Can You Longboard in the Winter?

Winter should not be the cause when you rigid yourself from longboarding. Your longboard should not have to be boxed up until the spring comes and the sun out. You can commute anytime, stay active and improve your tricks. 

Though it’s the season of uncertainty, and you don’t know whether it’ll snow or rain, you can still longboard. You can keep longboarding in the snow but be careful when it’s snow-covered because it can be slippery. With extreme caution as well as highly grippy wheels and gears, you will be ready to ride. 

Longboarding can be trickier when a thick layer of snow is on the road. If you’re a die-hard commuting longboard, then you can go with all the protections. Take care of your longboard immediately after riding in the cold weather. 

Precautions

• Warm up and stretch when you’re going to get to each session.
• Put adequate safety gear. 
• Make sure the skate park or the street spot is not slippery for snow.
• Commit sure that your longboard bearings are not getting frozen.

Can You Longboard in the Winter?

If you live in an urban area, a longboard can be the best transportation nowadays. It’ll be more valuable when you get a budget longboard under 100 dollars. Sometimes you can’t use the regular streets, but longboarding can reduce the chance of getting late for your class, office, or business. This can be a fun, lightweight as well as the most simple ride.

Skating in the cold weather is a very challenging and a bit scary thing. But when you take to the street, you’ll feel that nothing can keep you down, not even the snow. You should know that a bit of snow is fine, but you should stop immediately when you find a layer of ice on the road. 

Too much ice can lead you to slide, which can be very dangerous. Be careful when you’re riding in snow, don’t hit a patch of ice; otherwise, you’ll lose control. Though you have the best wheels for grip and the other essential things, they can do nothing while you’re on the ice and lose control. 

Be careful about the black ice as these are thin glaze coating of ice and hard to see. Sometimes snow salt can stop you while commuting. It’s possible to skate in the winter, but here the question arises how do you longboard in the winter? you have to follow some rules that will ease the longboard commute for your convenience-  

• Wear Enough Layers

To reach the maximum body heat when longboarding, you should wear enough layers of clothes.

• • Fabric That You Should Avoid
    • Cotton

Though the cotton fabric is common as well as comfortable to wear, it’s not good for insulation. It absorbs your sweat and gets wet while you’re longboarding. Thus, it loses its insulation value, and your body gets cold. 

• • • Rayon

This kind of fabric is best for warm weather. Rayon fabrics are made of plant cellulose, and it doesn’t insulate body heat easily. Make sure that your clothes in winter are not any of these.

• • Best Fabrics
    • Wool

Though wool is not the best idea, it has some moisture-wicking properties. These types of fabrics will warm you faster and keep you drier than the other fabrics like cotton or rayon. 

• • • Polyester

These fabrics only absorb 0.4% of moisture and help to dry quickly along with warmth too. It’ll be the best option to wear the first layer of your cloth, which is made from polyester. 

While wearing mid-layer or the outer layer, try something breathable. This will help you evaporate the moisture from the first layer of cloth. 

After clothing with the right fabrics, try to wear gloves and thicker socks too. Also, you can try long underwear to avoid the cold. Wearing thick jeans, a long sleeve dress, or even a jacket will be fine.

• Find a Dry Place to Skateboard

While you’re ready with proper clothes next, find a place where you can skate in the winter. If it hadn’t snowed yesterday, you can easily find a dry place to skate. Choose an empty parking lot in a basketball court to commute. You can also go and see if there are any dry areas available in the skate park. 

• Warm up Slowly Before Each Session

Longboarding in the cold is difficult, and that’s why you should warm up your body first. If you are having trouble pushing the skate, you can try pushing it slowly until your bones and joints become loose.  If you’re around the skate spot, try to pump back and forth in the transitions and warm up. Commit sure you don’t fall from your board and get injured.

• Keep Weatherproofing Your Longboard

Winter weather makes it very difficult to predict whether it will rain or snow. Rainwater can damage your longboard so badly; that’s why you have to take some precautions while you’re going out. 

• • Deck

Longboards are made with plywood which is not going well with water. Protect it well to keep it in good condition. You can choose water-resistant decks that don’t absorb water. 

• • Grip Tape

If you commute in the rain or snow, it’s totally fine when you wipe the grip tape down afterward. When you don’t wipe it down, the moisture can penetrate it and damage it thoroughly.  

• • Bearings

Keep your bearings free from dirt as well as moisture. Keeping those lubricated is more challenging in winter weather as water can damage them so easily. Lithium grease is an easy solution. 

• • Trucks

Trucks won’t get damaged in the snow or rain, but you have to wipe them out after every use.  

• • Wheels

If you want to ride in winter weather, then try to make rain wheels. These will save you from slippery roads as they allow for better traction when they get in touch with water.

Reasons You Should use Longboarding in the Winter

Winter longboarding offers some great benefits. Here are some of the reasons why-

• You Can Ride Longer With Less Sweating and Fatigue

Compared to longboarding in the hot weather, riding in winter weather can make you sweat less as well as feel less sticky. Thus, you can commute longer than the summer days. 

• Fewer People Longboard in the Cold

As fewer people ride in winter, you can take advantage of this. In the free space, you can try new tricks and nobody will be there to judge you. 

• Longboarding in the Cold Can Sharpen Your Senses

While riding in the cold weather, your senses will sharpen and allow you to get aware of your surroundings when landing.

Wrapping Up 

It’s ok to ride a longboard in the winter, though the equipment loses its integrity and durability. This type of wet weather can cause condensation, which will make your board go flaccid. After riding in snow or rain, don’t leave your longboard outside. Because of spending a lot of time in the cold, your longboard also needs a warm pause. Some places also have indoor boarding places with proper heating. You can also try those areas if you have severe health issues in the cold.