I Tried Surfskating to Prep for Winter—and the Results Surprised Me

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I’ve been skiing for nearly 30 years, and I this has easily been the least snowy early season I can remember in over a decade. A snow report this week from JHMR read: “Rise and shine, Jackson. One more wet inch fell on the upper mountain over the past 24 hours, but we’re now poised to enjoy our first solar rays of the season as sunshine and clouds prepare to dance across a deep blue backdrop.” Thanks for your optimism, Jeff Leger. Truth be told, after the last few seasons of above-average snowfall here in the Tetons, we’re due for a good beat down. I’m taking it stride.

During dire times like these, I’ve found that a great coping mechanism is to learn something new. There’s plenty to choose from, from learning a new language, picking up knitting (my wife’s choice), diving into any of Ian Greenwood’s indulgences, or becoming a rebellious 13-year-old boy again and going skateboarding with your friends. I picked the latter.

Despite growing up in New York City’s concrete jungle, I actually never spent much time skating as a kid. Bikes were more my thing. That’s why, when my group of friends here in the Tetons more or less unanimously decided to get into surfskating this fall, I was a bit skeptical. Wait, surfskating? What even is that?

When my friend Zach proclaimed the virtue of surfskating as both a pastime and training tool (he was getting ready for a 3-week surf trip to Portugal and taking his prep very seriously), I had not only never heard of it, but couldn’t even imagine what it could be like. But as I rolled around on his board a few times, more than anything, I was intrigued and immediately hooked. Turns out it’s really fun to be bad at something and work through the progression of learning a brand new skill.

So, what is surfskating? Simply put, it’s a style of skateboarding that’s performed on a skateboard with special trucks, bigger wheels and a surfboard-like shape. It looks a bit like riding a cruiser board or longboard, but the magic is in the hardware below the deck. The front trucks are very loose and turny, and contain an adjustable spring that allow you to pump and carve the board to generate forward momentum–much like on a surfboard. The motion feels a bit awkward at first, but with a little technique adjustment, it quickly begins to feel very natural and flowy. Within a few rides, I began looking at my neighborhood’s streets as my own private surf break. Sorry HOA.

Here’s a look at what it’s supposed to look like:

Featured Gear

Arbor Collective X Carver Ryan Lovelace Shaper Surfskate

I’ve tried a few different boards these past few weeks, with different deck and truck configurations, but have fallen in love with the cruisy, easygoing nature of the Arbor X Carver Ryan Lovelace surfskate. It’s a bit longer than most surfskates, features a flat pintail shape, and takes advantage of the two-axis Carver C7 trucks to provide a really deep carve feel, insane grip, and high-speed stability. Lovelace is a prolific surfboard shaper and the man behind Lovemachine surfboards, and this thing feels absolutely awesome.

As I dove deeper in the subculture of surfskating, I learned how popular it has become as a land-based training alternative for pro and recreational surfers alike. The feel of carving, slashing, and riding skatepark bowls on a surfskate provides a striking similarity to riding shortboards in the ocean–so I get the appeal, even though I’m not a surfer myself.

That got me thinking about surfskating as a training tool for freeride skiing. It’s no secret that plenty of pro skiers are really good skaters and surfers–and while moving on skis and the motion of pumping to generate speed on a surfskate are really nothing alike, I’m a firm believer in working on general athleticism is the best training regimen for any sport. That’s the core message of popular mountain athlete training programs like Zahan Billimoria’s Samsara Experience and many more.

After even just a few weeks, the mix of balance, upper/lower body separation, agility, cardio fitness and leg strength required for long sessions on a surfskate has me feeling good for whenever the snow really starts to fly. Until then, find me having more fun than ever ripping around town with my friends, whether it’s on the smooth pavement of whatever parking lot is close by, or dropping into bowls at the local skatepark.