Inland Skimboarding

Skimboarding DVDS

2011-01-20T21:02:00.009-07:00

Follow the Exile Skimboard Team across countries and continents as they seek out and ride the best waves on the planet. The most ambitious skimboarding video project ever undertaken. Follow the Exile Skimboard Team across countries and continents as they seek out and ride the best waves on the planet. The best cameras, filming, riders and editing combine to create the finest skimboarding movie that money can buy. If you aren't blown away by this movie, skimboarding is not your sport. It's that simple. Bearded is without a doubt it is the best skimboarding video that we have ever seen. If you're looking for that one video that captures the heart of skimboarding, this is a must buy.
Bearded by Exile Skimboards

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Sandcrabs was released in the summer of 1997 and is an amazing skimboard video. It is also a Bryan Bros. production. Nothing comes close to this video... yet...
Sandcrabs Skimboarding DVD by 10th Street Bros. Starring Bill 'Beaker' Bryan

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Bill and George Bryan, the 10th St. Bros., have finalized another epic chapter in skimboarding history with the release of their newest film, Cloud 9. Featuring: Bill "Beaker" Bryan, George Bryan, Chris Henderson, Jaime Lovett, Koty Lopez, Morgan Just, Brad Domke, Tex Haines, Sam Stinnett and Brandon Sears. Get some!
Cloud 9 Skimboard DVD by 10th St. Bros.

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Mental Skimming is the newest release from Bill "Beaker" Bryan and 10th Street Bros. Get mental! A lighthearted look into the minds of today's top skimboarders that's not for the faint of heart? Starring: James Lovett, Morgan Just, Bill Bryan, George Bryan, The Stinnets, Brandon Sears, Koty Lopez, Brandon Rothe, Brad Domke, Harley Nelson and every other bro that gets mental. "Totally mental?skimboarding will never be the same." Some Dude
Mental Skimming Skimboard DVD by 10th Street Bros.

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Wedge Warriors is the latest installment from 10th Street Bros., featuring The Wedge, Cabo, SoLag, Indo and Beyond! Starring: Mo Just, The Bryan Bros., Koty, Sears, Rothe, Noogie, Tommy D, Birdman, Face, Salinas, Domke, The Lands End Mafia and Many More Wedge Warriors
Wedge Warriors Skimboard DVD by Tenth Street Bros.

Get into Skimboarding

2010-10-31T18:50:00.004-06:00

I’ve had a lot of people recently ask me about how to get started skimboarding so I thought I’d write an article about getting started skimboarding. The great thing about skimboarding is that just about anybody can do it without investing much money. The main two things that you will need are a place to skimboard and something to skimboard on. First a place to skim. You’ll be looking for a place with just a little bit of water (an inch or two is perfect, three or four inches is doable) with a nice sandy bottom. We have a perfect spot here in St. George, Utah. The Virgin River is a very shallow river that gets very low in the summer months. Perfect for skimboarding! The water temperature is great, and unless there is some flooding due to rain, the water is clean and clear. The river bed is beautiful Southern Utah red sand. If you don’t have a good spot to make your skimboarding debut, I’d definitely suggest a trip to Southern Utah for a skimboarding session on the Virgin River. Make a vacation of it. There are lots of other fun things to do in St. George too

Once you’ve found a spot to skim, you need a skimboard. This is where the money investment comes in. Here’s the deal. Don’t spend a lot of money. There are a number of great skimboard companies out like Victoria and DB Skimboards that make a great product but cost well over a hundred dollars, as well as your cheap garbage boards that you can get for 20 bucks or so. To get started don’t go with either. Make your own board. Run to Home Depot and pick up a 2 foot by 4 foot piece of half inch plywood. Then use an electric jig saw to cut out your skimboard. If you don’t have an electric jig saw, just ask around your neighborhood. I’m sure someone has one that you could borrow. They are a pretty common tool. Once you have it cut out throw on some glossy enamel paint and your ready to skim…and your board only cost you about 10 bucks. To get started that’s definitely the way to go. After you’ve worn out your first board, you can look at making a better board or investing in a professionally manufactured one. If your interested in making a better board you can download my how to make a skimboard video for $1 or check out boards from any of these manufacturers. But definitely wear out your first board first. Make sure you like the sport and are going to continue before you drop big bucks on a board. Last of all, if you need some instructions on how to skimboard check out the skimboarding tips page

Virgin River Classic 2010

2010-07-15T18:40:00.003-06:00

How to build a skimboard

2010-06-19T11:02:00.038-06:00

So you want to make your own skimboard. Well, you've come to the right place. In this 60 minute video you'll walk with me step by step as I build a skimboard.

You'll get tips on picking out the right piece of wood.

Learn how to create a pattern and what dimensions work well for a flatland skimboard.

You walk through the process of putting rocker in your board with me.

You'll learn how to put a durable laminate bottom on your board, just like the professional boards.

You'll learn some tips and tricks to help you apply a beautiful resin finish.

Finally you'll learn how to put a custom full traction pad on your board.

The video sells for $10 but as an introductory offer you can get it for half that. Yep, for the price of a burger and fries you'll get all the knowledge you'll need to build a board right in your own driveway that everyone will be envious of.

Buy the Video

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Lexi Hutchings Skim Camp

2010-04-22T18:47:00.004-06:00

Lexi will be holding a skim camp on May 22, 2010.

Skim-pic-ems: Winner

2010-03-01T22:36:00.003-07:00

Well, it's all over. Congratulations to Alex de la Fuente who submitted the winning photo for the skim-pic-ems inland skimboarding photo contest. The final vote was very close, but this was the photo that pulled it off.

Thanks to all those who submitted photos and all those that voted!

Skim-pic-ems: The Finals

2010-02-15T09:50:00.003-07:00

Well, we let you "pic-em" and we have three finalists. The skimboarding photos are posted below followed by the voting. As this is the finals, the voting will be open for slightly longer than a week and close on February 25th.
Check out the photos, vote, and start to get excited because skim season is right around the bend!

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It's time to vote!

Skim-pic-ems Final: Vote for your favorite skimboarding photo!(poll)

Skim-pic-ems: Semi-final 3

2010-02-08T17:53:00.003-07:00

Here are the last semi-final pics! Vote for your favorite skimboarding photo!

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Time to Vote!

Semi-final 3: Vote for your favortie skim photo!(trends)

Skim-pic-ems: Semi-final 2

2010-01-31T16:33:00.003-07:00

Here are the 2nd semi-final pics. Vote for you favorite!

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Time to Vote!

Semi-final 2: Vote for your favorite skim photo!(trends)

Skim-pic-ems: Semi Final 1

2010-01-24T21:42:00.003-07:00

Here are our first 5 semi-finalists.

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Time to Vote!

Semi Final 1: Vote for your favorite Skim Photo!(opinion)

Skim-pic-ems: Week 10

2010-01-03T23:18:00.006-07:00

It's week 10 of the skim-pic-ems contest. This is the finally weekly competition. Next week the 10 weekly winners and 5 wild-cards will start to square off in three semi-final competitions. Enjoy week 10's skimboarding photos!

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It's now time to vote!

Here is the week 9 winner!

Skim-pic-ems: Week 9

2009-12-27T15:03:00.007-07:00

It's week 9 of the skim-pic-ems contest. Vote for your favorite skimboarding photograph below!

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It's now time to vote!

Here is the winning photos from week 7 and 8!

Skim-pic-ems: Week 8

2009-12-20T15:15:00.007-07:00

It's week 8 of the skim-pic-ems contest. Remember, since I was a bit slow getting up week 7's pics, you can still vote for them through Tuesday. Enjoy week 8's photos!

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It's time to vote!

Week 8 - Vote for you favorite skim photo!(survey software)

Skim-pic-ems: Week 7

2009-12-16T16:59:00.008-07:00

Hey, it's week 7 of the skim-pic-ems contest. I was a little slow getting the new pics up this week, so the voting will go through next Tuesday (Dec. 22) instead of through Saturday like it normally does. Enjoy the pics.

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O.k. It's time to vote!

Here is the week 6 winner

Skim-pic-ems: Week 6

2009-12-06T14:41:00.006-07:00

It's week 6 of the skim-pic-ems photo contest. Vote for your favorite flatland skimboarding photo. Here are this weeks contestants.

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It's now time to vote!

Here is last weeks winner!

Skim-pic-ems: Week 5

2009-11-29T18:31:00.009-07:00

It's week 5 of the skim-pic-ems inland skimboarding photo contest. Check out this weeks contestants and then vote for your favorite.

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Now it's time to vote!

Here is the winner of week 4.

Remember, any of the other photos from week 4 still have a chance, as 5 wild card photos will be picked from the weekly contests for the semifinals.

Skim-pic-ems: Week 4

2009-11-22T14:56:00.012-07:00

Week 4 of the skim-pic-ems photo contest is here! Check out this week's contestants.

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It's now time to vote!

Week 4 - Vote for your favorite skim photo!(survey software)

Here are weeks 2 and 3 winners

Week 2 winner

Week 3 winner

Remember, any of the other photos from week 2 or 3 still have a chance, as 5 wild card photos will be picked from the weekly contests for the semifinals.

Skim-pic-ems: Week 3

2009-11-15T16:27:00.009-07:00

It's week 3 of the skim-pic-ems photo contest. Remember that you can still vote through Tuesday in week 2's contest since I was a little late getting the pics up. Here are this week's contestants.

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It's now time to vote!

Skim-pic-ems: week 2

2009-11-10T21:08:00.009-07:00

It's week 2 of the skim-pic-ems photo contest. Sorry I was a little slow getting the photos up. Normally the voting runs through Saturday night, but since I was slow getting this weeks photo's up, the voting will run through Monday night. Here are this weeks contestants.

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It's now time to vote!

Here is week 1's winner coming in with 47% of the votes

Remember, any of the other photos from week one still have a chance, as 5 wild card photos will be picked from the weekly contests for the semifinals.

Skim-pic-ems: Week 1

2009-11-01T15:39:00.012-07:00

It's week 1 of the skim-pic-ems photo contest. Vote for your favorite flatland skimboarding photo. Here are this weeks contestants.

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It's now time to vote!

The Inland Skimboarding "skim-pic-ems" Photo Contest

2009-10-02T21:34:00.004-06:00

Skim-pic-ems Photo Contest!
You are invited to submit your photos that capture the action, lifestyle, culture, and soulfulness of flatland skimboarding (Sorry wave skimmers, your photo's are cool, but this is a flatland skimboarding photo contest). The Winner will be selected by public vote in 10 weekly regular contests, 3 weekly semi-final contests, and 1 week long final contest.

The Prize
A $50 Visa gift card* will be the prize for the highest vote getter of the final week long contest.
*The visa gift card can be used anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted and is usable at millions of merchants worldwide as well as online.

How To Enter Your Prize Winning Skimboarding Photo
To enter the contest fill out the registration form and e-mail it along with your photos (maximum of 10) to isphotocontest@hotmail.com by October 31, 2009. Make sure you fill out the registration form completely and be sure to provide a working email address so that we may contact you should you win the contest.

Judging
Initial judging and seeding will be done by the Inland Skimboarding "Skim-pic-ems" judges. The regular weekly contests, semi-final contests, and final contest will be judged by the public and winners will be the photos with the most votes – so get your friends and family online to vote for your photos!

WINNER WILL ONLY BE NOTIFIED BY E-MAIL – please make sure we have a valid email address.

Rules and Regulations
1. The Inland Skimboarding "skim-pic-ems" Photo Contest will be referred to as just "Photo Contest" throughout this informational document.

2. Inland Skimboarding prefers the submitted photographs to be high resolution (i.e., being larger than 640 pixels by 480 pixels in dimension).

3. Photos may be submitted through Oct. 31

4. Each individual person who submits any photograph to enter this Photo Contest (contest entrant will be deemed "Photo Contest Entrant" throughout this informational document) must be the rightful owner of the submitted photograph, and must attest that he/she owns the rights to the submitted photograph upon entering the Photo Contest. If the Photo Contest Entrant is not the legal owner of each submitted/entered skimboarding related photo, then their entry into the Contest for the specified image will be nullified and made void.

5. Each Photo Contest Entrant may submit a maximum of 10 photographs.

6. Submitted photos will be put into 10 groups based on seeding by the judges.

7. Depending on the number of photos submitted, photos may go through an initial round of judging to narrow the field to a maximum of 100 photos, putting a maximum of 10 photos in each of the 10 groups.

8. There will be 10 weekly contests where photos will face off against each other and be voted on by the public.

9. There will be 15 semi-finalists. The semi-finalists will be composed of the 10 weekly winners and 5 wildcards picked by the judges.

10. The 15 semi-finalists will be put into three groups, seeded by their total votes. Each group will be voted on in a weekly contest to pick three finalists.

11. The three finalists will be the top vote getters in their respective semi-final contest. The three finalists will compete against each other in a week long final contest where the winner will be the photo receiving the most votes.

12. The weekly contests are scheduled to run from November 2009 through mid January 2010.

13. The semifinal contests are scheduled to run from Mid January 2010 through early February 2010.

14. The Finals are scheduled to run from early February 2010 to mid-February 2010.

15. Inland Skimboarding reserves the right to utilize, alter, display, and/or publish any photographs submitted to the Photo Contest in any future advertising efforts on the website as Royalty Free imagery.

15. Inland Skimboarding reserves the right to utilize, display, and/or publish the names of the winners of the Photo Contest in any future advertising efforts on the website for promotional purposes.

16. Inland Skimboarding reserves the right to alter or end this Contest at any time without prior written notification to the public or the Photo Contest Entrants.

17. Photo Contest winner will be notified of their prize in writing in a timely manner after the contest has concluded.

18. Inland Skimboarding is not responsible for any prizes lost by any domestic or foreign postal services.

IS "skim-pic-ems" Photo Contest Registration Form

2009-10-02T21:31:00.002-06:00

Copy the following text and paste it into the body of an email. Fill out the information and attach any photos (maximum of 10) you are entering into the contest. Send the e-mail to isphotocontest@hotmail.com

The Inland Skimboarding "skim-pic-ems" Photo Contest Registration Form.

By completing the information below and submitting a photo(s), I certify I have read and understood the rules of the contest and I am the rightful owner of the submitted photograph(s)

Name ---

Age ---

E-mail Address ---

Mailing Address ---

Skimboarding Glossery: A list of skimboarding terms

2009-09-24T17:39:00.004-06:00

The other day I was talking to some "non-skim" friends about skimboarding. A few minutes into the conversation I realized by the blank stares on their faces that they had no idea what I was talking about. I realized that we skimboarders do kind of have our own lingo. Sometimes, the language of skimboarders can be pretty confusing to those who don't skim. Here's a little something to refer to when you would like to understand what your son, nephew, friend, boyfriend, etc. is talking about when he says “I’m so stoked! I just had an epic session with the crew stomping steezy 3 shuvs and sex changes. I killed it today!”

This glossary of skimboarding terms is for all of the parents, friends, girlfriends, and relatives who just don't happen to speak the skimboarding language.

