarding.
Riders stand in bindings on a shaped board, about three-and-a-half feet long and almost a foot wide. The boards are equipped with sturdy trucks and wheels that accommodate seven-inch pneumatic tires that can traverse relatively rugged terrain.
There are no brakes, and most moves are derived from snowboarding, hence the downhill slalom, "boardercross" and big air events in contests.
While mountainboarding has not yet been accepted as an official extreme sport as seen in the X Games, it has an international following and is especially popular in New Zealand, Japan, and Europe.
Masters of sport
A number of magazines are devoted to the sport, and dozens of videos can be found on the Internet. Many of the events are televised for extreme sports broadcasts.
The informal West Marin team, composed of Ben, Erik, Galen, and Matt, is now in the eyes of the national mountainboarding community.