The way i look at it, if grinding is not an option then its not skating. You can't fly through the air which, along with grinding, is one of the most incredible things ever. Any skateboarder can ride a longboard. The majority of longboarders can't ride a skateboard. If you want to hold the board vertically mall grabbing is you're only option, a minor detail but come on now. When I was growing up in houston, the longboard scene started to get bigger, and is as big as ever. Houston is really flat, so why buy a longboard to cruise across a flat city? because its EASY, its really easy. Why would you need an easier approach to flat ground? It's lazy and boring in my eyes. The high speed longboard video posted earlier was gnarly, they're hauling ass, and its exciting in that sense, you can make anything gnarly, but it was a six minute video with one trick, a camera handoff. curbs to longboards might as well be prison walls. You can skateboard anywhere you can longboard, but not vice versa. Do half cabs have a picture of a longboard on the side of em? Why cruise when you can SHRED?