• 180 / 360 etc. - The spin of a skimboarders board during a maneuver in degrees. eg 360 degree shuvit.
• 360 Shuvit - Jumping in the air and making the board spin 360 degrees underneath you.
• 3-shuv - 360 shuvit
• 540 Shuvit - Jumping in the air and making the board spin 540 degrees underneath you.
• 5-shuv - 540 shuvit
• 50/50 - When the board is parallel to the rail it is sliding on.
• Air - To "get air" is to do a jump or otherwise get the skimboard into the air.
• Backside - A trick done backside means that after the first 90 degrees of the rotation the skimboarder is facing backwards.
• Bail - To crash, also known as wipe-out, biff, bite it, eat it. Also to give up on a trick halfway through and jump off the board.
• Big Spin - Mixing a 360 shuvit with a 180 varial.
• Board - Short for skimboard
• Boardslide - When the board is perpendicular to the rail it is sliding on.
• Body Varial - If you jump into the air and spin without spinning the board you can perform a Body Varial. You will know you have performed this right if you land with your back forward.
• Butter - Something done smooth. Also a rail spin trick.
• Deck - The top of the skimboard
• Dialed – A trick that is easy to land. Eg “I’ve got those 360 shuvits dialed in.”
• Ding - As a verb, to damage a board as a result of impacting some object. As a noun, the damage caused to the board from impacting an object.
• Dude - Can mean pretty much anything depending on the tone and inflection.
• Edit – A short skimboarding video of footage edited together often set to music.
• Epic - Often used to describe extremely good skim conditions. Also used as a description of an awesome skimboarding session.
• Fakie Stance - Foot position where the rider’s feet are oriented normally as if the board were traveling forwards, but the board is traveling backwards.
• Flatland Skimboarding - Skimboarding not involving waves.
• Foamie - A skimboard that has a foam core.
• Footy – Video footage.
• Frontside – A trick done frontside means that after the first 90 degrees of the rotation, the skimboarder is facing forward.
• Goofy Stance - Foot position where the right foot is in front of the left
• Grab - To grab the board with one or both hands.
• Grind - To slide the board on a non-water surface.
• Grom - A young skimboarder
• Hippy Jump - The rider rides up to an object that is above the water and jumps over it while the board goes under it.
• Inland skimboarding - Flatland skimboarding not done on the coast.
• Jib - As a verb: to make contact with the board on a non-water surface (rail, wood, tire, box etc...). As a noun, the non-water surface that the board makes contact with.
• Kick Out - To kick the board out at the end of ones run get a little speed and jump back on the board for another ride without ever having to pick up the board.
• Kill – To perform great. eg. “He really killed it today at the competition!”
• No Compleezy - Back foot no-comply
• No comply – Planting your front foot on the ground and performing some trick with the board (ollie, shuvit, etc) before putting it back on the board and riding out.
• Nollie Stance - Foot position where a rider slides up on the board from their normal riding position to where the foot that was in the middle of the board is now on the front and the foot that was on the back of the board is now in the middle.
• Nose - The front of the skimboard
• Ollie - A basic jump into the air with the board.
• One footer – To throw or land a trick with one foot.
• Pooched - A screw up, missed trick, etc.
• Pop - The act of getting the board out of the water.
• Pop Shuvit - By mixing an ollie and a shuvit you can spin the board in the air.
• Potato Chip - Cheap wooden skimboard. They usually have a tendency to warp funny and do not last long.
• Rail - Edge of a skimboard. Also the general term for something other than the water that the skimboarder slides his board on.
• Regular Stance - Foot position where the left foot is in front of the right foot.
• Rocker - The curve across the long way or length of the skimboard.
• Sesh - Short for session. A period of time that a skimboarder goes out and skims.
• Seshing - Verb form of the term sesh. e.g. "We had a crew of about a dozen seshing down at the river today." Skimboarding could be substituted for the word seshing
• Session - A period of time that a skimboarder goes out and skims.
• Sex Change - By combining a shuvit and a body varial you can perform a Sex Change. You will know you have done this right if you land with your back foot forward and the back of your board facing forward.
• Shuv - short for shuvit
• Shuvit – Also shuv-it. By jumping in the air and sweeping the back foot you can make the board spin 180 degrees underneath you.
• Sick - A term used to describe when someone does something impressive. e.g. "that was a sick pop shuvit"
• Sketchy - Something that looks possibly dangerous or a sloppy landing
• Skim – Another word for skimboarding.
• Skimming - Another word for skimboarding.
• Snake - To cut in front of someone else while skimming.
• Steez - To do something with style or make it look easy.
• Stock - A trick that is easy or someone has locked down.
• Stoked - Excited.
• Stomp – To land a trick.
• Swivel (180) - not a fluid butter trick (spinning a 180 butter in the middle of a rail quick)
• Taco Rocker - The curve across the short way or width of the skimboard.
• Tail - The back of the skimboard.
• Traction Pad - Cushioned pad put on the top of a skimboard to add traction. Also called a stomp pad or deck grip.
• Wax - Applied to the top of the board to provide grip or traction so that the skimboarder’s feet do not slip.
• Woodie - A skimboard that has a wood core.
• Worked - To "get worked" is to wipe out usually in a spectacular manner. eg. "Wo, dude, he totally got worked by that rail!"

...If I missed any, let me know.

Virgin River Water Levels

2009-09-17T21:02:00.004-06:00

This is a post for the locals. Have you ever gotten down to the river only to be disappointed finding it is too high to skim. Problem solved.

How to read the water level graph.
The graph reports the amount of discharge in cubic feet per second. The triangles on the graph are the Medians (a kind of average). The most recent instantaneous value can be found right above the graph. If you are down to the river often, the graph can be a valuable tool to compare the height of the river now with the height of the river another day that you were there. Then you will know if it will be higher or lower than the last time you were there. If you don't go to the river often, a few values may be helpful. If the value of discharge is under 80 cubic feet per second, you'll probably find some good skimming. If the value is under 50 the river will probably be very good. If the value is over 80, it doesn't mean you won't be able to skim, you just may have to look a little harder to find a good spot.

See the graph and check the Virgin River water level.

Skimboarding Tricks: 360 shuvit

2009-09-10T22:03:00.005-06:00

How to do a 360 shuvit on a skimboard
A 360 shuvit can be done frontside or backside. This tutorial will focus on the 360 backside shuvit. A 360 shuvit is performed by "shuving" the board around 360 degrees while you are in the air. For a 360 backside shuvit, the board will rotate clockwise for a regular footed rider and counter-clockwise for a goofy footed rider. This is accomplished by sweeping your rear foot backwards as you jump into the air. The board will rotate underneath you. Watch the board and catch it with your feet as you come back down. If you have "shuved" it hard enough it will rotate a full 360 degrees around and you can land and continue riding.

Tips:

Get your knees up.
The higher you lift your knees towards your chest, the longer the board will have to spin underneath you. You will not have to try to spin the board so fast if the board has more time to spin underneath you. This will allow you to put less effort into the spin and it will become a more relaxed fluid motion rather than a quick jerky motion that can throw off your balance and make it difficult to complete the trick.

Be confident
You need to commit fully to the trick. Get your feet off the board and get your knees up. Watch the board spin around underneath you, catch it with your feet, and stick it.

Strengthen your legs.
It takes quite a bit of leg strength to be able to get the board to rotate 360 degrees in the short time that you are in the air. Try this experiment. Hold your skimboard at about chest height over the water. Now spin it in the air. Try to spin it hard enough that it will rotate more than 360 degrees before it lands on the water. Chances are, it didn't make it much more that 360 degrees if that. And it was dropping from a height of around 4 feet and was most likely in the air much longer than the board (or you) would be while doing a 360 shuvit. Granted, your legs are stronger than you arms, but hopefully the demonstration helped show you the kind of strength required to get the board around 360 degrees. If your legs aren't strong enough, you will find it takes a great effort to be able to "shuv" the board around the 360 degrees. This needs to be easy for you, not difficult. If it is not an easy fluid motion, but a "put all your effort into it" jerky motion, it will probably throw you off balance and make it difficult to land the shuvit. By increasing your leg strength and particularly the muscles used to "shuv" the board around, you will find yourself more in control and able to land the shuvit much easier. So how can you increase the strength in your legs for this particular movement? By doing it...a lot! That becomes difficult when your skimboarding because while skimming, each attempt also takes a lot of energy running to get on the skimboard. Here is a way to get a lot of shuvits in, without burning up energy running. Do them on carpet without the running. When I was first trying to get the 360 shuvit down, I would try to do about 100 shuvits a night on the carpet. (Although I didn't start out with 100 my first night, I worked my way up to 100.) It's not exactly the same as in the water, but it will definitely help you build up the strength you need in your legs to get the 360 shuvit down.

Stay over the top of the board.
This is key in most tricks. Lots of times as people begin to try the 360 shuvit they end up "shuving" the board right out from underneath them. This usually happens for a couple of reasons. One, the skimboarder has leaned back to far. Often, particularly when trying to get some "pop", there is a tendency to lean back. This puts your center of gravity too far back. You want to keep your center of gravity between your legs. For more discussion on this see the ollie tutorial. When leaning back, most of the time the board will shoot out from underneath the skimboarder, but even if the skimboarder manages to keep the board in close vicinity, they will find it near impossible to land the trick. The second reason the board ends up flying away from the rider is that they have tried to “shuv” the board too hard with a quick jerky motion as opposed to a more smooth relaxed fluid motion. By gaining leg strength and getting your knees up, you will be able to make the shuving motion much more fluid. Again, it is important to keep the board underneath you.

Try to land "softly" on the board.
Don’t land straight legged. Make sure that your knees are bent when you land. This will do two things. One, it will keep your center of gravity lower which will make it easier for you to stay in control. Second, by landing with your knees bent, you can absorb the impact of the landing and make it much more smooth.

Practice in shallow water
When trying to get down the 360 shuvit, practice in very shallow water; as shallow as you can get it. 360 shuvits are easier in more shallow water. Don’t worry about pop at first. Just get use to getting the board around and landing them every time. Once you get them down, then you can start working on getting some pop.

Getting Pop
To get some pop in your 360 shuvit, you are going to need to push down on the back of the board while simultaneously "shuving" it. Here is the deal though, while learning to get some pop, don't focus much on "poping" the board. Focus on bending your knees and then exploading into the air. What you will find is the board will naturally follow you into the air. As you get a feel for this, you can then begin to focus on getting more pop by "popping" that back foot harder. (See the ollie tutorial for more discussion on "popping" the board.)

Forget everything you have just read
All the things that you have read are good tips but sometimes you can over think things. Now I don’t want you to literally go and forget everything, but my point is, make sure you RELAX. Be smooth. Don't over think it.

Regular or Goofy?

2009-09-03T22:07:00.004-06:00

A skimboarder can ride with either his left foot or right foot forward. Most riders find one of these positions much easier and more natural than the other.

Regular foot, or regular stance refers to a skimboarder that feels more natural riding with his or her left foot in front. This stance is called regular because it is found more commonly (or at least it was thought to be more common when the name was coined). The opposite of regular stance is called goofy foot. Goofy foot is where the skimboarder prefers to ride with his or her right foot in front.

If you are a beginner and just learning to skimboard, you may not know which "foot" you are, regular or goofy. The most common test to determine whether you are goofy or regular footed is to stand relaxed and have somebody gently push you from the back. See which foot you put out in front of you to catch yourself. If it's your left foot, you are regular, if it's your right foot, you are goofy.

When a skimboarder rides opposite of his preferred stance it is called switch, or switch stance. It is usually more difficult for a rider to do a trick in switch stance.

If the skimboarder moves his front foot up to the nose of the board and his back foot to the middle of the board he is in nollie stance. Usually this stance is used to perform certain tricks, but not to ride in.

Fakie stance is a riders normal foot position but traveling backwards. Another way to think of fakie stance is a nollie stance in switch position. To get into fakie stance a rider might do a 180 spin. They have the same foot position but are now traveling backwards.

Virgin River Skimboards - New Designs

2009-08-30T15:59:00.005-06:00

Virgin River Board Co. sent over some pics of some of their new skimboard designs. Enjoy!!!

Skimboard Dimensions

2009-08-22T10:16:00.017-06:00

I get asked all the time by people making their own board, “What dimensions should I use?” This is kind of a hard question to answer because there is a lot of personal preference involved. I usually give them a ball park figure and let them experiment a bit for themselves.

Here is the deal. A bigger board will be heavier and more stable. A smaller board is usually lighter and more responsive. So are there any advantages to heavier? The answer is yes. A heavier board will go farther and faster. You should consider how you like to get on the board. Some people like to throw the board out ahead of them a bit and really get some speed before they get on the board. Some like to throw the board down and get on within a step or two. If you are the kind that likes to throw the board out ahead of you a bit the a heavier board may be nice because it will keep up it’s speed and you won’t run past it. Also once you get on the board, a heavier one will travel farther. So what are the disadvantages of a heavier board? The main one is that it is harder to get out of the water when you ollie, after all, it is heavier.

Another advantage of a larger board is that it is more stable, so it is easier to land tricks on. The problem here is that even though it’s easier to land a trick on a large board, if the trick involves getting the board out of the water it might be more difficult to do that because the larger board is heavier.

Your level of experience may also be a consideration. If you are a beginner then you may want a more stable (larger) board to get started with. You also need to consider who you are making the board for. If you are making it for you 10 year old daughter, a larger board may be difficult for her to hold, throw, etc. The thickness of a board will also come into play as a thicker board will be heavier than a thinner board. Usually the standard thickness is between 3/8” and 1/2”.

Most board manufactures have different sizes and recommended weights associated with their boards. Remember, in the end, it’s a personal preference, depending on what kind of rider you are, what kind of riding you’ll be doing, and how you want the board to feel under your feet. That being said, I’ve done some research (so that you don’t have to) and listed some popular board manufactures with sizes of inland skimboards and suggested weights so that you can get at least a ballpark estimate.

Victoria Matrix

Small 41” x 17.6” 50 – 100 lbs
Medium 44” x 18.7” 90 – 160 lbs
Large 47” x 20.4” 140 – 210 lbs

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Victoria Grinder

Medium 44” x 20” 90 – 160 lbs
Large 47” x 21.4” 140 – 210 lbs

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DB Proto

Flex Small 39.6” x 18.75” under 120 lbs
Flex Medium 41.6” x 19.5” 100 lbs – 150 lbs
Standard Medium 41.5” x 19.5” 125-170 lbs
Standard Large 43.5” x 20.5” 160 lbs +

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DB Streamline

Flex Small 37.75” x 17.5” under 120 lbs
Flex Medium 40.5” x 18.5” 100 lbs – 150 lbs
Standard Medium 41” x 19.5” 125-170 lbs
Standard Large 43.5” x 20.5” 160 lbs

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DB Standard Sandblaster

Small 42.75” x 18” under 120 lbs
Medium 44” x 19” 110-160 lbs
Large 45.5” x 19.5” 150 lbs +

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Kayotics Cali

Small 40.5" x 19" under 140 lbs.
Large 41.5" x 22" over 140 lbs

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Kayotics OG

Small 40.5" x 19" under 140 lbs
Large 41.5" x 22" over 140 lbs

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Interview – Virgin River Board Co.

2009-08-15T10:29:00.004-06:00

Virgin River Board Co. is a new inland skimboard manufacturer out of St. George Utah. In an interview with Inland Skimboarding, Virgin River Board Co.’s Chan Nay gave us loads of great info. about the company. Check it out, your sure to be impressed!

