Pro Diaries: Dave Compton – Interview – UK Freestyle Mountain Boarding

Aaron    The Professional's Arena     ATB, experiences, extreme sports, mountain boarding, Mountain Boarding Championships, Surrey

Theo Acworth's Photography of Dave Compton

Dave Compton is part of the RTH team performing at this year’s Exclusive Mountain Boarding Day.

Hi Dave, thanks for talking to us today. So what exactly is Freestyle Mountain Boarding and what do the competitions consist of?

Hey there, no probs. Freestyle Mountain Boarding is probably most similar to Freestyle Snowboarding, as your feet are strapped to the board. Freestyle used to be run on one big-air jump, with the best single trick winning; but now Slopestyle courses are used a lot more, with a line of jumps, rails and quarter pipes.

Winning runs nowadays will have huge flips and spins, technical rail tricks, and most importantly good style throughout the whole thing. A lot of the recent competitions have been run in a Jam format, where everyone can drop in for their run when they want, instead of on a timer by the organisers. Jams are brilliant fun because they end up being a lot more creative and progressive, and usually less stressful for the riders as well.

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Exclusive Mountain Boarding Day – 2010

Aaron    Experience Guides    

Saturday the 12th September was a fantastic day for Extreme Element and the fifty or so extreme Mountain Boarders that competed out on the slopes of Redhill, Surrey, that memorable day.

Exclusive Mountain Boarding Day

With the sun beaming down on a proud army of Ex Element T-Shirt wearing boarders, we hit the slopes hard for a full day of skill learning and events, mixed in with a massive BBQ and podium finishing prize ceremony.

Adults and children competed side by side in small groups, all aiming to take home a slice of the great prizes and the much coveted title ‘King of the Slopes’ on what was a fantastic day out in the Surrey countryside.

Check the photos from 2009 here. read more

Exclusive Central London Bungee – 2010

Aaron    Experience Guides     Bungee, Bungee Jumping London, experiences, extreme sports, London Bungee

September 26^th & 27^th 2009 was a record breaking weekend for Bungee Jumping. Having successfully jumped 297 brave bungee’rs; we proudly took the record for the most ever in one weekend!

Tower Bridge Jump 2009

However, ‘Resting on Laurels’ isn’t in the Extreme Element dictionary unfortunately, so this year we’ll be going flat out to make it bigger, better and bungee brilliant as we aim to leave last year’s memory behind with an even more marvellous weekend!

Now that the summer is slowly creeping up on us and the sun is shining, it’s time to fire up the London crane again and prepare for another fantastic weekend of sun, scenery and shots of adrenaline as we announce the dates for London’s only bungee jump of 2010.

September 25^th& 26^th 2010 – Don’t miss it!

Check the photos from last year here

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Pro Diaries: Lewis Wilby – Interview – Flexifoil – Landboarding

Aaron    The Professional's Arena     Devon, experiences, extreme sports, mountain boarding

Hi Lewis, thanks for taking the time to talk to us today. What exactly is Landboarding and what do the competitions consist of?

Lewis Wilby, Landboarding

Hi there, no problem at all. Well, ‘Kite-Landboarding’ is as it sounds; using the wind to power a large kite (between 3 – 20metres) which then allows you to be pulled around on an oversized skateboard. There are three main categories in competition; racing, speed and the most common form – freestyle. The freestyle competitions can be compared to a Snowboard or Skateboard competition; the rider who lands the most impressive/ innovative range of tricks (usually as high and smooth as possible) within a set time limit will come out on top and win.

So, how did you get involved in board sports?

I started Power Kiting in 2002 when I was 13 as my younger brother had just recently started, and it was through him I had my first go on a Flexifoil Proteam 8. I knew instantly it was the sport for me and quickly became addicted. I bought my first board later that year and within hours I was practicing jumps! I quickly progressed and was in magazines the next year before competing in the X-Zone Autumn Games in 2004 and have just continued practicing and competing since!

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Pro Diaries: James Boulding – Liquid Force International Team – Kitesurfing

Aaron    The Professional's Arena     cornwall, Devon, experiences, extreme sports, kitesurfing

An interview with Liquid Force International Team’s James Boulding. Recommendations of the UK’s best places, how to get started and a bit about his Kitesurfing adventure so far.

Hi James, thanks for taking the time to talk to us today. So what exactly is Freestyle Kitesurfing?

James Boulding of Liquid Force

Hi there, no problem! Well, Kitesurfing is an awesome sport that uses a big kite to harness the power of the wind and a board to resist this power, providing a pull that drags you across the water. The sport is now branching out in many directions, including wave riding, powered Wakeboard style (on ramps & sliders) and Freestyle, which is as it states; free to do tricks and ride in any style, on flat water.

What made you start and how old were you?

I got into the sport when I was 18 years old, during my last year at school. I pursued it as a hobby throughout my time at Newcastle University, and I’d say it became an addiction read more

Extreme Sports Guide to Essex

Aaron    Destination Guides     4x4 Driving, experiences, extreme sports, Hang Gliding, helicopter flights, High Ropes, hot air ballooning, microlighting, power boating, quad biking, sailing, Snow Experiences

With the smallest town and the largest village in the UK; the county of Essex sure ticks a few boxes. And it is no different for the extreme sports courses and experiences scene with a decent range of activities ready to take and appreciate the many terrains of this Home County.

Flight at Dawn in Essex

The county of Essex mixes a green garden of countryside with an enormous coast, and is riddled with a history of Christian landmarks, including a 1000+ year old church (oldest wooden one in the world) amongst the many tourist attractions. The county also provides activity attractions in the shape of driving experiences that include a full day of Stock Car Racing, 4×4 Driving, Gliding excursions and more.

Essex is around 50 miles from London along the A12 & M25 and takes around 1.5 hours by train. With coastal, aerial and driving experiences aplenty; the countryside filled county makes for a quality weekend stay. We recommend…

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Extreme Sports Guide to Surrey

Aaron    Destination Guides     aerobatic flying, aerobatics, climbing, climbing wall, experiences, extreme sports, free running, gliding, Hang Gliding, land-boarding, mountain boarding, Paragliding, parkour, rick climbing, track driving, wake boarding, water skiing, water sports

Perched on top of East & West Sussex and underneath Berkshire lies the country’s most woodland filled county; Surrey. Home to the Devil’s Punchbowl and England’s largest vineyard, the most densely populated ‘Shire’ in the UK makes for a very interesting getaway.

Mountain Boarding in Surrey

Whether you take the chance to appreciate the countryside from above with one of the county’s Hang Gliding or Aerobatic Flying tours, or if you decide to indulge in a high speed driving experience through a woodland-orientated track; Surrey has a fair bit to offer to thrill seekers – and combines it with all of the picturesque countryside that being one of the Home Counties entails.

The Thames bordering county is roughly an hour from central London and is easily accessible from the M23. We recommend trying:

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