Longboarding in A Pump Track

Longboarding in a pump track is hands down one of my favorite ways to ride a longboard!

Longboarding is a fun sport, and in todays world there are many different environments to enjoy and partake in longboarding. Most people we’ve met like longboarding because it’s chill and a cool but mellow way to get around. We also meet people who like to carve and surf some cement down smooth streets and hills. And then there are those who take longboarding to the next level and bomb crazy mountain roads going 60+ MPH. These are the traditionally known methods of longboarding, but there are still other ways to longboard. I seem to find myself longboarding in skateparks all the time, and I am thrilled every time I have the opportunity to longboard on a pump track! Longboarding in a good pump track is when I feel the most like I am surfing the cement.

Quick Reasons Why I Love Longboarding in a Pump Track

I always have fun longboarding in a pump track, and for many different reasons. First of all, most pump tracks are made of very smooth asphalt which is hard to find just anywhere. And smooth asphalt is ideal for longboard. Also, I really enjoy going fast on a longboard. And it’s nice to be able to use gravity and momentum in the pump track to power rather than having to kick a lot.

Longboarding in a pump track is a great way to get exercise and cardio. Being on a track is nice because you can decide how many laps you feel like doing. This is different than longboarding a mountain road, where you have to go all the way down. Another perk of the track is that you have the opportunity to time yourself. This is fun for racing competitions between friends, personal records, or a great way to monitor your exercise and cardio improvements.

If there’s not too much traffic, I find longboarding in a pump track to be a peaceful place to get exercise, breath some fresh air, and to get lost by experiencing the moment in focused freedom. Learn more about longboarding in a pump track below then grab your board and try it for yourself!

What is a Pump Track?

A pump track is a trail system that is shaped into a looping circuit created with back-to-back berms, humps and banked turns that allow riders to build and maintain speed by active pumping. These features create a unique opportunity that allows riders to use their own body weight and momentum to propel themselves around the track by transferring their energy up and down. The motion of this energy transfer feels like “pumping” to the rider, hence the name pump track.

rounded humps and back to back berms at a pump track

What kind of riders are we talking about? A pump track can be used by a wide variety of non-motorized wheeled equipment such as bikes, skateboards, scooters, skates and longboards. There is also a range of materials that are used for making pump tracks. Some are asphalt, some are dirt, and some wood.

dirt and paved pump track near las vegas

There are even some portable pump tracks that are made of other synthetic materials. For longboarding, the asphalt/cement pump tracks are the most favorable. The dirt tracks are usually intended for bikes and the wood/portable tracks won’t create the same smooth flow for longboarding. So for this longboarding in a pump track article, we will be focusing on asphalt and cement pump tracks.

smooth humps and turns at carmel valley pump track

Best Longboard Set Up for Longboarding in a Pump Track

In my opinion this is the best longboard set up for longboarding in a pump track. This is the perfect longboard for longboarding in a pump track because the shape provides ideal areas for foot placement and the material of this longboard are made to be lightweight, strong, and flexible.

flexible bamboo boards great for longboarding in a pump track

Having a flexible board is recommended for longboarding on a pump track because the flexibility aids riders in their ability to pump making it easier to build and maintain speed. The flexibility also helps the rider maintain control because the flexibility can allow the board to twist a little and maintain contact with the ground over twisty transitions.

twisting over features while longboarding in a pump track

One issue that may be encountered when longboarding in a pump track is the fact that the middle of the board may “bottom out” or scrape when passing over a steep hump in the track. At some pump tracks this is unavoidable. There are two main issues with this. The first issue being that the artwork and the bottom of the longboard may be damaged. And the second issue is that scraping the ground can be unexpected and scary if you’re not ready for it. Fortunately, there are some accessories a rider can equip their longboard with to aid in the prevention of scraping the ground.

Risers and Rails

The first solution is tall risers. Risers are a set of two flat pieces of rubber (or plastic) that go between your trucks and your longboard deck. Having taller risers will raise the ground clearance of your board, making it less likely to scrape the ground. The second solution to this issue is having rails on the bottom of your deck. Skate rails are simple plastic rails that attach to the bottom of your longboard deck. Having one of these on each side of your deck will not prevent you from scraping the ground in anyway. Instead it absorbs the impact of the scrape, preserving the artwork on your board. As a rider, you will still have to deal with scraping the bottom of the board in certain situations but you will have the peace of mind of not damaging your longboard.

risers attached to the longboards trucks

Pump Track Features to Look For

Some pump tracks are better than others, and some are great for longboarding and some are not. Some key features that you want to be aware of when looking for a pump track to longboard on are the size and the steepness of the transitions. The size of the hills and humps are a great way judge the level of difficulty of a pump track. It makes sense that riders will go faster down steeper and bigger hills, so keep that in mind. Advanced pump tracks will also have tall banked turns that require high speeds and use of centrifugal force to ride.

These large banked turns are the highlight of the pump track experience for me because being horizontal on the wall while going through banked turns is when I feel most like I’m surfing the cement.

surfing the cement while longboarding in a pump track

Taking these banked turns at a high enough speed to get horizontal is a pretty advanced move. Most riders will take these banked turns about half way up, but it is a good idea to check out the bottom of these banked turns as well. Sometimes the bottom of these turns are wider than others and this is good for riders who may still be learning. This is also where there may be some gravel or dirt, so look out for that too.