Inland Skimboarding: Tell us a little bit about Virgin River skimboards.
Virgin River Board Co.: First off we have really come up with a great board that we have put a lot of time and development into. We build boards that are 3/8"to 1/2" thick depending on what the rider likes. Our weights range from just over 6 lbs to almost 8lbs. We have a board that is perfect for every rider not like most companies who want the rider to fit their board, we build a board to fit the rider! We have a huge selection of graphics that range from the old school woody look to our vinyl decals, to our latest model of the rubber top with our logo painted on it. We use the highest quality of material to insure our product is second to none! I have had each of our boards in the back of my truck for almost 4 weeks now, through the heat, rain, and all other extremes just to see what the board would do. To this day I still ride all of them and they all have the same rocker they started with.

Inland Skimboarding: How did the name of your company originate?
Virgin River Board Co.: When we were trying to think of our name we were trying to think of something that everyone in the skimboarding community would recognize and also hit home on the local scene as well. That was when it hit us that Virgin River Board Co. was the one.

Inland Skimboarding: Where is Virgin River Skimboards located?
Virgin River Board Co.: We are located here in St. George, Utah. All of our boards are made here locally in our shop and are available in our store at 968 E. St. George Blvd, or on our website at www.vrskimz.com.

Inland Skimboarding: How long have you been making skimboards?
Virgin River Board Co.: We have been doing research and development on the boards for a little over a year now. We have really hit the scene hard this year and plan to make it bigger from here on out!

Inland Skimboarding: A lot of inland skimboarders start off on boards that they have made themselves. What are the advantages of moving to a professionally manufactured board?
Virgin River Board Co.: There are a couple of great advantages to have a professional board. I have used home made boards, as I am sure everyone else has too, but the biggest advantage I have found is that I can fully enjoy the sport more and have a better experience. Our boards are more than just a professional board they are hand crafted one by one here in St. George to insure the quality and durability of our boards. We like to think that it is more of a hand crafted board than a mass produced board. We pride ourselves on paying attention to the details so the rider doesn't have to. Less time on the river bank fixing or worrying and more time riding!

Inland Skimboarding: What makes a good inland skimboard?
Virgin River Board Co.: We feel that a solid board with perfect rocker, and a company that stands behind their product. I see a lot of these "one time use boards", that you can buy for $30 or $40, but I have noticed that kids never seem to enjoy their time skimmming. That’s why we have made it one of our goals and focuses to build a great beginner/intermediate board for not much more than how much you will spend on replacing a couple of “one time use” boards in a year. We feel it will also help keep the kids’ interest in skimboarding and help draw more people to the skimboarding community.

Inland Skimboarding: Tell us about your inland skimboards.
Virgin River Board Co.: All of our boards have end to end rocker with an hpl bottom. We have just released our new line with the rubber tops. They have proven to do well for us. We can do any color that the customer wants and/or they can paint on it themselves! I think that is really cool, as it offers the customer to have a one of a kind board, and keep the individualality that people like. We offer S/M and M/L in all of our lines. Like I mentioned before we use only the best materials to insure our boards are made to last and handle the abuse of the sport, and in St. George, the heat!

Inland Skimboarding: Why should I buy a Virgin River skimboard?
Virgin River Board Co.: We offer the best built board out there! Out of the boards I ride everyday I use and abuse them hard. I let anyone and everyone ride them. When most people test ride them, the first thing I hear is "I will take it easy so I don't break it" I always reply "if you can break it I will give you one"!!! Who else would tell you that?! I have not had one of our new boards break or warp! I think it’s in the adhesive we use, and the way we laminate them. The only way to find out our boards are the best is to ride one. I am more than happy to let new comers ride them and see for themselves that our boards are the best, and they need one!

Inland Skimboarding: What makes your inland skimboards unique?
Virgin River Board Co.: I would say it has to be the fact that this is all we do. Our whole focus and goal is to offer the best inland skimboards. Our board shape is awesome and has perfect rocker and weight that every rider is looking for. We build the board around the rider not the rider around the board!

Inland Skimboarding: What kind of testing/quality control do your boards go through?
Virgin River Board Co.: We do hours and hours of research before we even decide to try a new product. Once we decide we want to try it, we go through about 4 different processes of how it could be done. In doing this we find the best way to utilize the product and get the most out of it. I personally inspect every board, as I make them all by myself. If I have any doubt or concerns I either fix it if it can be, or analyze it to see what went wrong. We take every board and have our sponsored riders use them, and get their feed back and then put them through all extremes. We test the cold, the heat, and direct sunlight for weeks on end. Before I launch a new board I think it’s safe to say if we are going to have any problems with it I will know about it and have it corrected before we start to produce. Granted there are those that you don't find until later, but that’s the nature of things.

Inland Skimboarding: Rails have become an integral part of inland skimboarding. Boards take quite a bit of abuse as a result. Talk a little bit about the challenge that presents when designing and building inland skimboards.
Virgin River Board Co.: Whoever figures this one out first will be a millionaire! It seems like the two biggest problems are the edges of your board getting dinged and causing water damage, and the bottoms wearing out. We feel we have found a great solution to the edge problem as our rubber coating is completely wrapped around the edge of the board. It will still chip off on a big enough hit but your have to hit it really hard. The bottoms is still up in the air. We have some great ideas we are researching and developing now and are hoping to have a couple of answers in the near future. So keep your eyes open as we try to crack this nut!

Inland Skimboarding: When you get feedback from inland riders, what positive things do you hear most often?
Virgin River Board Co.: We hear a lot of positive feedback on a couple of things. First is the rocker and size. The second is the weight. One person’s ideal weight related to another’s could be pounds different. Well we covered that! We have the same size board in two different weights. Our heaviest board in a M/L with our rubber top is just under 8 lbs. Our lightest board in the same size and finish is just over 6 1/2 lbs. So as you can see we have really put a lot of time and effort into catering to the riders and their comfort and liking.

Inland Skimboarding: Where do you see the sport of inland skimboarding 10 years from now?
Virgin River Board Co.: I honestly see it in the X-Games with hundreds of thousands of viewers! That is one of our goals, to do everything we can to help the skimboarding community grow and make the skimming scene bigger. We need to get it in front of everybody, and that’s what Virgin River Board Co. intends on doing.

Inland Skimboarding: Do you see anything new on the horizon technology wise that will improve the next generation of inland skimboarding?
Virgin River Board Co.: I can see bigger and better ramps and rails. What we have now is a huge step from where skimboarding originated in the 70's. I don't want to give it away, but I will say this, don't miss next years Virgin River Classic. This next year’s event will be above and beyond what anyone in this community has seen!

Inland Skimboarding: As a board manufacturer, is there anything you can do, or are doing, to increase the respect for inland skimboarding?
Virgin River Board Co.: We have been working with Mike Gardner, who has been in the St. George skimboarding scene for the past 20 years, with the scout troops on what it takes to build a board and teaching them how, and about skimboarding in hopes that it will spark interest in skimboarding and help grow the skimboarding community and scene locally.

Inland Skimboarding: What inland skimboarding events have you been involved with? Tell us about your experiences at those events.
Virgin River Board Co.: We have worked with the city on the Virgin River Classic this past year. I also was in charge of the skimboard making class that the city of St. George offers each summer for the kids. They were both great experiences, and it gave us great ideas and goals for next year. It was a great learning year on how we can be a bigger help next year to really make a difference in the Virgin River Classic, and the skimboard making class.

Inland Skimboarding: Do you have any sponsored inland skimboarders? What does it take for an inland skimboarder to get sponsored by Virgin River Skimboards?
Virgin River Board Co.: We do have a good team we have put together. Our riders have been great to work with. They are great to help us reach our goals, and our projects with the scouts, camps, and so forth. As far as getting sponsored by us, obviously we look for talented riders, but also we look for someone who is a team player and is willing work with the local kids on teaching them about skimboarding by giving them pointers, and helping us with camps that we plan on holding.

Inland Skimboarding: Any last comments?
Virgin River Board Co.: Over all I would like to give a special thanks to Mike Gardner, at DMG films, as he has been a huge part of keeping the skimboarding scene alive here in St. George, and all of our riders and the locals for helping us create a great board! We plan on helping take inland skimboarding to the next level. As we make plans, one of our goals is to see the Virgin River Classic be THE spot every year. We are working on taking all the right steps towards that and hope to have an even better turn out next year, We are also working on having a few of the issues resolved, as there is a little stigma we are trying to help St. George over come. We have such confidence in our boards that we are doing a promo offer, much like the government’s cash for clunkers. We are doing our own "Cash for skimunkers". You can bring in your board, whether it is store bought or home made, and we will give you up to $50 off on a new Virgin River Board Co. skimboard. This offer runs from August 1, 2009 to September 26, 2009! You can email chan@vrskimz.com or call 702-672-7157 for details.

You can check out the Virgin River Board Co. on the web at www.vrskimz.com.

Virgin River Classic 2009

2009-07-17T23:23:00.003-06:00

The Virgin River Classic skim comp. went down last Saturday. The temperature was high and the river was low as lots of local talent as well as some great talent from around the west converged on the Virgin River. The comp. got underway around 10:00 in the morning as over 40 participants competed in several different age groups. Here are some highlights.

The results in each age group are as follows:

9 & Under
1st Place Tysen Williams, Santa Clara, UT
2nd Place Braden Baker, Santa Clara, UT
3rd Place Corby Fausett, St George, UT

10 - 12 Year Olds
1st Place Cody Mower , St George, UT
2nd Place TJ Martin, St George, UT
3rd Place Corbin Calaway, St George, UT

13 - 15 Year Olds
1st Place Tyson Hubbard, St George, UT
2nd Place Landon Fausett, St George, UT
3rd Place Cody Gentry, St George, UT

16 - 18 Year Olds
1st Place Nic Bott, Santa Clara, UT
2nd Place Devin Stagg, Washington, UT
3rd Place Keaton Roberts, Ivins, UT

Men's Open
1st Place Logan Davidson, Federal Way, WA
2nd Place Emile Panerio, Tacoma, WA
3rd Place Blake Zimmerman, Federal Way, WA

Women's Open
1st Place Alexi Hutchings, St George, UT
2nd Place Alexis Furlong, Ogden, UT
3rd Place Sami Warnick, St George, UT

For pictures from the Virgin River Classic check out the following links
City of St. George
DB Blog
Virgin River Skimboards

Nice Pop!

2009-06-13T15:45:00.003-06:00

Nice Pop is the newest flatland skimboarding video from DB Skimboards. It follows the guys across the Pacific Northwest as they search out spots to showcase there repertoire of tricks. You can tell that the guys had a lot of fun making the video, and you’ll have a lot of fun watching it. I think the thing that stood out the most was the DB guys’ creativity. Using everything from traditional rails, to logs, to hula hoops, to ducks, (yes, the first video I’ve seen with a pop shuvit over a duck) the guys keep you guessing and wondering what’s coming next! The editing is done well and the video keeps flowing. There are some nice extra features with sections for each rider, documentaries, and comp. videos.
Nice Pop is definitely worth a look. Head on over to DB skimboards and get your copy today!

Skimboard Rail Building - Rollercoaster rail

2008-12-12T10:25:00.006-07:00

Building a roller coaster rail for your skimboarding trip.
The main idea is that you cut out the sides of the skimboard rail in the shape you want from plywood. You then use 2x4’s to connect the sides together and support the rail. Cut out a rectangle that is the width of your rail and the length of the top. Since the top of the skimboard rail is curved, use a piece of string to measure the curved length. Attach the rectangle to the top of the rail. Because the top of the rail is curved, soaking the top rectangle piece of plywood in water for several hours will help it bend easier. You can also use a thinner piece of plywood for the top (3/8” or 1/4" thick) for easier bending. Now attach the pvc. For help on attaching the pvc, see this post on skimboard rails.

Now get out there and get skimboarding!

