How much practice do you need before you can go downhill?
If you’ve never skateboarded before but you train hard, it could take two to three months. You have to get familiar with your board, and learn how to slide. If you’re new at it, I recommend training every day. It’s not like going to the gym; it’s like exercising and having fun at the same time. Once you’re able to slide, once or twice a week is enough to get you learning new moves.

Any tips or tricks for beginners?
Longboarding is not hard, it’s just like riding a bike—you can’t expect to learn everything in one ride. First off, you should learn to carve, using your knees and shoulders to guide you.

What’s the hardest part about longboarding?
Finding a place to do it because Bangkok is filled with cars. If you’re abroad you can practice on the road, but here it’s very dangerous. You can longboard at parks, but if you want to practice going downhill, you definitely have to head out of town.

What should you keep in mind when buying a board?
Be patient, research about the different boards available by talking to someone who owns one or just borrowing your friend’s board to try it out. We have a longboard community on Facebook (www.facebook.com/BkkLongboard) and everyone is welcome to ask questions, share their experiences and band together to arrange longboard trips.

How big is the sport here?
It only just started gaining popularity a couple of years ago, but the numbers of longboarders is growing steadily. We’re catching up on countries like Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Glossary

Carving - moving in a zigzag pattern
Slalom - zigzagging around obstacles like cones
Sliding - maneuvering your board to slow down or improve handling at curves
Foot brake - using your back leg to stop the board
Speed wobble - losing balance as you go downhill, potentially ending with you getting thrown off your board.