What’s up with downhill?
Being ranked 48th stand-up downhill skateboarder in the world meant we only just managed to catch up with Eebin van den Bergh to find out more about what he calls ‘bombing hills’.
Rider profile: Eebin
Full name: Eebin van den Bergh
Ranking: Number 48 in the world after Hot Heels Africa 2011.
What do you ride? Standup Skateboard.
Years riding? Two years in racing, been skating since 1985 first in empty pools then a bit of vert. Longboarding for three years.
INTERVIEW
Is it as dangerous as people may think?
Yes, it can be. Head injuries are a major concern as these can be fatal, hence the need for full-face, approved helmets. Broken collarbones, dislocated shoulders, broken ankles and wrists are the most common injuries.
Why do downhill skating specifically?
Skating has so many diverse disciplines, which can range from very mellow carving, cruising or sidewalk surfing to more intense sliding or free-riding and ultimately downhill, speedboarding and bombing hills. I do downhill for an insane adrenaline rush, and I’m addicted.
What skills do you need and how do you develop them?
The skill set for downhill skateboarding comes from sliding and free-riding, which teaches the skateboarder how to control speed and brake if required. This, in turn, gives you confidence to tackle fast, big or technical hills. Bombing hills requires a mental frame of mind where one has to be relaxed and alert to everything going on around you. When you conquer your fears and become comfortable with very high speed on a skateboard, a whole new world of technical riding opens up and brings a great amount of personal reward. The ultimate prize, though, is skating with fellow downhill skaters, going down a hill with other riders and sharing the ‘stoke’ that comes from this.
There are a few variations of gravity riding/racing. Can you educate us a bit about the history?
Downhill skating (standup) emerged in the late 1970s and morphed into classical luge (butt board) at first and, later, street luge [buttboard was originally conceived as literally lying on your skateboard and going down a hill, while street luge allowed for new specifications and alternative means of steering with more wheels]. Luge became a fully-fledged extreme sport in the 1990s, while standup moved into the background, only to be revived later that decade and put back on the map of extreme sports with Red Bull DHX in Cape Town circa 2000.
From there a rebirth in standup seems to have developed, but the sport really took off in the mid 2000s with new equipment on the market, wider exposure on the internet and new hills being discovered.
How many people take part?
The International Gravity Sports Association (IGSA) estimate there to be an average growth of about 100 per cent an annum over the past few years – riders racing competitively in international events over the past year, have gone from about 600 at the end of 2010 to about 1#100 worldwide at the end of 2011.
What inspires people to do downhill skateboarding/gravity sports?
The thrill of speed that’s ultimately controlled by the skill of the rider in a far more direct manner than motorsport and the fact that it allows for individual styles of skating to be developed, as in surfing for instance.
What speeds can riders reach?
The world record for standup downhill skateboarding is 130 kilometres an hour, set by Mischo Erban, a Czech native residing in the USA. It depends on the hill. At Teutonia in Brazil, for example, the average speed would be 100 kilometres an hour, with a top speed in the region of 117 kilometres an hour, while other more technical hills will be slower, but far more technical, especially around corners. The fastest race in South Africa is Fair Cape in Durbanville, where top speeds of about 110 to 112 kilometres an hour have been recorded.
What makes one skateboarder faster than the next?
Speed comes from a combination of weight, aerodynamic tuck, type and size of wheels, durometer (composite component hardness) and, if you’re lucky, a tailwind.
Who’s the rider to Google at the moment?
It’s difficult to say as there are so many talented riders. Probably Patrick Switzer (Canada) or Jackson Shapiera (Australia).
What gear does a beginner need?
There is general longboarding (cruising, sliders etc.), but you’d need the following for downhill specifically:
Speedboard deck types:
– Drop-through (trucks mounted through top of the deck),
– Top-mounted (trucks mounted to underside of deck),
– Drop deck (deck platform is dropped below the level of the truck mounts)
– or a combination of these.
Precision trucks, which allow for less looseness and more precise turning.
Wheels: there are various wheels on the market, which are suited to different styles of riding.
A full-face helmet with adequate safety rating is the most import piece of safety gear and it could save your life.
Sliding gloves are heavy-duty leather gloves with pucks (plastic disks on the palms) for sliding, drifting around corners and controlling speed
Knee and elbow pads for free-riding
Leathers for bombing hills and racing
Padded shoes with soles for foot braking
Most products and gear are imported, but a few local manufacturers of top-quality kit have recently sprung up: Project Skateboards, Alpha, Fat Ant, Boardyards.
What sage advice can you offer someone starting out?
Take it easy; it’s a progressive sport. Get the basics right first. It’s not just about speed; it’s also about speed control. Mostly, have fun.
How many official riders are there in SA and who are the top guy and girl to watch?
There are about 70 riders competing at the moment, but this number is growing at every race. There’s definitely a concentration of the sport in Stellenbosch and Hout Bay. There are so many good top riders in South Africa at the moment and the margin is very tight. Riders to watch are Matt Arderne, Anton Pratt, Paul Du Plessis, Raoul Van den Berg, Gerhard Nel and Nick Hook. The top female rider is Gabi Murray-Roberts.
Where can readers find out more about downhill in South Africa?
Find out more at South African Gravity Racing Association, International Gravity Sports Association, Skate[Slate] and First Nature. There are also loads of Facebook pages for many of the clubs and skate communities.
Official Hot Heels 2011 Video – EPIC!
Hot Heels Africa IGSA world cup 2011 (official) from reTroyspective on Vimeo.
Jargon buster
Carving/cruising/sidewalk surfing : Skating on flatlands (as opposed to hills) at much slower speeds.
Sliding: an expressive and freestyle form of skating where wheels are made to lose traction and literally slide.
Free riding: is a very wide term but is mostly understood to be riding hills for the pure fun of riding the hills and not necessarily to race, but still at speed and pace.
Longboarding : longer skateboards larger softer wheels than street decks. They have more stability at high speed.
Downhill/speedboarding/bombing hills: Skating down hills at very high speeds, standing up, with the body in a aerodynamic tuck.
Stoke: Feeling of euphoria when skating or post skate. Gravity riding/racing : Competetive sports where gravity is used to generate speed i.e. Luge, Street Luge, Downhill Skateboard, In-line Skating, Gravity Bike.
Durometer: Measurement of the hard or softness of wheels and bushings.