Interview - Kayotics Skimboards

2008-11-24T22:21:00.007-07:00

Kayotics is a flatland skimboard manufacturer based out of Vancouver, Canada. Kayotics has been very instrumental in progressing the flatland skim movement. Company founder John Minns tells us more in Inland Skimboarding’s interview with him.
Inland Skimboarding: Tell us a little about your company.
Kayotics Skimboards: Kayotics skimboards is my child. It was started in 2001 and has grown up to destroy the beaches all over North America. I began making skimboards as a side venture when i noticed the lack of good boards and also industry. Since then, everyone and their dog has been attempting to jump into the skimboard scene.
Inland Skimboarding: How did the name of your company originate? Is there any interesting story behind the name?
Kayotics Skimboards: I used to write Kayotics across desks in classes in high school .. I guess you could say it was a tag or graffiti and then i was trying to think of a name for my boards and I thought that it was perfect.
Inland Skimboarding: Where is Kayotics Skimboards located?
Kayotics Skimboards: Kayotics is home grown on the beaches of Boundary Bay in Vancouver Canada. I do Manufacturing out of Richmond/Vancouver but the address hasn't changed. Mail the same number same hood its all good.
Inland Skimboarding: How have you seen the skimboard market change over the years you have been in business?
Kayotics Skimboards: I think raising the bar for skimboarding is what has created the growth. People didn't think you could do anything on a skimboard before we started making power moves to show the world what is possible. We in Vancouver and the brothers in Sac have definitely started to turn heads. The only way you can make people pumped on your sport is when you can shock them with tricks or obstacles to really show them how far they can take it. If skimboarding only had 2 tricks to learn, people would treat it like skip rope or something lame that can't expand very far. I think it's really important for kids to see the potential because ultimately they are the ones trying to follow suit.
Inland Skimboarding: How long have you been making skimboards?
Kayotics Skimboards: I've been building for I guess, 7 or 8 years.
Inland Skimboarding: What is the difference between skimboards used for wave riding and skimboards for inland use?
Kayotics Skimboards: For the longest time it was just a difference between foam core and wood. Flatland skimming is still predominantly wood core, however some brands are starting to dabble with foam core boards. A foam/wave board is generally thicker and longer and is basically the look of a mini surf board. A more buoyant board is needed in order to get over the deeper water and make it out to the waves. A wood board needs more weight to it. Often times flatland riders throw their boards and chase it to get on, therefore it is imperative to have a board that carries well. I also believe that flatland skimboarding should resemble skateboarding more than surfing. In turn, I believe that the pricing should also mimic that market.
Inland Skimboarding: A lot of inland skimboarders start off on boards that they have made themselves. What are the advantages of moving to a professionally manufactured board?
Kayotics Skimboards: I highly encourage people to build there own weekend warrior boards. It gets people into the sport that may not ever get the addictive feeling of skimboarding because they don't want to spend 150-200 bucks on a pro board.
Inland Skimboarding: What makes a good inland skimboard?
Kayotics Skimboards: I personally look for and cater my boards to key in on the Rocker, shape, perfect amount of flex and slick bases for riding rails. Also weight is a big factor. Many people think that lighter is better and therefore foam is the answer. I disagree with that and feel that making a board that carries further with more weight to it is preferable.
Inland Skimboarding: Tell us about your inland skimboards.
Kayotics Skimboards: First off, inland skimboarding is the same as flatland. In my opinion flatland skimboarding covers all flatland riding, where as inland only defines the actual inland skim scenes. Therefore, to answer your question, we make flatland skimboards that taylor to all the needs of every scene; weather you're riding, inland or on the coast.
Kayotics skimboards manufactures high performance skimboards for the flatland/inland world. We make 4 shapes that take care of all weights and rider sizes.
Inland Skimboarding: Why should I buy a Kayotics skimboard?
Kayotics Skimboards: We are the most legit and core flatland brand in the game son..haha. We have been down since day one. Some companies run both wave and flatland boards, we only do flatland. This is what we know best and focus on. If you want to put the money in the hands of the creators and innovators, go with us. We also run with our slogan "skimboards and lifestyles" which started off meaning that we offered "skimboards and apparel" but it has grown way past that. It is now recognized that there is a lifestyle that goes with our skimboarding for every one of our team riders and our customers to follow. Skimboarding is fun because of all the trips, parties, girls, jokes, and all round adventure behind the whole sport. What Kayotics is basically saying is, while we can kill it on our boards, we also have attitude and style to go with it. Therefore, to answer your question, you're not buying into a lame brand, you're buying the best boards and the culture that Kayotics knows best. Spend a week with us up north and it will change your life, on and off the beach.
Inland Skimboarding: What makes your inland skimboards unique?
Kayotics Skimboards: Our boards are handcrafted by Canadian skimboarders. Our lemon shape is definitely a signature for us as having a distinct nose and tail makes for level popping but also for directional throwing.
Inland Skimboarding: What kind of testing/quality control do your boards go through?
Kayotics Skimboards: I have tested all my boards since day one and they are also passed around through the hands of most of our riders. Different bases and slicknesses can make a difference. On the actual production side, I'm usually there or have my guys inspect every board during the finishing part of our process, making sure there is no warping or blemishes.
Inland Skimboarding: Rails have become an integral part of inland skimboarding. As a result, boards take a fair amount of abuse. Talk a little bit about the challenge that presents when designing and building inland skimboards.
Kayotics Skimboards: I think that depending on your set up you shouldn't have too many problems with durability on rails. Boards get more warn down on the biggest piece of sand paper in the world... the beach. If you're building your rails right and mounting the board properly, you shouldn't be gauging the front of your board. Gauges do happen, but i feel like the longjevity of a skimboard should be equivalent to that of skateboards. Advanced skateboarders will go through dozens of skateboards where as, a beginner may only need one for 2 years. Skimboarding should follow suit with that, as the price ranges follow as well.
Inland Skimboarding: When you get feedback from inland riders, what positive things do you hear most often?
Kayotics Skimboards: How sick our boards are or how they can order one.
Inland Skimboarding: Where do you see the sport of skimboarding 10 years from now?
Kayotics Skimboards: I would like to be traveling to a lot more locations internationally. I think as we build and forefront the industry it's important to look at all the scenes developing globally so we don't cut ourselves short on the locations we travel to. I get a bit tired of the same spots so the things that really stoke me are new locations with new scenery to shoot photos and video at. Indoor parks are also something I would like to get happening as I've been dreaming of this since I was a kid. However this will require some major investors and at this time I really don't think anyone in the skimboarding industry has the bank roll to make something like that happen, not to the extent of what I'm looking to do anyways.
Inland Skimboarding: Do you see anything new on the horizon technology wise that will improve the next generation of inland skimboards?
Kayotics Skimboards: Again following a similar business model to skateboarding, I feel that keeping boards simple and cheap is a better alternative to putting more and more money into them. Plus, selling boards for over $300 starts to really narrow down your market. The reality is that even if you build a higher priced board, we will still be able to do the same tricks on a cheaper board. For a company to come along and drop a board like this, they would have to draw customers in by demonstrating never- before- seen tricks with their riders, thus proving the worth of the new technology.
Currently, I think the ultimate goal is implementing minor adjustments to the boards, without drastically changing the wholesale price.
Inland Skimboarding: Inland skimboarders often get called names, talked down to, and shown little respect from some wave skimboarders. Inland skimboarders are often told what they are doing is not “real” skimboarding. What is your view of the inland skimboarding scene?
Kayotics Skimboards: As far as I'm concerned Flatland skimboarding is its own industry. I could personally care less about how the wave riders feel about flatland but I also think that people are always going to hate different industries. We are starting to see a few more cross over riders these days which is starting to bridge the gap a bit more. I just think flatland as a whole is trailing behind because we really didn't get started til much after the wave industry.
Inland Skimboarding: As a board manufacturer, is there anything you can do, or are doing, to increase the respect for inland skimboarding?
Kayotics Skimboards: I ride for my own company and represent flatland skimboarding to the fullest. To keep the industry wheels in motion I'm always coming up with new tricks, obstacles and new events creating the spectacle that skimboarding needs.
Inland Skimboarding: What inland skimboarding events have you been involved with? Tell us about your experiences at those events.
Kayotics Skimboards: I've competed in every major event in north America and have placed 1st in all the biggest ones. In all honestly, that was a major goal of mine when I was younger, but now the bigger contests don't hold as much importance as they once did. I still enjoy hooking up with the road brothers that I've made over the years, but I am much more stoked on the more mellow scenes. I went to Louisiana to visit Sam Collette and skimmed in Mississippi with a start up scene. It is becoming more and more enjoyable to witness the progression of the scenes from the ground up.
I personally have been putting on Jamfests since 2001 and its the longest running flatland even in Canada. We missed jamfest 7 this year because of some permit issues, but we are definitely going to make it happen next year. Bank Statements was another huge achievement for me to show the public what was possible on a skimboard and what they can expect for the future.
Inland Skimboarding: Do you have any sponsored inland skimboarders? What does it take for an inland skimboarder to get sponsored by Kayotics?
Kayotics Skimboards: Yes we have lots of riders. Some are considered team riders and some are considered flow riders. Team riders travel a bit more and compete in contests etc. Flow riders are often times younger and i just make sure they have a board under their feet. In order to get sponsored, you obviously have to be able to shred incredibly well. We also love some attitude and style. If you can show that you can be pushing the Kayotics "skimboards and lifestyles" we're probably going to like you.

Thanks John, for a great interview. Find out more about Kayotics Skimboards by visiting their website at http://www.kayotics.com/

Interview - J-Gordon Skimboards

2008-11-13T22:24:00.005-07:00

J-Gordon Skimboards have been making high performance ocean and inland wood skimboards since 1980. Find out a more about J-Gordon Skimboards in Inland Skimboarding’s interview with company founder Jim Gordon.

Inland Skimboarding: How did the name of your company originate? Is there any interesting story behind the name?
J-Gordon Skimboards: When I first made surfboards in the 60's, I didn't want to call my product Gordon surfboards because there was already Gordon & Smith surfboards. I knew that Gordon's first name on G&S was Larry, so I decided to use my initial J of my first name, Jim, along with my last name, Gordon. This is how I named my company.
I also manufactured skateboards back in the 70's, and under the J-Gordon label. Back then, I was the only
J-Gordon. In the 80's, the name expanded to include my wife, Janet, and our sons James and Jared.
Inland Skimboarding: Where is J-Gordon Skimboards located?
J-Gordon Skimboards: I was located in Santa Cruz, California but move up to Coos Bay, Oregon, 12 years ago. It's not as crowed here and the cost of living is much less than California. You can also find us at http://www.jgordonskimboards.com/.
Inland Skimboarding: How have you seen the skimboard market change over the years you have been in business?
J-Gordon Skimboards: More people knowing what skimboards are. There are many more manufacturers, especially from overseas. You now can buy skimboards at K-Mart ,Wal-Mart and Big-5 sport shops, which are mostly manufactured in China. Skimboarding has also changed with the usage of skimboards. The application just isn't for wave riders. Now skimmers are riding rails, kite riding and bunngie skimming.
Inland Skimboarding: How long have you been making skimboards?
J-Gordon Skimboards: I started manufacturing skimboards around 1980, but made them for myself years before that. I've been in the skimboard business for over 28 years.
Inland Skimboarding: What is the difference between skimboards used for wave riding and skimboards for inland use?
J-Gordon Skimboards: Skimboards for rails are usually twin tip (skateboard shape) and wave boards are more pointy (surfboard shape). Wave boards are larger than rail boards too.
Inland Skimboarding: What are the advantages of moving to a professionally manufactured board?
J-Gordon Skimboards: A professionally manufactured board should be from a company with years of experience. Experience in the industry, along with years of test riding, made with the best materials and utilization of skimboard designs and shapes makes for maximum performance.
Inland Skimboarding: What makes a good inland skimboard?
J-Gordon Skimboards: A board that is fast on the water, fast on rails with good flex and pop. Also, a board that's not too heavy, yet strong enough as not to snap on rails.
Inland Skimboarding: Tell us about your inland skimboards.
J-Gordon Skimboards: As far as I know, I have been making inland boards longer than anyone and was the first manufacturer to make a board with flex and pop. It seems everyone has tried to copy our boards but has failed. I guess this is because they lack experience. Like I said, I've been perfecting my boards for years, before most of you were born!
Inland Skimboarding: Why should I buy a J-Gordon Skimboard?
J-Gordon Skimboards: If you want a durable wood skimboard, you should consider buying a J-Gordon. Quality is number one with us. We don't mass produce our boards while other companies outsource their manufacturing overseas in order to make as much money as possible. All our boards are made by me and my two sons. We don't not use cheap, inferior materials in order to make a higher profit. We are happy making less boards so we can give you a board that we would want to own. Another reason to buy a J-Gordon is that people all the time tell us our boards are the best board they have ever ridden. Being in business for over 28 years, we must be doing something right.
Inland Skimboarding: What makes your inland skimboards unique?
J-Gordon Skimboards: Great flex and a lot of pop. (Much like a compound bow, it loads up and then the energy is released.)
Inland Skimboarding: What kind of testing/quality control do your boards go through?
J-Gordon Skimboards: We have a skim pit with rails to test new designs and shapes for better performance.We also test our boards at the beach. Input from team riders on new designs and materials is critical in testing our skimboards. As for quality control, we are a small family company. Each board is handmade buy a J-Gordon. As I said before, our name is on the line, and we stand behind our product. We don't stockpile our boards because when we come up with a new design, we manufacture it to the public right away. The board that you get is the same as our team riders use.
Inland Skimboarding: Talk a little bit about the challenge that presents when designing and building inland skimboards.
J-Gordon Skimboards: The challenges presented in making an inland skimboard is to withstand the abuse in riding rails. Rail skimmers are very hard on boards, this presents new challenges in design and construction. We do extensive test riding so we can anticipate what needs to be addressed.
Inland Skimboarding: When you get feedback from inland riders, what positive things do you hear most often?
J-Gordon Skimboards: People all the time tell us they like the flex, and durability of the board and how fast it is on rails or just flatland riding. Also, the high quality and workmanship of the boards.
Inland Skimboarding: Where do you see the sport of skimboarding 10 years from now?J-Gordon Skimboards: Growing bigger, and expanding, mainly in the middle states. More people making skim pits in their back yards.
Inland Skimboarding: Do you see anything new on the horizon technology wise that will improve the next generation of inland skimboards?
J-Gordon Skimboards: Not in basic construction of wood boards. Other companies have tried to make foam skims for rails, but they just don't work as good and just don't hold up. I think wood boards will stay around for a long time just like wood skateboards.
Inland Skimboarding: Inland skimboarders often get called names, talked down to, and shown little respect from some wave skimboarders. Inland skimboarders are often told what they are doing is not “real” skimboarding. What is your view of the inland skimboarding scene?
J-Gordon Skimboards: I think inland skimboarding is cool. I'm a wave rider myself, but my son likes rails. He is the test rider for rails, and I'm the test rider for waves. And yes, you can ride waves with a wood skim! At least our boards you can.
Inland Skimboarding: As a board manufacturer, is there anything you can do, or are doing, to increase the respect for inland skimboarding?
J-Gordon Skimboards: Show respect and just have fun skimming. Remember, you once were a beginner too. Also, I'm always on skimonline, a forum mainly for wave skimmers. They listen to me because I can talk waves or rails. I think they respect my opinion.
Inland Skimboarding: What inland skimboarding events have you been involved with? Tell us about your experiences at those events.
J-Gordon Skimboards: Throughout the years I have donated prizes (skimboards, T-shirts, hats, stickers and wax) for various skim contest. This year alone, J-Gordon has been a sponsored for over 6 contest.
Inland Skimboarding: Do you have any sponsored inland skimboarders? What does it take for an inland skimboarder to get sponsored by J-Gordon?
J-Gordon Skimboards: Yes, I have 2 in California, 1 in Canada, 2 in Michigan and 1 in Louisiana.
First, someone has to leave to make room for a new person to be sponsored. Unlike other companies, you don't need to win contests to be a team/test rider, just be good enough to give me feedback on new designs, your opinion on shapes, etc. Importantly, I don't like conceited jerks, and I must like you as a person.

Inland Skimboarding would like to thank J-Gordon Skimboards for taking the time to let us find out a little bit more about their company. Check them out at http://www.jgordonskimboards.com/

Skimboard Rail Building: Curved Kicker

2008-11-10T18:16:00.007-07:00

Ready for you and your skimboard to fly. Build a kicker. The main idea is that you cut out the sides of the kicker in the shape you want from plywood. You then use 2x4’s to connect the sides together and support the kicker. Cut out a rectangle that is the width of your kicker and the length of the top. Since the top of the kicker is curved, use a piece of string to measure the curved length. Attach the rectangle to the top of the kicker. Because it is curved, soaking the top rectangle piece of plywood in water for several hours will help it bend easier. If the curve is dramatic, use a thinner piece of plywood for the top (3/8” or 1/4" thick) for easier bending. Now attach the pvc. For help on attaching the pvc, see this post on skimboard rails.

Now get out there with your skimboard and "kick" it!!!

Interview - DB Skimboards

2008-11-03T23:14:00.005-07:00

DB Skimboards is an up and coming company out of Washington State putting out some sweet boards. Find out a little bit more about them, their boards, and everything they’re doing for the sport in Inland Skimboarding’s latest interview.

Inland Skimboarding: Tell us a little bit about DB Skimboards.
DB Skimboards: The company originated in 2003 when a group of friends decided to start making skimboards for themselves. The first boards were made in our basement. They were all hand painted and skimmed pretty well. We now have a manufacturing center where we make our boards. During this time we also started making some videos. Our first video "Low Tide" was made over the summer of 2004. Since then we have made 3 other video's that have been put out on DVD. Our newest video, "For the Moment", was our most ambitious project and turned our really well. It is definitely one of the best flatland skimboarding video's out there and by far has the best cinematography and is well edited. Check out the teaser for this video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltIpwqrVwFY.

