So, of course the answer to the question what is longboarding is mind-bogglingly obvious – longboarding is skateboarding, but with a longer board (duh).  Longboarding is believed to have emerged in the 1950’s alongside the California surfing culture, although a number of Hawaiian longboarders also claim the sport as their own.  Some people consider it to be closer to “concrete surfing,” and unlike skateboarding, where most riders are performing tricks on their board at some point, longboarding is often used as a mode of transportation since the boards are heavier and more stable than the shorter, classic skateboards.  As well, a longboard is meant to do things your average skateboard cannot – high speeds, hard carves, cut backs on concrete hills, long distances, “sliding,” board walking and more.  There are a ton of unique styles of longboarding – check out Silver Fish Longboarding for more information on the different types.

Although longboarding equipment (helmets, knee pads and elbow pads) is similar to standard skateboarding equipment, longboarders often wear special gloves, Slider Gloves, for making turns while riding (carving or sliding).  Check out some of this video of folks carving up the streets on their longboards – carving on a longboard means making an “S”-type path down a street while on your board.  It can be an effective way to control your speed while longboarding, but riders also enjoy it for the “surfing” feeling that it creates.

Finally, a number of longboarders love it for the speed you can achieve while on your board – upwards of 30MPH.  This almost “slalom-style longboarding” is becoming very popular – it is an aggressive style of longboarding, and definitely one for thrill-seekers.  Watch this awesome video of a guy in a blue suit nonetheless cutting up some serious concrete and even overtaking some cars on his downhill ride.

Additional sites we like on longboarding:

Brooklyn’s own Bustin Boards Longboard blog

Naphte Longboarding Digital Magazine

Find and submit longboard maps

Skurfboard