Longboarding in India has evolved from a niche import into a tight-knit subculture driven by passion, resilience and DIY ingenuity. TerraSurf and other regional crews in Navi Mumbai, Guwahati and Morni Hills introduce newcomers through workshops, homemade gear and community events, as riders navigate dangerous downhill routes, financial hurdles and social skepticism to turn a risky sport into a shared lifestyle.
On every other Sunday morning, a group of boys get together to skate. Only, there’s no rink in sight. Nor are there rollerblades. Only longboards tucked under their arms, helmets on their heads, and the empty, gravelly road. It’s longboarding time.
Once a niche sport for most of the world, longboarding—a form of skating or land surfing done with a longboard—slowly grew in popularity, especially in the US, where it originated. Over a decade ago, in 2013, the sport touched India with the Longboard Crew India (LCI) group. It was India's first longboarding crew. Since then, smaller communities have emerged across the nation.
But in a country where even metros struggle with potholes, how does longboarding work? Much like any sport other than cricket in India, it works on passion and resilience. At least that’s the case for Kapil Milhotra, a 28-year-old architect-turned-artist and the founder of TerraSurf, a Delhi-based longboarding community.
An Instant Connection
The sport’s inventors were surfers who wanted to recreate the feeling of riding ocean waves on days when the surf was uncooperative. Thus, they developed "sidewalk surfing” that eventually became longboarding. Slowly, the sport branched into different categories, freestyle, cruising, downhill, and more. TerraSurf focuses on downhill longboarding for the most part.
Kapil was only 22, still studying architecture, when he first discovered the sport in much the same way as the inventors.
“I was always drawn towards movement, adventure and board sports. At some point, surfing really piqued my curiosity. Around the time I was studying architecture, I came across downhill longboarding online and instantly connected with it — the freedom, speed, style, and creativity felt very different from anything else.”
The instant connection eventually translated into TerraSurf. Today, the community has introduced 200+ people to the sport through workshops, training, and gear support. Though spearheaded by Kapil, the brand remains largely community-driven, with members actively collaborating on myriad activities, from workshop support to event planning, poster design, community coordination, and even film editing.
In the last few years, group members have participated in national and international races (Thailand Tropical Downhill), collaborated with international longboarders, and conducted multiple workshops in different places across India. The future vision? Participating in the World Downhill Skateboarding Championship (WDSC).
On paper, it sounds like the obvious next step. In reality, it’s an audacious dream. The sport comes with its fair share of challenges, primarily the lack of proper gear. But as they say, where there is will, there is DIY.
Building A Board, A Brand, And A Community
Longboarding, especially downhill longboarding, is not the safest sport out there. You’re cruising down a road or hill at average speeds ranging from 32 to 56 km/h. With the riders navigating public mountain roads, understanding traffic, visibility and road conditions is as important as having good quality longboards, wheels, slide gloves, helmets and other safety gear. This racks up the cost, especially in India, because most of it has to be imported. And the cost is borne by the riders.
“Most beginners either compromise on quality or struggle to even enter the sport because of the costs. I started building boards because I couldn’t afford importing the kind of boards I wanted to ride. I taught myself the process through experimentation, online research and trial and error,” says Kapil.
Members have also asked friends to bring back parts from international trips, and even received gear support from international riders like William Royce or other US-based communities. But it’s a long way from the kind of system that exists in countries where the sport is more established.
The other challenge remains parental pressure. Most Indian parents don’t look at sports as a viable career choice for their children. To then expect support for a sport that definitely leans into the dangerous category seems like a lost cause.
“Since downhill longboarding is still very niche in India, most parents naturally see it as risky or unstable. Many riders, including me, have faced pressure regarding safety, career choices and pursuing unconventional paths.”
No gear. No support. Minimal safety. And yet the riders persist. They are self-sponsoring travel, creating inclusive spaces, and building a nationwide close-knit community around travel, creativity, friendship, mountains and freedom. Currently, regional communities exist across Navi Mumbai (Focused Downhill), Guwahati (Skate Guwahati) and Morni Hills (Gravity Station), among others.
In a digital age, these longboarders seem to be cruising towards an offline life of independence, discipline, and confidence. For this group, it’s more than a hobby or sport. It’s a lifestyle.