There is something calming and cathartic about being in the mountains — the crisp air at elevation, the strange echo of silence, the grandeur and green that stretch panoramically from one peak to the next. But for mountainboarders, this idyllic setting is merely a backdrop for the extreme. Because the only thing better than the ambient aesthetics of nature, they rationalize, is the thrill of passing it by at 45 miles per hour.
Like other action sports, mountainboarding is an adrenaline-inducing gallop into danger that carries with it the promise of medals for competitors who survive a tough run. A hybrid of a snowboard and a skateboard, mountainboards feature all-terrain rubber tires and a full suspension system designed to absorb whatever Mother Earth has to offer. Riders carve, jump, and trick just like their urban boarding contemporaries, but in a more rugged setting. Mountainboarding also features several subdisciplines, including downhill, boardercross, freestyle, and freeriding.
PowerBar
® Team Elite™ athlete Melissa Ponce de Leon is unquestionably the first lady of mountainboarding today, with a résumé that includes consecutive Altitude Cup and Fall Classic titles in 2008–2009 and a stretch of three overall wins in three months in 2009. In other words, this gal knows how to navigate a board through earthen obstacles and dazzle a crowd — at the same time.
She knows what it takes to succeed as an elite boarder, but how can recreational riders get better on the mountain?
TEAM ELITE PROFILE
Name: Melissa Ponce de Leon
Nickname: Mel
Birthdate: October 10, 1985
Birthplace: Minot, North Dakota
Current residence: Frisco, Colorado
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 135 lbs
Websites:
www.dirtstararmy.com/melissa/ and
www.powerbar.com/user/MelissaPoncedeLeon.aspx
Titles:
2009: Fall Classic Mountainboard Championships, Colorado Springs, Colorado; Altitude Cup Mountainboard Challenge, Empire, Colorado; Twilight Showdown Mountainboard Championships, South Haven, Kansas. 2008: U.S. Open Mountainboard Championships, Snowmass Village, Colorado.
Q: How would you describe mountainboarding to someone who has never heard of it before?
Melissa: Mountainboarding is a cross between snowboarding and skateboarding. It's more like a skateboard because it has a truck system and wheels rather than just the flat base and edge of a snowboard. Some people call it a beefed-up skateboard or an off-road skateboard. We call it a mountainboard or dirtboard. The purpose of a mountainboard is to ride everywhere — you are not limited to concrete or grass — and with the nomadic wheels, you can go off-road without any problems.
Q: Describe the adrenaline rush that comes with this sport. What goes through your mind at the top of the hill before a crazy ride?
Melissa: The adrenaline rush is one of the best aspects of the sport. At the top of a run, my stomach is all tied up and my mind is racing at 130 miles per hour. I'm focused on the goal at hand and I take off, the wind blowing, the wheels throwing dirt and then throwing a power slide to stop on a dime. It's the greatest feeling ever. Just mad chaos and then you start — everything seems to slow down and you're cruising through the beautiful mountain scenery.
Q: How did you first get involved with action sports?
Melissa: I started with action sports when I was a senior in high school in 2004. I met my coach (and now husband) Joseph that year and he taught me how to snowboard in the winter and mountainboard in the summer. Once I learned how to snowboard, I just wanted to ride all the time. And since the snow is only around for a few months a year, I had to find something else to keep my legs under me and continue progressing. I bought a mountainboard and started riding dirt roads. I learned how to power slide and it felt like sliding on the snow. After that, I was hooked. Now I train in the winter on my snowboard for mountainboard season.
Q: Is mountainboarding more dangerous than the different skateboarding disciplines?
Melissa: People often get the impression that mountainboarding is a dangerous sport. I think that just like any other action sport, it has its dangers. But if you are properly padded up and start within your comfort zone, it's no more dangerous than skateboarding, longboarding, or snowboarding. In fact, mountainboarders probably take more precautions when it comes to safety than skateboarders or snowboarders. I wear a helmet, elbow and knee pads, crash pads, and wrist guards every time I mountainboard. When I snowboard or skate, I only wear a helmet.
Q: What kinds of injuries are most common in mountainboarding?
Melissa: The most common injuries in mountainboarding are broken wrists and tailbones. But with the proper padding, these injuries can be prevented.
Q: Do you do any training off the board that helps with your sport? What kind?
Melissa: When I'm not on my mountainboard, I do cross-training on longboard, skateboard, and Indo Board Balance Trainer.
Q: How long do you train every day? What does a training day typically consist of?
Melissa: I train 4–5 days a week on my mountainboard. If I'm not out riding I will either work on my balance training or go to a skate park. A typical training day consists of me warming up on a boardercross track, taking about 5–6 runs, and then moving over to freestyle. I spend 2–3 hours hiking the jumps and other features and then back to the boardercross track for a cooldown.
Q: Specialized boards, entry fees, protective gear — is mountainboarding an expensive sport?
Melissa: There are two major dirtboard brands in the U.S. — Mountainboard Sports (MBS) and Ground Industries. There are different types of mountainboards, and I would suggest testing a few if you get the chance. Protective gear is one of the most important things you can spend your money on in this sport. We always say, "safety first"; if you're protected, you will have a better experience. Entry fees range from $10 to $90 per event, depending on where you are and what event you are competing in. So overall, mountainboarding is a fairly inexpensive sport. You can get into the sport for around $400, which includes board, pads, and helmet. If you're looking for something with higher performance, you can spend more; or you can find yourself in for a bit less for an entry-level board.
Q: What's a good way for someone to get started in mountainboarding? Should they have some experience on a regular board first?
Melissa: The best way to learn is to have someone show you a thing or two. I think if you have previous board-sport experience, you should pick up mountainboarding quickly. If you have never been on any type of board before, have no fear; many people have learned their first board sport on a mountainboard and have been successful.
Q: What is your proudest moment in this sport?
Melissa: In 2008, at the U.S. Open Mountainboarding Championships, I landed my first backside 360 in competition. I ended up winning the freestyle and the boardercross competitions, as well as the women's overall title.
Q: There's downhill, boardercross, freestyle, and freeriding. Do you have a favorite discipline, and, if so, why?
Melissa: It's hard to choose a favorite discipline in mountainboarding. I started with freeriding back in 2004, and all we rode were dirt roads. Then I had my first boardercross and freestyle experiences, as well as mass downhill. I actually love all disciplines of the sport, but I probably spend most of my time training freestyle because that is my weakest event. The best thing about this sport is that I don't have to specialize in just one area of riding — I do it all, and that makes me a better all-around rider.
Q: How do you typically fuel up for a day on the hill?
Melissa: Before I start my day, I begin with a
PowerBar® Pure & Simple Energy bar. These bars are great — 5 grams of protein, nothing artificial, and no high-fructose corn syrup. They taste great and give me enough energy to get started with my day on the hill. While I am riding, I always have water and
PowerBar® Energy Blasts gel filled chews or
PowerBar® Energy Bites with me. The strawberry banana Energy Blasts are my favorite. I take 2–3 every 10–20 minutes to keep my energy up. Riding takes a lot out of me, and if I don’t stay fueled and hydrated, I could get hurt. Mountainboarding is a tough sport, and the wrecks take a lot out of you. After I'm done with my workout, I have a
PowerBar® Recovery bar to help replenish my glycogen and start the rebuilding process in my muscles. The cookies & cream caramel crisp flavor is my favorite. If I end my day with one of these, I can tell the difference in how my body feels the next morning. I feel more refreshed and my muscles aren't heavy and sore.
If you're interested in learning about PowerBar
® Team Elite™ athletes or how you can join the ranks, click on the
Team Elite link at PowerBar.com.
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