Photos: Racing to hit highway speeds, on a longboard

The longboard — the skateboard's longer, heavier cousin — is a popular a mode of transportation for some city and campus dwellers. Now, though, some longboarders are using them for sport, heading down hills at high speeds.

Unlike skateboards, longboards are not designed for jumps. Longboard decks tend to measure between 33 and 58 inches from nose to tail, while the typical skateboard runs between 28 and 32 inches long. Longboards also have bigger, softer wheels — which handle sand and bumps better — and the boards' design makes it easier to race down hill.

Riders look for quiet, well-maintained roads with long, steep hills, which has made southwestern Wisconsin a popular place for Twin Cities riders. On a recent group outing there, longboarders hit speeds of more than 55 miles an hour.

Grant Yalch, of New Hope, Minn., said his friends look for stretches of road that have little traffic, with hills long and steep enough to make for a solid run. There are a number of good spots within the metro area as well, like Burnsville's Blackdog Park.

While the popularity of downhill longboarding is relatively low, Matt Rutherford and Mark Lawson, owners of Rolling Tree Skateboards in Minneapolis, said they think the sport is in its early stage and will continue to grow — just as skateboarding did in the past.

While there are far fewer competitions than for skateboarding, the number of longboard races and festivals is growing steadily.

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