Caster Boards

If longboards were designed to replicate the feeling of surfing on solid ground, then caster boards were designed to replicate snowboarding.

The biggest difference between skateboards and caster boards are that caster board wheels can move in all directions, and as a result so can the board. Now, if wheels move in all directions you might think that the board would be very difficult to control as you can’t simply lean to one side or the other. Well caster boards certainly are difficult to control initially, but once you get used to the fact that you don’t lean to turn but carve instead, you soon pick it up and start having fun.

Many caster boards have a flexible spine enabling the two ends of the board to move more independently. This allows you to whip the back leg from side to side whist still pointing the front end in the right direction. This whipping action can generate large amounts of speed and can prevent the need to kick the board along as you would be a conventional skateboard.

Caster boards are also much easier to stop once you get the hang of the technique. Because the wheels can travel in all directions, you can rotate the hips so that your torso is facing the way you’re heading. As long as you lean back to prevent catching an edge, your back edge of the board can make contact with the ground and slow you down very quickly. It is possible to this on a standard skateboard, but it’s a whole lot harder to pull off.