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Many pump tracks take into account that not everyone can confidently take one of these banked turns. So the engineers often make a ramp up to the top of the banked turn. The top of many banked turns at a pump track will be wide and flat on top with a ramp down the other side with a mellow transition back to the track.

riding through a smooth turn at the pump track

The transition between humps and the steepness of these humps is also an important feature to be aware of. For a fun and smooth ride, you want these transitions to be very rounded. This is a very important feature, and you won’t have to worry about this at most pump tracks. They are pretty much made with that in mind. Sometimes the speed of riders is limited by the size of the track.

humps and berms at the arroyo grande pump track

Riders can only go so fast on small humps. Wheels tend to stay on the ground in pump tracks. Although very advanced riders can ollie or jump, most people will never leave the ground at the pump track.

One last feature that is important to be aware of are the directional arrows on the track. From the outside looking into the pump track, it may look like a random assortment of hills and turns. But as a rider on the track you usually just feel like you’re going straight ahead the whole time. You turn and stuff, but your route is usually guided. Most pump tracks, but not all, have a designated traffic flow which helps prevent accidents.

Features to Avoid

Steep angled humps are really the only thing that can make longboarding in a pump track not fun. Some pump tracks are just not made for longboards. And it’s these pump tracks where you will see steep angled humps. These humps are still rounded, but at such a steep angle that the bottom of a longboard will scrape. Having one or two of these humps in a pump track is manageable. Sometimes the track requires a steep angle and that’s why I would recommend having rails on the bottom of your board. But if you’re at a pump track where your board scrapes on every single hump then you might want to stop skating before you damage your longboard. I have found that this happens most often in very small pump tracks, made for smaller kids on bikes.

If you’re online searching for a pump track another important feature to avoid would be dirt terrain. There are many pump tracks created for BMX and mountain biking. These pump tracks often have much larger features and many jumps not suited for longboards.

bikers getting air at the dirt pump track

How to Longboard in a Pump Track

When first starting out longboarding on a pump track it is a good idea to start on smaller humps. It doesn’t take long for riders to understand the feeling of “pumping” on a pump track. After a couple humps riders start to understand that you go fast down the humps then quickly slow down when going up the next hump. Riders can then get the feeling of almost jumping over the humps and riding only on the downhill side of the humps to build speed. It is easy to quickly build speed. But be careful to control your speed through the turns as going straight to slow down is not really an option.

See it in action! Check out the video below to see what it looks like to ride a longboard in a pump track. The Broomfield Pump Track (shown in the video) has the provides the ideal conditions for riding a longboard in a pump track.

Our Favorite Places for Longboarding in a Pump Track

We have traveled around the country and have seen pump tracks all over. Most of these pump tracks are dirt but we’re beginning to see more and more asphalt pump tracks. So far there have been two pump tracks that stand out to me the most: Broomfield Pump Track in Colorado and Temecula Pump Track in California. These two pump tracks are very nice large circuits a bunch of great banked turns and high walls. And they’re both set up great for longboarding. Another fun pump track is the Carmel Valley Pump Track near San Diego.

Pump Track Safety

When participating in any wheeled sport, crashes and collisions are bound to happen so it’s a good idea to wear safety gear. Being confident in your abilities can make you very good at longboarding. But if you’re not confident in your abilities yet that’s ok too. Safety gear prevents you from getting injured when you crash. And if you don’t get injured, then crashing is not that big of a deal. You just get up and try again. And that’s how you learn, by learning what not
to do. You will gain confidence with experience, then you can decide to use the safety gear when you want to try something new or something different.

Etiquette While Longboarding in A Pump Track

The most important quality for a rider to have when longboarding in a pump track is awareness of others. Be aware of traffic flow and other riders and make a conscious effort to avoid accidents whenever possible.

Most pump track layouts are loops. So when entering the pump track it is important to be aware of other people that are already on the track. If there is a lot of traffic on the pump track, it can be like merging onto the highway. It is very important NOT to cut in front of anybody. If there is an accident, it can turn into a pile up because everyone is moving fast with no breaks as they follow a set path. So if one person crashes the next person crashes into them, and so on and so on until you have a screaming pile of kids and skateboards and bikes and scooters. Ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration but you get the point.

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Also, crashing onto a cement hill or getting hit by a kid on a bike hurts, so it is a good idea to bring pads. If you’re confident with out them that’s fine. But they’re good to have if there are features that you’re not used to yet. It is a track, but it’s not a race. Don’t be aggressive or pass people on the pump track when its unsafe. This can easily cause an accident and get someone injured.

traffic while longboarding in a pump track

There are some banked turns that allow riders to go up and take a break on a flat area above the turn. And this can be a good opportunity to go up the ramp while letting a rider pass via the banked turn. Only do this if all of the riders are aware of each other and there is some sort of communication. If people are going too slow for you then you need to take that into consideration when you enter the track. And if you know you are faster then the person in front of you then put a lot of space between them and you before you enter the track. Some people are not as confident or experienced as others, let them learn at their own pace.

Thanks for Reading!

Longboarding in a pump track is so much fun! And hopefully this article gave you an idea of what to look for and what to expect when you decide to catch that cement wave too! The best way to learn is by doing. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Don’t be scared if you don’t know what’s going to happen, EXPECT to fall down and be prepared, that’s how you learn.

Have a tip that we didn’t mention or have further questions or comments? Let us know in the comment section below!

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