People have been trying to make skateboards go off road or put wheels on snowboards for about as long as those sports have existed. It wasn't until the early 90's that riders in the USA, UK, and Australia simultaneously and independently developed mountainboard designs that were functional and robust enough to be practical. Exploding in popularity in the 2000's, with sponsorships, media coverage, and national and international competitive organization, different disciplines quickly developed.

The underground discipline of an underground sport, there really is something wrong with downhillers. The higher, longer, steeper, faster, and the more treacherous the terrain, the better. Extra gnarly runs calls for specialized gear, like larger tires and full pads. Brakes, heresy to some, are common in the downhill scene, with riders often swapping back and forth between brakes and no brakes. You can spot one of these boarders in the wild, when they stare at a distant mountain peak or topo map for a long while, then ask you what your doing this weekend. Big-Mountain riding is an adventure sport, more like an expedition, with hiking, camping, and outdoor skills as much a part as the ride back down. The goal of The Montana Big Run is to share my love of mountainboarding in general, and this mad form of it in particular.