The site of Curtis Dale riding around his neighbourhood cul-de-sac on a skateboard is not out of the ordinary, but the board under his feet is something new.
Dale, 15, is part of a growing market of longboarders, a type of skateboard that is showing up in more homes and attracting more riders.
At first glance, the board might only seem slightly different than a regular skateboard, which has been a common sight under teenaged feet for decades. But that's where the similarities end.
Dale said when he first saw a longboard on a trip to California several years ago, it was something he needed to try.
"It was new, I had been skating my whole life and I saw it there and I wanted to try it."
In addition to their obvious length, longboards are cut differently, leaving more of the wheel exposed, reducing any chance of the board touching it, creating what boarders call "wheel bite."
The sudden stop can still happen, which Dale said it is not a pleasant experience.
"I have done that. It is not cool. Your face is in the ground."
The boards don't have the back kick plate of standard skateboards, largely because there is less interest in doing tricks and jumps and more of an emphasis on simply getting around.
Tim Mercer, who works at Local 124, an Edmonton skateboard shop that specializes in longboards, said the boards aren't new, but their popularity is.
"They have always been around, for just as long as regular skateboards."
Mercer said the boards have been around in British Columbia for about 10 years, but have only been available in Alberta for about five.
He said the boards' popularity seems to be constantly expanding as more and more people come in. Dale said while once he was among a small handful of riders, the boards are now everywhere.
"I never thought it would catch on like this."
Local 124 sponsors two races every year, one of which has been running for five years.
Mercer said in comparison to regular skateboards, longboards haven't become a competitive commercial sport because they are more for simple transportation.
"Longboards are much better for commuting. The larger wheels make it a little bit easier on our less than perfect Alberta pavement and it is less focused on tricks, less commercialized."
Mercer said that traditional skateboarding, with the focus on jumps and tricks, is a bit more aggressive, but longboarding has not reached that level of popularity.
"There is no big Mountain Dew-sponsored tours of longboarding yet … definitely more of a relaxed good time type sport."
Dale said he embraced the sport after getting his first board and has now got his friends involved.
"I bought more longboards and I got friends into it and it is just a lot of fun."
New club
Dale, who recently started the St. Albert Longboard Club for fellow longboarders, said he likes the ease of getting around.
"You don't have to put in much effort to get a good distance. I know I have said this before, but it is a lot of fun to just hop on and go."
As a former skateboarder, Dale said he believes the longboard is an easier hobby to pick up and do well. He said maintaining balance on the longer board is easier.
"It is a lot easier, it just takes practice and I would say less than a skateboard."
Dale said he would like the club to hold charity races and regular rides together, adding it could also be an opportunity to exchange tips on equipment.
"If you see someone else longboarding you can go and talk to them. As much as it is about longboards I want to get people together."
Need for speed
The two races Local 124 organizes each year are a road race and a downhill race for people interested in speed.
Mercer said at the downhill race people can reach a speed of about 60 km/h, but that is not the highest speed of downhill racers.
"It is not unheard of for races to have an average speed of 75 or 80 kilometres an hour."
He said two competitive races last year had sections of the races with speeds over 100 km/h and the record speed is 138 km/h.
He said the two local races now fill up every year and the store has had to turn people away over the past few years.
Wide interest
Since the store began selling the boards, Mercer said more and more people have become interested from all walks of life.
"Everybody, kids as young as six years old, guys as old as 55, 60, businessman who have never stepped on one but had a skateboard in their youth to guys who are just picking it up, it is really for everyone," he said. "It is an activity that you can do as a family — dad will look just as cool as his son riding a longboard."
Getting started is not cheap, however. Mercer said a quality board will cost between $220 and $400. If a person wanted to get into racing, adding safety equipment would bring the total to around $600.
"As compared to hockey it is pennies. Of any extreme sport it is the cheapest one."
Mercer said there is also a lot of experimentation in board design and construction, with a wide variety of materials to choose from, such as bamboo, carbon fibre, fibreglass.
He said standard skateboards are all very similar in design and there isn't the same kind of constant change.
"The sky is the limit. They are definitely playing around a lot, whereas with conventional skateboards they have kind of hit the peak."
Dale said one of the things that keeps him hooked on the sport are the boards' flexible construction, which changes over time.
"Every different brand has a different thing," he said. "Every time you go out even if you are on the same longboard, it is something new."
More information on the St. Albert club can be found at www.stalbertlongboardclub.com.