Inland Skimboarding: How did the name of your company originate? Is there any interesting story behind the name?
DB Skimboards: The name Dashboards Skimboards came from Dash Point which is the local skimboarding beach. DB is an abbreviation for Dashboards. We go by both Dashboards Skimboards as well as DB Skimboards.
Inland Skimboarding: Where is DB Skimboards located?
DB Skimboards: DB Skimboards is located in Tacoma Washington.
Inland Skimboarding: How have you seen the skimboard market change over the years you have been in business?
DB Skimboards: The flatland skimboard market is growing rapidly. Companies are taking it more seriously and better flatland specific boards are being produced. Flatland skimboarding has been progressing rapidly over the last couple of years. Some of the tricks that people are doing now a days are pretty amazing. Also, the build features (rails, boxes, etc) are getting larger and more gnarly.
Inland Skimboarding: How long have you been making skimboards?
DB Skimboards: DB Skimboards has been producing skimboards for 5 years now (quality since 2003).
Inland Skimboarding: What is the difference between skimboards used for wave riding and skimboards for inland use?
DB Skimboards: Inland (flatland) skimboards generally have a different shape and less rocker than wave boards. Also, flatland skimboards are generally bi-directional, meaning they are made to be ridden in either direction. Flatland skimboards are usually made of wood while wave skimboards are usually made with a composite structure. Wave boards are generally larger in size than flatland boards.
Inland Skimboarding: A lot of inland skimboarders start off on boards that they have made themselves. What are the advantages of moving to a professionally manufactured board?
DB Skimboarding: It is true that it is pretty easy to make a beginner inland skimboard yourself. Some of the advantages of buying a manufactured board is that they will ride better and go further than a homemade board. You can do much more advanced tricks on a manufactured board. DB Skimboards has gone through much testing to make the boards that we do today. They have the perfect rocker as well as some other features hard to achieve by making a board yourself. All our boards have a wear resistant base which will last longer and slide better than a wooden base with lacquer. Also, all DB Skimboards come with a full EVA traction foam top. DB Skimboards is constantly testing new ideas.
Inland Skimboarding: What makes a good inland skimboard?
DB Skimboarding: A good inland skimboard will have good pop, skim far, and have the perfect amount of flex.
Inland Skimboarding: Why should I buy a DB skimboard? (This is your chance to brag a bit)
DB Skimboarding: DB Skimboards are the best boards on the market. From our wear resistant base to our foam traction top we use the best quality materials to ensure the best quality board. Check out our videos and you'll see what's possible on these boards.
Inland Skimboarding: What makes your inland skimboards unique?
DB Skimboards: Our boards are unique in that we are one of the few flatland specific companies. They have been tested by our team of rider who help us ensure we are making the best boards. Also, we were the first company to have a traction foam top. The traction foam top gives you a nice cooshy ride with superior traction to wax. Also, you do not need to deal with the mess of wax.
Inland Skimboarding: What kind of testing/quality control do your boards go through?
DB Skimboarding: Our engineers and riders work together to test and make new boards. We are constantly testing new idea's. All our boards are quality tested before being shipped out.
Inland Skimboarding: Rails have become an integral part of inland skimboarding. Boards take quite a bit of abuse as a result. Talk a little bit about the challenge that presents when designing and building inland skimboards.
DB Skimboarding: Making a board that is durable to withstand the abuse of rails is difficult. Both the HPL and plastic base materials we use are tough to withstand use on rails. Both materials slide well on pvc. Our boards are made with hardwoods to help with ding resistance. No board is going to be completely bomb proof but we are working on some that are close. We had the balsa boards that came out in limited production this year. These boards featured a plastic sidewall to help with side impact dings. It also had a balsa wood core to reduce weight. Look out for a similar boards in 2009.
Inland Skimboarding: When you get feedback from inland riders, what positive things do you hear most often?
DB Skimboards: Everyone loves the foam top. It provides superior traction and a little coosh for your feet. Riders also like the rocker pattern of our boards. It helps them to pop high and travel far.
Inland Skimboarding: Where do you see the sport of skimboarding 10 years from now?
DB Skimboards: I see many more people getting into it. I don't think it's ever going to be huge but it will definitely grow.
Inland Skimboarding: Do you see anything new on the horizon technology wise that will improve the next generation of inland skimboards?
DB Skimboards: Check out our Balsa board from this year and similar boards in the future.
Inland Skimboarding: Inland skimboarders often get called names, talked down to, and shown little respect from some wave skimboarders. Inland skimboarders are often told what they are doing is not “real” skimboarding. What is your view of the inland skimboarding scene?
DB Skimboards: Everyone on the DB team as well as everyone working for the company is passionate about inland skimboarding. We all have fun with it and don't really care what the wave riders think.
Inland Skimboarding: As a board manufacturer, is there anything you can do, or are doing, to increase the respect for inland skimboarding?
DB Skimboards: We are making legit video's that showcase the talent of flatland skimboard riders. Check out the teaser for our last video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltIpwqrVwFY. I think that is the best think we are doing to get the sport more recognized. Also, we show respect for wave skimboards and others at the beach.
Inland Skimboardings: What inland skimboarding events have you been involved with? Tell us about your experiences at those events.
DB Skimboards: We have put on a contest at Dash Point State Park for 5 years now. Every year it gets bigger and better. This year we had about 60 competitors and hundreds of spectators. People came from all over the west coast. This is one of the biggest and best flatland contests of the year.
We also put on the Chambers Creek Throwdown. This year was our second year putting on that event. This event is smaller and showcases more local riders. We hope for it to grow bigger in the coming years. Chambers Creek definitely has a different scene than Dash Point so it is cool to put on two different events with different conditions.
Inland Skimboarding: Do you have any sponsored inland skimboarders? What does it take for an inland skimboarder to get sponsored by DB?
DB Skimboards: We do have a skimboard team. We currently have 7 sponsored riders. To get sponsored by us you need to be a dedicated rider who has talent. We like to see some good contest results as well as some video of the rider. Feel free to email us with your sponsorship videos.

Thanks DB for a great interview. Check out their website at http://www.dbskimboards.com/

Skimboard Rail Building: Up Rail

2008-11-01T15:29:00.006-06:00

Ready to build a skimboard rail? Here we go. The main idea is to cut out the sides of the skimboard rail in the shape you want from plywood. Use 2x4’s to connect the sides together and support the rail. Cut out a rectangle that is the width of your rail and the length of the top. Attach the rectangle to the top of the rail. Now attach the pvc. For help on attaching the pvc, see this post on skimboard rails .

The following 6’ x 1’ x 1’ up rail can be built from
1 – 4’x 8’x 1/2” piece of plywood ($12.33 each at Home Depot)
2 – 2”x 4”x 8’ ($1.68 each at Home Depot)
3 – 10’x 1/2” pvc pipes ($1.43 each at Home Depot)

Total Cost = $19.98 (You will still need to purchase some screws to get it all put together)

Now get your skimboard and get out there!

Interview - Victoria Skimboards

2008-10-27T17:11:00.009-06:00

Victoria Skimboards is one of the world’s premier skimboard companies. Inland skimboarding wanted to do an interview and find out a little more about the company and what is available to inland skimboarders. Trigg Garner, General Manager of Victoria Skimboards, was generous enough to help us out.

Inland Skimboarding: How did the name of the company originate?
Victoria Skimboards: Tex Haines’ family would vacation at a house on Victoria Beach which is where he began his skimboarding career. Through the years he went on to do many different things and eventually made it back to Laguna Beach and made skimboards for all of his friends. After a while, he and Peter Prietto started Victoria Skimboards in 1976 but the company got its name from the beach Tex basically grew up on.
Inland Skimboarding: Where is Victoria Skimboards located?

Victoria Skimboards: Victoria Skimboards has its offices/repair facility/retail outlet in Laguna Beach, California.
Inland Skimboarding: How have you seen the skimboard market change over the years you have been in business?
Victoria Skimboards: The board market has gone through many different changes over the years. A first there were wood core boards used for riding the shoreline and then as riders got more daring and moved into the water, the technology began to change. Wood core lead the way to foam core and vacuum bag technology which allowed people to get out farther in the water and do more technical maneuvers. The next advancement was the introduction of Carbon Fiberglass. Now boards were stiffer and lighter than ever. From there we have seen changes in resins, shape, foam, etc. all leading to the technical, highly advanced boards we have today.
Inland Skimboarding: How long have you been making skimboards?
Victoria Skimboards: Since before 1976
Inland Skimboarding: What is the difference between skimboards used for wave riding and skimboards for inland use?
Victoria Skimboards: It can be anything from the shape, to the core, to the materials, to all of the above. It depends on a rider and what they desire ultimately but as a standard, there is a certain “wave riding” shape/rocker that has proved itself over the years that is different from the shape/rocker used on inland boards.
Inland Skimboarding: A lot of inland skimboarders start off on boards that they have made themselves. What are the advantages of moving to a professionally manufactured board?
Victoria Skimboards: When you get a professionally manufactured board you are getting a board that has been through the R&D, made the mistakes that a “garage” shaper will make and fixed them, and refined the end result to be a better performing board all around. Of course there are exceptions but this tends to be the norm.
Inland Skimboarding: What makes a good inland skimboard?
Victoria Skimboards: It is a combination of board and rider. Then it really comes down to personal preference. Some people prefer light weight, others prefer a board that is heavier. Some like flex to their board, others like a stiff board. Either way, there really is no right or wrong, just what works best for the individual. But again, it is a combination of rider/board.
Inland Skimboarding: Tell us about your inland skimboards.

Victoria Skimboards: At this time we have two models; Grinder and Matrix. The Grinder is more of an entry level Flatland board. The wood core makes the board durable and the three stage rocker makes it perfect for the rails. The Matrix is a more advanced Flatland board geared for tricks.
Inland Skimboarding: Why should I buy a Victoria skimboard?
Victoria Skimboards: It boils down to experience and the work we put into our product. We have been building boards of all kinds for over 30 years. We have made the advances and the mistakes and learned from it all. We have experience built into each board. We also pride ourselves on the quality of our product and its ability to hold up over time. Tested by our team riders and under constant R&D, we work to make the boards the best performing boards around. From our product to our people we love skimboarding and it shows in our work.
Inland Skimboarding: What makes your inland skimboards unique?
Victoria Skimboards: There is so much cross over between manufactures product that it is sometimes hard to distinguish between boards unless you get down to price. With our boards, we take time to work on the rocker of the board more than other manufactures and I feel that this will help set our boards apart.
Inland Skimboarding: What kind of testing/quality control do your boards go through?
Victoria Skimboards: We have a few things that we do to test our boards. Anywhere from the R&D room to the outdoors, the boards are worked over again and again before hitting the market.
Inland Skimboarding: Rails have become an integral part of inland skimboarding. Boards take quite a bit of abuse as a result. Talk a little bit about the challenge that presents when designing and building inland skimboards.
Victoria Skimboards: Rails have created a whole new animal in this discipline of skimboarding. When someone buys a skateboard, they are not as concerned with hitting the rails and scratching their board and ultimately breaking their board because the deck only cost $30 - $40. With a skimboard, the materials and process to make that board able to handle the water, the rails, and time are much greater and more costly. So the questions for us then become; how do we make a board that can handle riding the rail, hitting the rail, grinding the rail, running over gravel like sand, cruising over rocks, etc.? If I told you the answers that would be giving away all of my secrets.
Inland Skimboarding: When you get feedback from inland riders, what positive things do you hear most often?
Victoria Skimboards: They are the coolest things ever! Here are some of the quotes we have had:
“ Hands down, the Matrix is the most advance, progression pushing board on the market. “
“The rocker of your boards is perfect and holds its shape over time whereas other manufactures rocker will change.”
“ The boards are wicked fast.”
“ The boards slide the rails for you.”
Inland Skimboarding: Where do you see the sport of skimboarding 10 years from now?
Victoria Skimboards: That is a really tough question to answer because after 30+ years in the business, Skimboarding is still not as big as skateboarding or surfing. Yes, Flatland has more potential for growth due to its accessibility but we must make sure to not limit ourselves. Take for instance, the Grinch or the Bungee systems. Many Flatland “purists” seem to downplay the part that this could play in the forward movement of the sport but look at Wakeskating and its development. I am not saying this “will be the future” but it will be part of the future and we all need to keep our minds open to angles that could help the sport grow and not stifle that growth.I would like to say X-Games, a professional global tour, big money and sponsors, and all of us “living la vida loca” but all of that will take a community coordinated effort. I just want us all to build the discipline and make sure that it is not an overnight fad. It will take work and Victoria Skimboards is ready to put in the effort to help move it forward.
Inland Skimboarding: Do you see anything new on the horizon technology wise that will improve the next generation of inland skimboards?
Victoria Skimboards: It seems that people are taking a heavy look at snowboard technology and plastics which could make some changes. There are things that we are working on but again, it cannot be shared at this time.
Inland Skimboarding: Inland skimboarders often get called names, talked down to, and shown little respect from some wave skimboarders. Inland skimboarders are often told what they are doing is not “real” skimboarding. What is your view of the inland skimboarding scene?
Victoria Skimboards: For me personally, I break Skimboarding the sport into three disciplines all with equal importance; Ocean, Flatland, and Wake. An Ocean rider has certain skills that make him/her good at what he/she does and the same stands for a Flatland rider. Flatland has really only recently made a strong push to be in the limelight and I have heard people say that “Flatland is not real.” My question to them is why do you say that? What are your reasons? Normally I do not get an answer so I must speculate that they are saying this because to them the discipline is “new” (actually not new) and they do not understand it. They do not understand the lifestyle, the skill, the dedication, etc. that goes into it. People are so brainwashed into a certain discipline that they are not willing to open themselves to the other disciplines; ignorance in full effect.
Inland Skimboarding: As a board manufacturer, is there anything you can do, or are doing, to increase the respect for inland skimboarding?

Victoria Skimboards: It really is not about us and what we can do as we are doing a part (advertising, building boards, sponsoring riders, pushing the knowledge base) but it is about getting the industry collectively together and working toward a common goal. It may sound “cheesy” but it is the truth. Without “unity” we will only take small steps forward instead of larger leaps.
Inland Skimboarding: What inland skimboarding events have you been involved with? Tell us about your experiences at those events.
Victoria Skimboards: Since beginning in the 1990’s we have been involved in the Sacramento contest. During that time we have seen quite a bit of change in the riding styles and the “playground” that has been the stage for the event. The rails have gotten more impressive and to be honest, the level of courage to ride some of the rails is what is most astounding. Amazing is a word that sums it up nicely.
Inland Skimboarding: Do you have any sponsored inland skimboarders? What does it take for an inland skimboarder to get sponsored by Victoria?
Victoria Skimboards: we have four sponsored riders at this time but are always keeping our eyes and ears open. Without having an established contest circuit with recorded results to build a resume, the best thing to do is to send us a “Sponsor Me” packet. In that packet would be (but not limited to):
1) All contact information so we can reach you
2) A professional presentation
a. If you can present yourself well that is a start
3) Information on your local spots and where you ride the most
4) Contest results (if you have them)
5) The number of years you have been riding and why you are interested in the sport
6) Video, video, video footage
a. The footage needs to not all be from one day and one session – spread the wealth
b. Progression
The idea to the above is – what sets you apart from the other riders? This should be told on paper, in photo, and in video.

Inland skimboarding would like to thank Victoria Skimboards for an awesome interview. To find out more about Victoria Skimboards, visit their website at http://www.victoriaskimboards.com/

Skimboard Rail Building: Box Rail

2008-10-24T10:43:00.004-06:00

This particular method is the way to make the most sturdy skimboard rails. It will also allow you to make many different shapes of rails. The draw backs are that the rails are not as portable or adjustable as other methods.

