A Board to Use for All Terrains

Even if there’s not much snow in Southern California this winter, daredevils can feel the rush of snowboarding on dry land with all-terrain boards. These mountain boards can carve a path anywhere--dirt hills, grass slopes--even asphalt and concrete.

Bud Hulst, president of Severe Sports of San Marcos, began selling the boards seven months ago.

“I was just crazy about them,” he says. “I’m 64 years old, but I was tired of the business I was in, so I decided to bring the boards to Southern California.”

Small sails can be attached for a land equivalent to windsurfing, or handles can be tacked on for a scooter-like effect. Soon, a motorized version will be introduced.

“As soon as we find a public place to ride that’s local, all-terrain boarding will be bigger than snowboarding,” Hulst says.

Currently, mountain boarders are limited to homemade hills and jumps, although local ski mountains are expressing interest in modifying their courses for all-terrain use in summer months.

Snow Valley hosted an informal Dirt Duel all-terrain competition last summer, but there is no national mountain board association--yet.

“The [U.S. Amateur Snowboard Assn.] is in the process of developing one,” Hulst says. “If they don’t, I will.”