FREEBORD [19.08.2009] Category: Skateboard

Key Features & Benefits:
    •  Unique board unlike anything else on the market
    •  Rides very similar to a snowboard
    •  You start to look at your surrounding hills very differently

Suited to:
    •  Anyone who wants to get their snowboard skills up
    •  Sliding and getting a unique free skate feeling
    •  Hitting hills like their freshly groomed snow trails

Bottom line:
    •  It takes a while to get used to, but once you've dialed the freebord in you'll be boarding every hill you can find. A great way to get some thrills during flat spells.


mesurf Review:
"Designed by snowboarders for snowboarders"

If you're looking for something fresh, something unique or something that lets you ride hills like a snowboard then the freebord is your wet dream. The freebord is one crazy ride and something that has a very unique feel that can only be matched on snow. This is a relatively new style of board that takes a while to get it dialed in but it's definitely worth considering for those days when Huey goes on strike.

We're still working on our skillz, but after a few sessions we were able to get a little ride out of it. The video review shows our third ride on it, and the other clips show the pro's pushing it through it's paces. It's addictive once you get past the initial 'WTF' stage. Might not be the most relevant surfing tool, but is great for balance and having shit loads of fun.


CARVING/SURFING

The freebord gives a nice  wide carving feel and ride, however not similar to the carving you use surfing but similar to that you'd experience when on the snow. It's a very different feel to any of the other skateboards which you'd expected having 6 wheels and all. If you've been snowbaording or wakeboarding before you'll pick up the balance and understand the type of carve feeling that's required.

CRUISING

The Freebord is 'not' designed for cruising. You need a hill to make this board go, it's designed for downhill and downhill only.

SPEED

I was pretty surprised at the amount of speed you can pull on the freebord, however if you catch an edge at pace you're day will be quickly over. I've seen footage of guys bombing hills with some serious speed so they can go as far as you can push them. Another feature is you can always control the speed similar to using the rails on your snowboard.

DESIGN

I'm giving this a high score in the design element as it's really unlike anything else in the skate scene. With a middle rotating wheel in between the normal two end wheels is an awesome idea. I'm a huge fan of snowboarding and this honestly replicates a similar feeling, only thing is road doesn't feel like snow when you come off.

SLIDING

You could ride this board sideways down a hill if you wanted as sliding is what it's designed for. As discussed above the third little rotating wheel allows the board to 'drift' and slide around like a snowboard.
 
QUALITY

All the parts of the board that we reviewed were of very high quality, bearings, trucks, wheels, bolts, shoe horns, deck and all the parts in between. When you purchase a freebord you can be assured it can be pushed as hard as you can handle. I've seen guys dropping off 4-6ft walls on these without a hint of damage.

OVERALL

If you're after a fun and unique way to get through flat days the freebord is a great choice. It's a lot of fun and the more you ride it the more enjoyable the thing becomes. Once you've a few rides you'll hooked and you wont look at a street in the same way again. You'll be looking for drop offs, jumps and wide areas where you can really hook in to that pretend snow. It's a great way to keep up the skills during summer when the surfs flat and you can get a little practice in before the snow season as well. Every surfer should get involved in the snowboard scene, and the freebord is a great learning tool. One of the best things with this board is it's challenging, it will have you trying new things, and challenging your bro's.

"It's snowboarding without lift tickets and long queue's. A great way to spend those flat days" - mesurf




BRAND: FREEBORD
STYLE: Freebord
CATEGORY: SKATIES
WEB: www.freebord.co.nz
RRP:  Start at $350

mesurf rating:

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