The main idea is that you cut out the sides of the rail in the shape you want from plywood. You then use 2x4’s to connect the sides together and support the skimboard rail. Cut out a rectangle that is the width of your rail and the length of the top. If the top of the rail is curved, use a piece of string to measure the curved length. Attach the rectangle to the top of the rail. If the top of the skimboard rail is curved, soaking the top rectangle piece of plywood in water for several hours will help it bend easier. If the curves are dramatic, use a thinner piece of plywood for the top (3/8” or 1/4" thick) for easier bending. Now attach the pvc. For help on attaching the pvc, see this post skimboard rails.

The following 8’ x 1’ x 1’ ollie on box rail can be built from
1 – 4’x 8’x 1/2” piece of plywood ($12.33 each at Home Depot)
2 – 2”x 4”x 8’ studs ($1.68 each at Home Depot)
3 – 10’x 1/2” pvc pipes ($1.43 each at Home Depot)

Total Cost = $19.98 (You will still need to purchase some screws to get it all put together)

You can build your skimboard rail any size you want, this is just an example. The main idea is that you will see the construction method and be able to apply it to any size or shaped rail you want. Now grab your skimboard and get out there.

Skimboard Training - Flexibility

2008-10-19T11:48:00.010-06:00

Part of your skimboarding training should focus on flexibility. Flexibility is a joint's ability to move through a full range of motion. Increased flexibility means that movement will be easier, require less energy, and ultimately more efficient. As your flexibility increases, the likelihood of pulled or strained muscles decreases. Fewer injuries means more time on the water. More time on the water means more practice. More practice means…well, you get the picture.

Most of us know many stretching exercises. The problem is we rarely use them. Here are some of the more common stretching exercise and the part of the body that they focus on.

Ankle
Lie down on the ground. Slightly lift one leg off the ground. Rotate your foot, first 10 times clockwise, then 10 times counter-clockwise. Repeat with the other foot.
Lie down on the ground. Slightly lift one leg off the ground. Trace out the letters of the alphabet in the air with the big toe on your foot. Repeat with the other foot.

Neck
Lower your head towards your chest. Extend your neck fully until you’re looking straight down at your toes. Rotate your head making wide circles. First rotate it 10 times in one direction, then the other.

Shoulders
Stand relaxed with your hands at your sides. Slowly roll your shoulders forward, then down, then back, then up, in one circular motion. Repeat 10 times in one direction then 10 times reversing the direction.

Waist
Stand relaxed with your hands on your waist. Twist your torso to the right. Make sure to follow with your head. Keep your lower body, from the hips down, facing forward. Now twist to the left. Repeat 10 times in both directions.

Hips
Stand relaxed with your hands on your waist. Rotate your hips in a circle. Make the circle as big as you can. Don’t bend your knees and keep your feet firmly planted on the ground.

Hamstring
Sit on the ground with your legs extended straight out in front of you. Slowly lean forward over you legs and reach for your feet. Do not curl or hunch your back. Keep it straight and fully extended.

Quadriceps
Stand relaxed with your hands at your sides. Bend your knee and bring your foot up behind you. Hold it your foot with your hand for 10 seconds. Repeat with the other leg.

Calf
Lean against a wall. Step back with the right leg. Keep your knee straight and your heel on the ground. Now push your hips forward until you feel the stretching in your calf. Stretch for 10 seconds. Keep the same position, but now bend your knee. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat with the other leg.

Groin
Sit on the ground. Bend your knees and put the soles of your feet together. Pull them in as close to your groin as you can. While holding your feet together with your hands, push out on your knees with your elbows. Hold for 10 seconds.

Back
Lie on your stomach and put your hands under you as if you are going to do a pushup. Now raise your head and shoulders and push up with your arms keeping your hips on the ground. Try to extend your head and shoulders as high as you can but keep your waist on the floor. Hold for 10 seconds.

Get on your hands and knees. Push your back up towards the ceiling, like a cat arching its back. Continue arching until you feel the stretch in your back. Hold for 10 seconds.

The yoga sun salutation exercise is one that works on flexibility in many different parts of the body.

STEP 1: Stand relaxed with your hands at your sides. Now bring your palms together in prayer position. Exhale.

STEP 2: As you inhale, raise your arms overhead, keeping your palms together.

STEP 3: Exhale and then bend forward until your hands touch your feet.

STEP 4: As you inhale, step the right leg back, arch your back and lift your chin.

STEP 5: Exhaling, step the left leg back. Keep your spine and legs in a straight line and support your weight on hands and feet.

STEP 6: Retaining the breath, lower your knees, your chest and then your forehead, keeping your hips up and toes curled under.

STEP 7: Inhaling, stretch forward and bend back. Keep your arms straight.

STEP 8: Exhaling, curl your toes under, press down into your heels, and lift your hips.

STEP 9: As you inhale, move your left leg back, with the top of the foot stretched out flat on the floor, and lift your chin.

STEP 10: Exhale and then bend forward until your hands touch your feet.

STEP 11: Inhaling, stretch your arms forward and over your head. Slowly bend backward from the waist.

STEP 12: Exhaling, gently come back to the standing relaxed position with your arms at your sides.

The following video clip is a modified sun salutation.

Skimboarding Training - Power

2008-10-16T09:48:00.002-06:00

Part of your skimboarding training should focus on power. Power is not just strength. It is a combination of speed and strength. Power = (Force x Distance)/Time. Power training is not just strength training. Strength training focuses on just the force part of the equation. To maximize power, the force needs to be applied in a shorter amount of time. This is the focus of power training, to reduce the amount of time it takes to apply a set amount of force. Power is essential for the most important trick of the inland skimboarder. The ollie. The three most important components of the ollie are, speed, jump height, and how well you pop the back of the board. More power means you will be able to run faster, jump higher, and pop better.

Ollie Pops
This exercise is specifically designed for skimboarders and focuses on the specific muscle groups used when ollieing. With your feet about shoulder width to slightly wider, squat down. Turn your head towards which ever leg would be your front leg if you were on a skimboard. Explode upwards, with your front leg coming off the ground first and most of your force being generated by your back leg. Once your back foot is off the ground, pull both legs up towards your chest. Do three sets of ten with one-minute breaks between sets.

Knee Jump
This is a powerful bodyweight exercise that you can do to develop explosive hamstrings. Kneel on the floor and sit back on your calves. Now jump to your feet. Just explode and move fast. To generate some momentum sling your arms back and then forward rapidly as you jump to your feet. Get back to the kneeling position gently and repeat. Do three sets of five with one-minute breaks between sets.

One Foot Box Jumps
Start on one side of the box with one leg off the ground, then squat down and jump over the box landing on the same foot. Do three sets of ten with one-minute breaks between sets.

Double Stair Jumps
Start by standing in front of a set of stairs in a squat position. Jump with two feet bringing your knees to your chest while jumping to the stairs in front of you. Do three sets of ten with one-minute breaks between sets.

Sprint uphill
Find a fairly steep hill. Sprint to the top as fast as you can. Walk back to the bottom and repeat 10 times.

Stair run
Sprint to the top of the stairs as fast as you can skipping every other stair. Run back down the stairs hitting every stair. When coming down the stairs focus on foot speed. Repeat 10 times.

Lunges
To begin a lunge stand upright with or without weights in your hands. Now take a step forward. Bend your front knee until your thigh is parallel with the ground. Do not let your front knee go past the tip of your toe as this can be harmful to your knee joint. Once at the bottom of the lunge, step back to the standing position. Repeat with the other leg. Do three sets of ten with one-minute breaks between sets.

Skimboard Training - Cardiovascular Endurance

2008-10-10T08:17:00.004-06:00

Cardiovascular endurance is the ability to exercise continuously for extended periods of time without tiring. It is an important component of skimboarding. Cardiovascular Endurance deals with how well you are able to get oxygen to working muscles. Working muscles use oxygen to burn carbohydrates and other fuels to produce energy. A high cardiovascular fitness level will help your skim sessions last longer. Longer sessions means more runs, more tricks thrown, and ultimately more tricks landed. The more practice you get on your board, the better you’re going to get, but you can’t practice if you can’t breath.

Here are some exercises you can do to increase your cardiovascular endurance.

Jogging
Your goal is to work up to a ½ hour. If you are not there yet, jog for as long as you can. Every 5 minutes run as hard as you can for 30 seconds, then decelerate back to your jogging pace. If you are jogging for a ½ hour you should end up sprinting 6 times (at 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and so on).

Bicycling
Your goal is to work up to a ½ hour. If you are not there yet, ride for as long as you can. Every 5 minutes pedal as fast as you can for 30 seconds, then decelerate back to your normal pace. If you are bicycling for a ½ hour you should end up sprinting 6 times (at 5 minutes, 10 minutest, 15 minutes, and so on).

Swimming
Your goal is the following workout
Swim 600 yards, rest for 10 breaths.
Swim 300 yards, rest for 8 breaths.
Swim 100 yards, rest for 6 breaths,
then repeat 3 more times (for a total of 4x100)
Swim 50 yards, rest for 4 breaths,
then repeat 3 more times (for a total of 4x50)

The following program will help you work up to the goal workout if you are not there yet.

Week 1 (Three days a week)
Swim 100 yards, rest for 12 breaths,
then repeat 1 more time (for a total of 2x100)
Swim 50 yards, rest for 8 breaths,
then repeat 1 more time (for a total of 2x50)
Swim 25 yards, rest for 4 breaths,
then repeat 1 more time (for a total of 2x25)

Week 2 (Three days a week)
Swim 100 yards, rest for 12 breaths,
then repeat 3 more times (for a total of 4x100)
Swim 50 yards, rest for 8 breaths,
then repeat 3 more times (for a total of 4x50)
Swim 25 yards, rest for 4 breaths,
then repeat 3 more times (for a total of 4x25)

Week 3 (Three days a week)
Swim 200 yards, rest for 12 breaths.
Swim 100 yards, rest for 10 breaths,
then repeat 3 more times (for a total of 4x100)
Swim 50 yards, rest for 6 breaths,
then repeat 3 more times (for a total of 4x50)
Swim 25 yards, rest for 4 breaths,
then repeat 3 more times (for a total of 4x25)

Week 4 (Three days a week)
Swim 400 yards, rest for 12 breaths.
Swim 100 yards, rest for 8 breaths,
then repeat 3 more times (for a total of 4x100)
Swim 50 yards, rest for 4 breaths,
then repeat 5 more times (for a total of 6x50)
Swim 25 yards, rest for 4 breaths,
then repeat 5 more times (for a total of 6x25)

Week 5 - Goal Workout (three days a week)
Swim 600 yards, rest for 10 breaths.
Swim 300 yards, rest for 8 breaths.
Swim 100 yards, rest for 6 breaths,
then repeat 3 more times (for a total of 4x100)
Swim 50 yards, rest for 4 breaths,
then repeat 3 more times (for a total of 4x50)

Skimboard Training - Speed Endurance

2008-10-04T22:17:00.004-06:00

Speed endurance will help you to maintain a higher intensity, for longer periods of time. Any athlete that is required to repeat high intensity sprints in quick succession, with minimal rest periods in between, can benefit from this type of training. This is exactly what happens in skimboarding. A high intensity sprint repeated over and over again. It is important that you can maintain your speed throughout your skim session. Without it your rides will not be as long, your ollies won’t be as high, and you will not get the kind of pop that is required for many tricks.

Here are several exercises designed to help increase your speed endurance.

High Intensity Shuttle Run
Mark out 30 yards on grass or a running track. Place a cone at the start and at 5 yard intervals (7 cones in total). Sprint from the starting cone to 5 yard cone and back. Without sopping, turn and sprint to 10 meter cone and back to start. Sprint to 15meter cone and back to start and so on until you sprint the full 30 meters and back.
Rest for 90 seconds and repeat. Complete a total of 6 sets keeping rest periods to 90 seconds.

Pyramids
Pace out 50 yards placing a cone at the start and then at 10 yards intervals (6 cones in total). Starting at the first cone sprint all out for 10 yards and walk the remaining 40 yards. Turn and sprint 20 yards and walk for 30 yards. Turn and sprint 30 yards and walk for 20 yards. Turn and sprint 40 yards and walk for 10 yards. Finally...turn and sprint 50 yards and then turn and sprint 50 yards again back to the start. This is classed as one set. Rest for 90 seconds and repeat for a total of 4 sets.
Rest for a full 3 minutes and do another 4 sets.

Accelrations
Mark out a distance of 100 yards. From the start gradually accelerate to reach full speed at about 60 yards. Sprint all out for the final 40 yards. Slow down gradually, turn and repeat. Continue for 2 minutes and then rest for 2 minutes.
This is one set. Repeat for a total of 6 sets.

Hollow sprint
Mark out approximately 30 yard intervals. Sprint 30 yards, jog 30 yards, sprint 30 yards and jog 30 yards. Continue alternating jogging and sprinting for 2 minutes, then rest for 2 minutes.
This is one set. Try to complete a total of 6 sets.

Skimboarding Training - Balance: Yoga

2008-09-28T10:35:00.015-06:00

Many recreational, as well as professional surfers have begun to use yoga to help increase balance and flexibility. Skimboarders as well can benefit from integrating yoga into their fitness program. The following video discusses some of the connections between yoga and surfing. Many of the same connections can be extended to skimboarding as well.

Here are three Yoga exercises that will help increase your balance.

Warrior III Pose
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and bring your hands together like in prayer at chest level.

Rotate your upper body to the right and at the same time take a step to your right. Keep your left leg straight and left foot facing forward. Your right foot should end up facing 90 degrees to the right of the direction you were facing when you started (Perpendicular to your left foot). Your right thigh should be parallel to the ground and your upper body will now be looking directly over your right knee. Your hips should also be rotated 90 degrees so they are now facing to your right.

Now bring your weight forward onto your right foot and rasie your left leg. At the same time, bring the torso forward until it is parallel to the floor. Keep your hips pointing toward the floor as you bring the your left leg in line with your body. Stretch your arms out along side your head and point them forward.

Hold this position from 30 to 60 seconds. Repeat in the opposite direction stepping, then balancing, with your left leg.

Half Moon Pose
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and bring your hands together like in prayer at chest level. Rotate your upper body to the right and at the same time take a step to your right. Keep your left leg straight and left foot facing forward. Your right foot should end up facing 90 degrees to the right of the direction you were facing when you started (Perpendicular to your left foot). Your right thigh should be parallel to the ground and your upper body will now be looking directly over your right knee. Your hips should also be rotated 90 degrees so they are now facing to your right.

Bend forward and reach your right hand forward, at least 12 inches beyond your right foot. Press your right hand and right heel firmly into the floor, and straighten your right leg, simultaneously lifting the left leg parallel to the floor.

Now rotate your body and lift your left arm toward the sky. Rotate your head to look toward your left hand. Your arms, sholders, hips and legs should all be in the same plane.

Hold this position from 30 to 60 seconds. Repeat in the opposite direction balancing on your left leg.

Tree Pose
Stand with your feet shoulder together and bring your hands together like in prayer at chest level.

Raise your right foot and place the sole against the inner left thigh. The toes of your right foot should be pointing toward the floor.

Firmly press the right foot sole against the inner thigh and resist with the outer left leg.

To increase the difficulty of any of these exercises, try them with your eyes closed.

Skimboarding Training: Fitness Program

2008-09-23T10:24:00.005-06:00

A solid strength and conditioning program will make you a better skimboarder. It will allow you to recover much faster between skims. You will also be less prone to injury. You will have more stamina to skim longer and actually have fun, rather than pretending you are having fun as you stand around on wobbly legs, trying to catch your breath watching other people skim.

