A mountain boarders guide to Canberra | A day with Radface
Mustard Flats caught up with pro mountainboarder Dylan ‘Radface’ Warren while he is on a caravan of carnage tour of Australia with some mates. All in the search for people who follow alternative paths in life. He stopped into Canberra for a few days and Mustards Flats went along for the ride.
“Life’s short, do cool shit!”
Story & photography by Darcy O
Mountainboarding, not something you see too often, especially here in the nation’s capital. A sport that combines skateboarding with snowboarding, on any terrain you could imagine. A niche sport for sure, but one that has so much potential.
Dylan is a professional mountainboarder from Victoria and has travelled all over the world riding mountainboards, dedicating his life to the progression of the sport. When we heard that Dylan was coming up to Canberra for a few days to sus some new spots around the city, of course we had to follow and see what this whole mountainboarding thing was about.
“My homie brought a mountainboard to the skatepark. I thought it was wack (at first). With some perseverance he got me to the local golf course later that day. We flew down the perfectly manicured hills, jumping over tree roots, and power sliding on the greens. We got chased out by security and from that point on it changed the course of my life.”
The days started off with a warm up at Belco skatepark on ‘normal’ skateboards, before heading out into the streets of North Canberra.
Our first spot was an iconic drain DIY in the far north of Canberra, where Dylan navigated around the ants nests and other questionable matters scattered around. Laying out a smooth FS disaster and FS 180 on the quarter.
Later we hit up Cadzieland, a private dirt jump/BMX compound run by Canberra local Mr Cadzie himself.
This place was sick, a homegrown training compound constructed from mattresses, pallets, plastic and proper hard work. Huge DIY vibes, everyone’s welcome here whether you’re keen to dig or ride. Huge thanks to Cadzie for inviting us out (and supplying us with plywood for the next spot), check out @cadzieland on Instagram if you want to see the build progress.
The next morning, our objective was a street rail Dylan spotted in Belco, with a mildly sketchy run-in and landing, this spot needed full commitment. Good thing Dylan is a master of his trade, he got the 50-50 done in just one try, super clean too.
With the hunger for a street rail satisfied, Dylan and Jimmy headed off to Stromlo to test out the dirt jumps there.
Photo by @jamesreynolds__
“I didn’t consciously decide to build an unconventional life. I just kept following what genuinely interested me and, somewhere along the way, built a life on my own terms.”
Mountainboarding is still a relatively young sport in terms of its popularity, especially here in Australia. Other countries have embraced the sport a bit more, for a lot of people it’s the answer to snowboarding in the summer. Dylan has had the opportunity to visit other parts of the world and explore the scene elsewhere, noting that other countries such as Japan and European countries have a dedicated community focused towards progressing the sport and making it more accessible and known.
The sport is open to everyone and is not constrained by terrain, weather or the need for expensive gear and a lift pass. Unlike snowboarding or surfing, you can do it almost anywhere.There are so many different riding styles to choose from as well, whether your thing is MTB trails, dirt jumps, skateparks or street. There will be something for everyone when it comes to mountainboarding.
Dylan says if you’re into any board sports at all, you’ll pick it up in no time, it’s a great way to hone skills for other activities as well as explore nature and get out of the city. Australian Mountainboarders also have demo and lesson days with a portable skatepark setup.
“Looking back, getting on that mountainboard was probably the first time I chose to do something different without even realising what that choice meant...That one ride allowed me to travel the world, meet so many different people, help shape the story of mountainboarding and hopefully have some impact on where it goes next. ”
Interview
Were you skating and/or snowboarding before you were mountain boarding?
Yeah for sure, I’ve been skating for about 25 years or something now. That’s actually how I got into mountainboarding. I must of been 11 or 12 and I had a birthday at my local skatepark. My homie brought a mountainboard to the skatepark. I thought it was wack. With some perseverance he got me to the local golf course later that day. We flew down the perfectly manicured hills, jumping over tree roots, and power sliding on the greens. We got chased out by security and from that point on it changed the course of my life. I’ve been mountainboarding ever since. Interestingly enough, I actually got into snowboarding because I loved mountainboarding. For most people it’s the other way round… snowboarding in the summer.
You’ve travelled across the world to ride mountain boards, what’s the international mountainboard community like compared to your experience with skating or other sports?
Yeah it’s pretty wild man. I’ve been fortunate to travel to so many different parts of the world. Each country does mountainboarding a little different and has its own unique flavour. For example in England it has a competition type vibe and in Japan they’re out there hiking mountains and freeriding natural terrain. Some of my mates out there have actually ridden the backside of Mt Fuji! In comparison to other sports it’s obviously quite new and niche, so It’s a very welcoming community across the world. I’m so grateful to be able to visit random little towns in the middle of nowhere and have a couch to crash on. Way sicker than a contiki tour.
Comparatively, what is the local/Australian scene like currently? Is it steady/growing?
Mountainboarding is definitely the largest in Europe. Everything is so close together. Makes it easy for people to travel and connect. Australia is quite large so it is smaller here. But that’s what makes it exciting. We get to shape the future of the sport. There’s so much untapped terrain to ride and explore. I think that’s why I still do it. Hiking hills in the middle of the bush, in the middle of nowhere, trying to find the best way down for the first time ever. In 2010 we started an organisation called Australian Mountainboarders. We do a lot to promote mountainboarding here in Aus and connect people. We even have a portable skatepark that we take to events to put on shows and lessons.
What’s your dream spot to ride? Anything iconic you haven’t done yet? (don't have to answer this if you have any big secret NBDs)
Oh man that’s a tough one. Montreal would be sick to ride some street spots out there. I have this dream of catching trains through Scandinavia, getting off in random countries and riding all the beautiful countryside out there. My next goal actually is to do a lap of Australia in my campervan. Ride, skate and explore more of our beautiful country. Wanna come?
How can people get into mountain boarding here in Australia?Any resources/advice you would have for someone wanting to give it a try?
If you want to get into mountainboarding. Just get a cheap board. If you're young get something shorter, if you're an adult get something bigger. Be patient, take the board out as much as possible. Build a little kicker, grab your mates, go to your local grass hill at sunset. Try and learn how to 180, do some carves, drink a beer. You’ll love it! If you're into board sports you’ll pick it up super quick. I love it because I get to access a whole different category of terrain I can’t ride on my skateboard and snowboard all year round. It’s a great way to explore nature and get out of the city. If you wanna learn more about the sport you can check out www.ausmountainboarders.com or my Instagram @radicalface
I’m also really interested in documenting people who follow alternative paths in life. Me and Maloney from the 3000 Podcast just launched a new show called @MLWYS.tv. We recently did an episode with Tom Gerrard, an iconic Melbourne artist and skateboarder. We ended up driving through Melbourne alleyways in my 70s F100 while Tom put up graffiti. Pretty surreal honestly.
Life’s short, do cool shit!
If you want to look a little bit deeper into mountainboarding, check out Dylan @radicalface and @ausmountainboarders on Instagram.
Story and photos by Darcy O for Mustard Flats
Stromlo photos by: @jamesreynolds_
