Freebords are amazing little pieces of
machinery. They, at the outset, look little different than a regular
skateboard or longboard, save for exaggerated size and longer-than average
trucks. The difference, however, is apparent when one flips the board over. Freebords have an extra wheel (which is actually a spring-biased
caster) on each truck that sits about a
quarter of an inch lower than the wheels on the ends of the trucks, which causes the board to slide like a snowboard. The net effect is
snowboarding down a dry-land hill.
The one thing that catches most people offguard when first trying to freebord is that the freebord is
not a skateboard. You slide,
carve, turn,
catch an edge, and fall on your ass just like a snowboard. Trying to ride it like a
longboard generally ends with a
comical pratfall.
A
180 is the easiest (and generally first-learned) trick on a freeboard, after the basics such as learning to carve and slide. A good, gentle
hill is all you need to learn.