If you want to take your skimboarding to the next level you’re your definitely going to need a fitness program. Why wouldn’t you? The top athletes in any other sport spend countless hours working on strength training, stamina, and injury prevention. Professional athletes are in peak physical condition. If you want to be one of the top skimboarders, it won’t take any less.

A good program should focus on 5 main areas: Balance, Speed Endurance, Cardiovascular Endurance, Power, and Flexibility.

Balance
Good balance is essential in skimboarding. The whole sport is performed on a relatively small board, while in motion on a slick, unstable surface. The benefits of good balance should be obvious. What is not so obvious is that balance training can also help reduce the incidence of injuries to the ankle, knee, hips, back and upper body.

Speed Endurance
Speed endurance will help you to maintain a higher intensity, for longer periods of time. Any athlete that is required to repeat high intensity sprints in quick succession, with minimal rest periods in between, can benefit from this type of training. This is exactly what happens in skimboarding. A high intensity sprint repeated over and over again. It is important that you can maintain your speed throughout your skim session. Without it your rides will not be as long, your ollies won’t be as high, and you will not get the kind of pop that is required for many tricks.

Cardiovascular Endurance
Cardiovascular endurance is the ability to exercise continuously for extended periods of time without tiring. It is an important component of skimboarding. Cardiovascular Endurance deals with how well you are able to get oxygen to working muscles. Working muscles use oxygen to burn carbohydrates and other fuels to produce energy. A high cardiovascular fitness level will help your skim sessions last longer. Longer sessions means more runs, more tricks thrown, and ultimately more tricks landed. The more practice you get on your board, the better you’re going to get, but you can’t practice if you can’t breath.

Power
Power is not just strength. It is a combination of speed and strength. Power = (Force x Distance)/Time. Power training is not just strength training. Strength training focuses on just the force part of the equation. To maximize power, the force needs to be applied in a shorter amount of time. This is the focus of power training, to reduce the amount of time it takes to apply a set amount of force. Power is essential for the most important trick of the inland skimboarder. The ollie. The three most important components of the ollie are, speed, jump height, and how well you pop the back of the board. More power means you will be able to run faster, jump higher, and pop better.

Flexibility
Flexibility is a joint's ability to move through a full range of motion. Increased flexibility means that movement will be easier, require less energy, and ultimately be more efficient. As your flexibility increases, the likelihood of pulled or strained muscles decreases. Fewer injuries means more time on the water. More time on the water means more practice. More practice means…well, you get the picture.

In the coming weeks drills and exercises for each of the areas will be posted. So start getting warmed up.

Skimboarding Tricks: Ollie

2008-09-13T10:34:00.015-06:00

How to ollie a skimboard.

In order to ollie, you need to find some deeper water or dig an ollie pit. It should be at least 4 inches deep. As you approach the deeper water, your feet should be about shoulder width with your back foot as far back as you can put it. Your knees should be bent quite a bit, keeping your center of gravity low. Once you get to the deep water, slam down with your back foot and then explode upwards, with your front leg coming off the board first and most of your force being generated by your back leg. Once your back foot is off the board, pull both legs up towards your chest. Flatten out the board with your front foot while it is in the air. As you come down, make sure the board is as flat as possible. When you land absorb the impact with your legs.

Tips

Squat down and bend your knees!
It is very important to have your knees bent dramatically when approaching your ollie. The reason for this is because you can only ollie as high as you can jump, and if you don’t bend your knees, you can’t jump very high. Let’s try an experiment. Stand up. Lock your knees straight. Now jump as high as you can, keeping your knees locked…or at least try to jump. If you used some momentum from your arms and have strong calves, you may have gotten off the ground a few inches. Now bend your knees so your hips drop a few inches. Jump as high as you can without bending you knees any further. You probably got a bit higher. Now squat down and jump as high as you can. You can jump much higher when you bend your knees and are able to use your upper leg muscles. When you ollie, make sure you squat down and bend your knees! You can only ollie as high as you can jump.

Keep your center of gravity over the center of the board.

Do not lean back when you push down on the back of the board. This will pop the board out from under you making it impossible for you to land your ollie and ride it out. Keep your body straight up and down. If you were to draw a line straight down from your head, it should hit your board half way in between your front and back foot. If your head gets over, or past, your back foot, you’ve leaned back. Don’t! Press straight down with your back foot.

Speed is crucial.

The faster you are going, the higher you will be able to ollie. Most of your speed is generated in your running approach. Some extra momentum can be gained as you step onto your board. Practice going fast!

Ollie over something.
Having something to ollie over helps with a number of different aspects. First of all, it gives you a goal. It will help you get your timing down. It will also help you hit your ollie pit. Start out small and work your way up.

Use your front foot to level out the board.
Leveling out the board in the air will do two things for you. First, it will increase your overall height. Second, in order for you to ride out your ollie, you need to land with the board flat on the water.

Now it’s time for a quiz. What is wrong with the following ollie attempt?

Yup, you got it.
Knees are not bent enough and leaning too far back.

How to ollie higher.
There are three keys to ollieing higher. Go faster, push down quicker and harder with your back foot, and jump higher. Building strength in your legs will help with all three. You will be able to run faster and get more speed on your skimboard. When you're going faster, it becomes more difficult to push down on the back of the board. Remember, when you push down on the back of the board it needs to be a quick pop with lots of power. Increased leg strength will help with the pop. Finally, as your legs get stronger, you will be able to jump higher.

skimboarding video #7

2008-09-11T08:21:00.001-06:00

Skimboarding a rollercoaster rail on the virgin river.

Flatland skimboarding or inland skimboarding?

2008-09-04T09:49:00.003-06:00

Flatland skimboarding or inland skimboarding, is there a difference? As you read and talk to people about skimboarding you’ll hear the terms flatland skimboarding and inland skimboarding used. When people refer to flatland or inland skimboarding, they are referring to skimboarding that doesn’t involve waves. Technically this is the definition for flatland skimboarding. Inland skimboarding would then be defined as flatland skimboarding that takes place away from coastal beaches, (or inland) on rivers, lakes, streams, puddles, etc. Flatland skimboarding is a more general term, while inland skimboarding is a type of flatland skimboarding. All inland skimboarders are flatland skimboarders, but technically speaking not all flatland skimboarders are inland skimboarders. Those that skim on the coastal beaches,and don’t skim waves, would not be considered inland skimboarders in the true sence of the word. But, when it comes right down to it, does it matter which term you use? Not really. People in the sport use the terms interchangabley, so flatland…inland…pick your favorite and go with it. We’re all skimboarders.

Skimboarding Video #6

2008-08-27T19:06:00.002-06:00

Skimboarding Video put together by the Gardner Brothers.

Skimboarding Video #5

2008-08-27T18:56:00.002-06:00

Here is some footage of the 2008 Virgin River Classic put together by Extreme Outdoor Supply

Skimboarding Training - Balance: Build a Balance Board

2008-08-26T18:22:00.008-06:00

One way to improve your balance that can also be pretty fun is to use a balance board. There are several brands out there, but they run about a $100. Ouch. Not to worry, you can make your own for way cheaper. First you’ll need something for the board to roll on. At Home Depot they have 2 foot long sections of 4 inch diameter PVC for about $6. Once you’ve got your PVC roller, you’ll need a board. A ½ inch to ¾ inch piece of plywood will do the trick. You can pick up a 2x4 foot piece at Home Depot for about $10. If you are just getting started, go with a large board, use dimensions of 40” x 17”. For more advanced riders, use dimensions of 38”x 12”. To make a pattern, fold the paper into fourths. Along the outside edge (not the folded edge) draw the curve of the board then cut along this curve. When you unfold the paper, your pattern should be symmetric along both the length and width. Trace the pattern onto your plywood and the cut it out using an electric jig saw. Use some sandpaper and sand it smooth so you don’t get splinters. You can use some paint if you would like to give it a little of your personal style. If you’ve got a few more bucks you can put some polyurethane or varnish on it if there is bare wood showing, but it’s not necessary as your balance board will not be in the water. (Unless you love it so much you want to use it everywhere, including the shower, which is not recommended.) Now you should be ready to ride. You might want to start out on a carpeted surface, as that will slow down the roller a bit. As you become more proficient you can move to a bare surface. Using a wall or a chair to steady you until you get the hang of it is a good idea. As you become more advanced you can begin to practice some tricks. Tricks that transfer well to skimboarding would be body varials (jump and spin your body 180 degrees), shuvits, and ollies. Balance and foot placement are crucial when landing these tricks, both on the balance board and on your skimboard.

Skimboarding Pictures: Set 1

2008-08-24T09:59:00.002-06:00

Skimboarding Training - Balance: Exercise Ball

2008-08-23T09:35:00.006-06:00

Balance is crucial to being a good skimboarder. By improving your balance, you will also improve your board riding skills. One way that you can improve your balance, even when you can’t skim, is by using an exercise ball. With bare feet, stand on the top of the exercise ball. At first you may want to use a chair or some long sticks to help you balance, but after a while you be able to stand on the ball without the aid of any supports. Be careful, you may fall a few times before you get the hang of it so you might want to start on grass or somewhere relatively soft and without anything that you may fall on or into. In addition to being a great way to improve your balance, it is also a great workout for your leg muscles. To add some difficulty once you have the hang of it here are a few things you can try. Have someone play catch with you while you are balancing on the ball. Do squats on the ball. Jump up in the air and land back on the ball. Do a body varial (jump and spin your body 180 degrees and land back on the ball). If you can do a body varial on the ball, you should have no problem landing pop shuvits!

Join the Inland Skimboarding Community

2008-08-20T18:02:00.007-06:00

Are you ready to get involved with the inland skimboarding community? Do you want to be able to upload skimboarding pictures and video to share with other skimmers? Do you have skimboarding questions and topics you would like to discuss? Well now you can. Inland Skimboarding has groups on both Facebook and Myspace.

Myspace group and message board can be found here.

Facebook group and discussion board can be found here.

Facebook group specifically for Virgin River Skimboarders from Southern Utah can be found here.

How to make a Skimboard

2008-08-18T22:23:00.038-06:00

How to make a skimboard 101: A beginners guide

Here you'll find all the instructions and tips to help you make your very own skimboard. These are kind of "down and dirty" instructions that will help you build a board quickly and with materials that will be easily available at stores like Walmart or Home Depot. If you've been making skimboards for a while or you want to use professional grade materials, then there probably isn't much information here that you don't already know. But if you are making your first board and want to use materials that you'll be able to pick up at your local stores so you can just get out there and get skimming, then read on. I have pictures to help you as you go. I would suggest that you read through all the instructions first before you get started. Also check out the "How to Build a Skimboard" Video. It is a great instructional video that goes through each step of building a skimboard.

Wood
First you need to find a piece of wood. I would suggest half inch plywood. Half inch works well, with or without fiberglass. I've used three-eighths, but if I don't use fiberglass on it, it seems to crack after a while if I ollie a lot and hit rails. Anything bigger than half inch starts to get real heavy real fast, but will probably still work.
A half inch 4x8 foot sheet of plywood can be purchased for around $20. You only need a fourth of this (2x4 foot) so if you have a few friends, go in together on one. If it's just you, and you don't want to make 4 boards, most lumber yards will cut and sell you what you need. If you go to Lowes or Home Depot, they have 2x4 foot pieces already cut.

Pattern
Once you've got your wood, place your pattern down and trace around it onto the wood. As far as a pattern goes, this is kind of a personal thing. First I would vist some of the different skimboarding manufacturer sites and get some Ideas about skimboard shapes. To make a pattern, you need a large piece of paper. If you don't have a piece of paper large enough, tape a few newspapers together. To ensure symmetry in your board, fold the paper in half, then draw half the pattern on the paper. Cut it out and unfold it so that you have a complete skimboard pattern. Now your ready to trace it on the wood. When you trace your pattern out, you want to make sure that the grain in the wood is going the long way on your board. If when you buy your wood, you buy just enough for one board and the lumber place cuts it, make sure it is cut so that the piece you get has the grains going the long way. If you are making a board(s) out of one large piece of wood, still make sure the grains are going long-ways.

Cutting out your skimboard
To cut out your skimboard you will need an electric jig saw. If you don't have one ask around the neighborhood. They are fairly common. f you still can't find one, you might consider investing in one, they are not too expensive and come in handy for all sorts of things. I've seen them at Walmart for as low as $15.00 (on sale).

Once you have your saw, cut out your board following the outline that you traced on the piece of wood.

Top, Rocker and Sanding
Once you get your board cut out you'll need to decide which side should be the top. The board will naturally curve a bit in one direction. Lay you board on something flat. Try both sides to see which way the board curves. You want the nose to curve up. If it curves down then it will dive into the water. This curve is called rocker and you also need to decide how much rocker you want. I personally don't like a lot of rocker because I mostly skim flatland and it tends to slow the board down some, so I rarely try to put more rocker in my boards. I just go with the little bit of natural bend in the board. But it's a personal thing and if you want more rocker, you can soak the board in water, then put a board or something under the nose and weights on the top to bend the nose up. You'll probably need to leave it like this for a few days to a week.
Now that you've decided which side is the top you'll want to sand your board. You'll have to sand more or less depending on what grade of plywood you purchased, and how smooth you want your board.

Painting
Your board should now be ready to paint. There are two main kinds of paint, oil base paint and water base (latex) paint. If you’re not going to fiberglass your board you want to use a polyurathane enamel. It will make your board smooth and fast and give it a good waterproof coat. You can usually pick up a 32 oz can for between $6-$8 and it should be enough to do a few boards. Put on 3 or 4 coats. Once you have your board covered with the polyurathane paint you can now put any design you want on it. If you’re going to fiberglass your board, then you can use latex paint if you want. The advantage of latex paint is that it is much easier to clean up. You can just use water. With the oil base enamel you have to use paint thinner or solvent to clean up. The disadvantage of latex paint is that it won’t wear as well on your skimboard. That is why if you’re not going to fiberglass, you definitely want to go with the oil because it will wear much better. If you going to fiberglass, it doesn’t matter, because the paint will be under the resin.

To Fiberglass or not to fiberglass, that is the question
Now you need to decide whether to fiberglass your board or not. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of fiberglass as compared with other options.
Waterproofing your board is an important consideration. Keeping water out of your board is one of the biggest factors in how long your board will last. Fiberglass is waterproof so anywhere you put this on your board it will keep the water out. Another option is a good polyurathane paint. But paint will wear off much quicker.
Fiberglass will help strengthen your board. I ride pretty aggressively and have cracked a few boards without fiberglass. Mostly because of ollieing and riding rails. I've never cracked one with fiberglass. On the other hand, if this is your first board and you haven't skimmed much a board without fiberglass would be just fine.
Another thing that fiberglass helps with is dings and scratches. Remember that you’re riding on sand, which is just like sanding the bottom of your board with sandpaper. But fiberglass is much tougher than paint. With just the paint, the wood is exposed if it gets scratched, and this leads to water getting into your board.
Your option without fiberglass is to just pay attention to your board. If you see a scratch or paint is coming off, paint over it so that water doesn't get in the wood. After each time you skim, look over your board and see if there is any place water could get in and then paint over it for the next time. I've had plenty of boards without fiberglass last quite a while by doing just that.
One of the disadvantages of fiberglass is that it can be really hard to work with. Mixing the resin just right can be kind of tricky. Then you only have a limited amount of time to work with it.
Another problem is that most of the resins that you get at your local stores are not finishing resins so they remain tacky after they harden which makes them a real pain to try to sand.
If you have not used fiberglass and resins before, I would suggest you first make a board without the fiberglass so you can get out there skimming, then try your hand at a fiberglass board later. If you are going to fiberglass your board here's what you'll need.

