| The urban pleasure of wind skateboarding over concrete |
| Friday, 24 August 2012 10:04 |
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Street windsurfing, wind skateboarding, skateboard windsurfing, skateboard sailing and land windsurfing. It doesn't matter how you name it. Just ride it. When you've got a wind sail and a skateboard, there's action guaranteed.Select an outdoor parking lot, asphalted zones, open air coastal walks, emptymanufacturing plants, smooth and flat surfaces and even wet sand, where there's enough wind to speed you up. In skateboard windsurfing, you can apply the basic sailing rules of wind and racing. There are especially designed wind sailing kits for, but it's quite easy to build a street wind skater, with your own skills. If you're afraid of destroying your longboard skate, you can even grab a simple sail and ride unattached. So, how do you attach the sail to the board? The mast can be attached to the board with a simple and cheap power joint. Simply drill a hole in the board and fix it with a good screw. You don't need big sails. Don't forget that you'll be riding inland and the chances of getting hurt will increase. As a safety procedure, always wear an helmet, knee protections and strong gloves. Street windsurfers can usually reach speeds of up to 40 miles per hour (64 kilometres per hour). Using straps might be useful and very dangerous too. Concrete is not water, so strapless freestyle is the most recommended way of enjoy it. Skateboard windsurfing has imported many tricks from the water, but has also developed many new moves. Jibe and tacks, pirouettes, spins, 360's, stalling, grabs and rodeos are part of the land windsurfing book of maneuvers. Wind skating was made popular by the French man Arnaud Rossnay, in the early 1970's. Five years later, the US rider Jamie Budge boosted the sport with his special self-constructed sails. The sport's increased popularity comes with the growth of windsurfing, during the 1980's, with Jean Rathe, James Budge and Greg Haugen taking street sailing to the cities and sports market. |