· Fiberglass cloth. I've been able to get 2x4 foot pieces at Walmart for about $5.
· Fiberglass resin. A 32 oz. can is about $10.00 at Walmart, about the same at Home Depot.

· Something disposable to mix the resin in. · Something disposable to mix the resin with.

· A spreader or disposable brush.

· Razor blade, knife or scissors.

I usually only put fiberglass cloth on the bottom of my boards as that is the side that takes the most abuse. Lay the fiberglass cloth over the board so that it completely covers it. You can trim it up a bit now with scissors if you want or you can wait until later, it doesn't matter. Get your spreader or brush ready, because remember you will only have a limited amount of time to work with the resin. Read the instruction on the resin can carefully and completely. Also read the warnings and safety precautions. I would suggest the use of at least safety glasses and maybe some sort of disposable gloves. The catalyst is usually the most dangerous and you don't want to get any squirted in your eye. Measure out the amount of resin you want. Usually to saturate the cloth completely on the first coat I use between 8 to 10 oz. To measure out my resin I find a disposable container/cup and fill it with 10 oz of water. Then I make a mark at the water level. Then empty it and dry it out. Now I have a mark so I can measure out exactly the right amount of resin. Get a stick or something to mix the resin with, then add the catalyst. Follow the instruction on the resin can as to how much catalyst to add. (Many times it will tell you so many drops per oz.) Then mix. It is important to make sure the catalyst and resin is mixed well. I stir for at least a minute, maybe more. Once you're through mixing, pour it all out over the board. You don't want to keep the resin in the container because it will harden up quicker. The more you spread it out, the longer you'll have to work with it. Start spreading it all over the board making sure the cloth is saturated with resin everywhere. Try to work fast because once it starts to harden there is no more working with it. I've ended up with big clumps of resin on my boards that has set up before I had time to get it all spread out and there's nothing you can do but sand, cut and chip it off and start over. Hopefully, once you get your first coat on, you will no longer be able to feel the texture of the cloth and you have a smooth surface. If not, you can add additional coats of resin. It seems that the thicker (4 oz and up as opposed to thin 1 or 2 oz coats) you put on the additional coats, the smoother it is and the easier it is to sand if needed. The thin coats seem to be more tacky. Sanding is not easy, because the fiberglass gums up the sandpaper. Use a razor blade or knife to cut the excess cloth around the edges of your board and then sand this smooth. Now you can put a coat of resin on the top. You’ll need a bit less resin for the top because you are not having to saturate the cloth. Probably around 6 oz would do. Make sure that you get the rails (sides) of the board.

Skim
Once the resin has hardened , get a little surf wax to put on the top and skim, skim, skim.

Skimboarding Rail Safety Tip

2008-08-17T22:06:00.004-06:00

One place on many rails that can be very dangerous for both the skimboarder and his/her board is the front end. The edge of the pvc pipes can be very sharp. In this first video the skimboarder attempts a 360 shuvit before a small ollie on slider but doesnt stick the shuvit and falls towards the slider taking a good blow to the back.

In this next video the skimboarder wrecks on a rail at the Virgin River Classic Skimboard competition in St. George Utah. His left middle finger gets stuck in one of the pipes in the second half of the rail as he falls forward.

One little modification to the rails could have helped save a lot of pain and agony. Rails can be made much safer if a piece of pvc is added at the end of the rails perpendicular to the length of the rail. This will save the bottom of your board as well as your body.

Everything you need to know about waxing your skimboard

2008-08-16T09:36:00.006-06:00

Waxing. I’m sure most of you ladies suddenly started to cringe. Not to worry, waxing a skimboard is far less painful, though it doesn’t make your legs look any better. For you snowboarders or skateboarders, skimboarders use wax a bit differently than you do also. Snowboarders often put wax on the bottom of their boards to help protect it and give it a faster, smoother ride. Skateboarders often apply wax to curbs and rails to help their boards slide better on them. Wax is used on a skimboard for just the opposite reason. It’s to stop your feet from sliding around on the board. Surfboard wax is applied to the top of the skimboard to make it sticky.

There are several different companies that make surfboard wax. Some of the more popular brands are Sticky Bumps, and Mr. Zogs Sex Wax. Surfboard wax generally comes in four types: cold, cool, warm, and tropical. The different types are rated for different water temperature ranges. If wax is used in water that is colder than it’s rating, it will be hard and not as sticky. If wax is used in water that is warmer than it’s rating, it will just melt and come off the board. Each brand has specific temperatures that the wax is rated for and can usually be found right on the package. But to just get an idea, here are some general temperature ranges:
Cold – 58 F and below
Cool – 58 F to 68 F
Warm – 68 F to 78 F
Tropical – 75 F and above

You can obviously purchase surfboard wax at a surf shop, but if you live in a place that’s not near the beach there are some other options. Many other board shops (skateboard, snowboard, etc) will carry surfboard wax. Also sporting goods stores sometimes carry surfboard wax. There are hundreds of places online where you can buy surfboard wax. It will usually run between $1 and $2.
Once you have your wax, you need to apply it to your board. The following steps will help you.

1. Make sure the deck (top) of your board is nice and clean. If you need to remove an old coat of wax, scrape most of it off with a plastic scraper. You should be able to remove the remaining wax by melting it with a hair blower and wiping it off.
2. You’re first going to apply a base coat. For the base coat, regardless of the temperature of the water you’re going to be skimboarding in, use a high temperature wax (tropical). Apply the wax to the top of the board using a circular motion. Once you have covered the board using a circular motion, you’re going to go over it two more times. Once in a straight motion from nose to tail, and once in a straight motion from rail to rail (side to side).
3. After the base coat is applied, choose a wax that is rated for the temperature of water you will be skimboarding in. Apply a layer of this wax using a circular motion. Ideally you will end up with lots of little bumps of wax all over the board.

Well, now you know everything you need to know about waxing your skimboard, what kind of wax to use, where to find it, and how to put it on. So now get out there and skim, skim, skim!

The Virgin River Skimboarding Campaign

2008-08-13T20:09:00.002-06:00

The intensity on my face was that of a lion staring down his prey. I gazed down the river. The water was gently flowing, shallow and lazy. But not for long. It would soon be conquered. A drop of water fell from my bangs. I could almost hear the splash as it hit my nose. All other sounds had been drowned out by my focus. It seemed amazing that this half-inch piece of plywood could carry me across the top of the three inch deep water. But carry me it would, if I was fast enough and my footing was sure.
Like a sprinter springing from the starting blocks I started my campaign. This river was mine! Water splashed up beside me with each step, but I paid no mind. With the accuracy of a hop scotch champion I tossed the piece of plywood down in front of me. The smooth fiberglass coating made it glide across the top of the water with ease. The narrow point of the skimboard cut through the water like a knife. With the sure footedness of a mountain goat, I sprang into the air and came down onto the board…well, sort of.
The board and the river joined forces and fought back. My front foot landed a little right of center and only the big toe of my trailing foot made it on to the board. At this moment I sensed impending doom. Because of the unbalanced distribution of my weight and a lack of sure footing, this campaign took a turn for the worse, literally. The skimboard spun out from underneath me. To try to keep myself upright, my front foot came off the board and as it came down the still spinning board smacked into my ankle. The first casualty. The board, still spinning, swept my back foot out from underneath me, which sent me flying through the air. Visions of Pete Rose sliding head first into home come to mind. My sight was a blur of sand and water as my body came to rest.
Just as I thought the battle was over the board came floating by and clunked my elbow. “Ouch!” I yelled, as my focus drained from me. I began to be aware of my surroundings again. The laughter of my friends could be heard over the water rippling past my ears. “Thanks a lot guys,” I said as I stood up and surveyed the situation.
That was my first experience skimboarding. I was hooked. How could I not have been? A sport that challenged me right from the beginning. If it’s summer you’ll probably find me down at the river telling the new skimboarders, “Hey, if you’re not falling, your probably not trying hard enough!”

Skimboarding Video #4

2008-08-03T18:30:00.004-06:00

Some more Virgin River Classic footage

Inland Skimboarding Spots

2008-08-01T15:43:00.004-06:00

Do you know a good inland/flatland skimboarding spot or are you looking for one close to you. Check out the skimspots page. Here is the link.
http://skimspots.proboards54.com/index.cgi

Skimboarding Documentary

2008-07-30T16:49:00.007-06:00

Here is a little skimboarding documentary inspired by Steve Irwin the crocodile hunter.

Skimboarding Video #3

2008-07-30T16:39:00.003-06:00

Here is some footage from the Virgin River Classic several years ago.

Skimboarding Video #2

2008-07-30T16:21:00.003-06:00

Here is some footage from the Virgin River Classic several years ago.

Skimboarding Video #1

2008-07-30T15:52:00.005-06:00

Here is some footage from the Virgin River Classic several years ago.

Skimboarding Rail Guide

2008-07-30T09:54:00.009-06:00

This post won't address so much the different types of rails (your creativity is the best thing there) but just some tips for building rails. Often we've just used really big PVC pipes.

But the best rails are framed out of wood, with smaller PVC pipes attached to slide on. The rails can be anything from just a 2x6 to boxes framed with plywood and 2x4s.

The question people ask most often is how to attach the PVC to the wood. First drill a pilot hole (a hole a bit smaller than the diameter of the screw) all the way through the pvc and into the wood. Then on the top side of the PVC drill out the hole with a larger drill bit so that it is just bigger than the head of the screws that you will be using.

This way, the screw will fit down inside the PVC pipe and hold it on by just the bottom part that is next to the wood.

By attaching the PVC to the board in this manner, the screw won't scratch the bottom of your board.That's pretty much it.

Here are a few more things to remember…
*You can use just about any size pvc pipe. White or grey works well.
*Use skateboard wax or candle wax on the rails to help your board slide better on them.
*Build your rail sturdy. Safety first.
*Use screws, not nails!
*Try to round off corners and sand edges. PVC can be sharp, don’t believe me ask my buddy!

Skimboarding Tips

2008-07-29T20:43:00.004-06:00

Here are some tips if your new to the sport of skimboarding

> Holding the board and running with it can be awkward for some. First decide how you feel comfortable standing on the board. If you feel best with your right foot forward then hold the board on your left side. If you feel best with your left foot forward hold the board on your right side. Put the hand closest to you somewhere toward the middle of the board on the edge, and the hand farthest from you toward the back on the edge. Try a few different hand positions to see where the most comfortable position for you is.

> Make sure you wax the top of your board with surfboard wax. This will keep your feet from slipping.

> When you jump on the board keep your knees bent and try to stay light on your feet.

> When you get on your board make sure you don't jump high and then come down on your board. This will push it down into the sand. Try to keep your momentum going forward. Some poeple also try to get on the side of the board and then jump on. This pushes the board sideways. If you get on by coming over the back of the board then you keep all the momentum going forward.

> For long rides keep your board flat on the water. Leaning on the rails (sides) wastes a lot of speed.

> Here are a few tips to keep you safe and injury free.
- Keep control of your board. A common injury is banged up toes, feet and ankles from someone else's board. It really stinks when your standing there minding you own business and someone's board comes flying out of nowhere and smacks your ankle. Which bring me to my next tip.
- Always be alert. Watch out for other skimmers and their boards.
- Take Turns. Be courteous and respectful. If your skimming with other people form a line, take turns. Don't everybody go at the same time in all different directions. This sounds dumb (and it is) but I've seen it happen a lot, especially with inexperienced skimmers. This is when people start crashing into each other; boards are banging into other boards (which damages the boards), boards are banging into people (which damages the people), and people are banging into other people.

- Learn slowly. Don't run faster than you are prepared to fall.
When you fall, just let it happen, slide or roll if you can. It's when people try to catch themselves that they usually end up pulling muscles, twisting things or breaking stuff
- Check the water for rocks, sticks, and other things that could injure you or your board.

What is a Skimboard?

2008-07-29T20:23:00.009-06:00

A skimboard is similar to a surfboard but is shorter, thinner, and slightly wider. Skimboards also do not have fins on the bottom like surfboards do. Skimboards come in different sizes. Most skimboard manufacturers give weight recommendations for the different sizes of their boards. But generally speaking, boards are usually about mid-chest height. Most skimboards have some curve in them. This is called rocker. It is important so that the nose of the board doesn’t end up under the water.

There are two main types of skimboards, foam boards and wood boards. Foam boards are better for skimboarding out into the water and riding the wave back in. They usually have a high density foam core with several layers of fiberglass covering it. Foam boards are usually between 5/8 to 3/4 of an inch thick. Foam boards usually have a bit more rocker than wood boards, usually somewhere between 2 to 3 inches. This aids in the transition from the film of water on the sand to the deeper water needed to cover to get to the waves. Because of their foam core, they are quite a bit lighter and more buoyant than wood boards. They are also usually more expensive than wood boards.

Wood board are rarely used for wave skimboarding because of their weight. They are used almost exclusively for flatland skimboarding. Wood skimboards are usually made from 3/8 or 1/2 inch plywood. Many wood boards are reinforced with a layer of fiberglass. There are several variations in shape when it comes to wood boards. Generally, the wider the board, the farther it will carry on the water. Narrower boards don’t carry as well, but are usually faster in the water. Weight is also a consideration when it comes to wood boards. Heavier boards tend to be faster and carry farther in the water. One disadvantage of a heavier board is ollieing. Ollieing is when you jump into the air with the board. Often flatland skimboarders will ollie over obstacle or onto rails. A heavier board is often harder to get out of the water. Wood boards generally have less rocker than foam boards. That is because very little rocker is needed for flatland riding. The more rocker a board has, the slower it will be in the water.

What is Skimboarding?

2008-07-29T17:35:00.004-06:00

Skimboarding is a sport similar to surfing which takes place "on the sand" or near the shore. This site is mainly focused on skimboarding on the sand. Really you don't skim on the sand, the board slides on a thin film of water covering the sand. If you live near an ocean then you can do this on the beach as the waves come in. If you don't live near a beach you can still skim. Try rivers, streams, flooded fields, large puddles, tarps, etc. Anyplace you can find a thin film of water. How thin does it need to be? The laws of physics say that the thinner the film of water, the farther you will go. But if it's too thin the board will stick to the sand and then you'll be introduced to two more laws of physics; Inertia and gravity.
First you need to find a place with a thin film of water. Once you found some water to skim on, hold the board and start running. At first you might want to go slow, don't go faster than you are prepared to fall. Once you've reached the speed your comfortable with, throw the board down in front of you. While the board is sliding on the water, keep running and either jump or "run" onto the board. Make sure you keep your knees bent and try to keep your center of gravity over the middle of the board. Try to land with your back foot near the back of the board and your front foot about halfway up the board. Now your on the board, just don't fall off and your skimming.