For most snowboarders, the end of winter marks the end of the season. And for most skateboarders, grinding down a ski slope is a challenge they have never considered.

But boarders and non-boarders alike have an opportunity experience the thrill of flying down a grassy ski slope through a relatively unknown sport: mountain boarding.

The board looks like a short snowboard deck with four oversized wheels in the front and back and a handbrake. It's different than a skateboard because the wheels are in the front and back, not underneath, and there are bindings for your feet. And it's different from a snowboard because it has, well, wheels.

"The deck flexes and combines with the weight-based shock system," said Jim Darr, a year-round employee of Hidden Valley Resort. "To turn, you get the board on edge like a snowboard, and that turns the wheels. Everyone seems to pick it up pretty easily. There have not been any casualties yet," he added with a laugh.

Hidden Valley is the only area resort to offer mountain boarding, and it debuted there last year. The sport has been around since the early 1990s and has small pockets of dedicated followers around the country. Jason Lee and Patrick McConnell, co-founders Mountain Board Sports, were the sport's originators and the original producers of mountain boards.

"We thought there should be a product to allow snowboarders to practice in the summer time," said Lee, "but it's quite a crossover product."

Lee likens it to snowboarding, skateboarding, surfing and BMX biking. Athletes from other sports, though, gravitate toward it as well. Jon Sever, a professional rider on Mountain Board Sports's special OPS team and a private instructor at Hidden Valley, was a wakeboarder before he took to the slopes.

"I wanted something to simulate wakeboarding in the fall," Sever said. "I was just getting into snowboarding at that time. Mountain boarding filled the gap during late spring and early fall when the water was too cold and there was no snow."

The sport may have originated as a time filler for other sports, but it is now its own entity. There are mountain boarding bordercross and big air events around the country and internationally. But for those riders trying it for the first time, mountain boarding offers something everyone wants: an easy learning curve.

"Oh yeah, it's totally easier to stay on your feet and a lot easier to learn than snowboarding," Lee said. "One of the greatest things about it is it's easy to learn. You can learn safely and well in a day easily. Go to a grass hill and you can use a brake. Snowboarders have to be on toe edge or heel edge, and that's difficult. And in skateboarding you're on top of the wheels, so it's easier to flip forwards or backwards."

Andy Roberts, the resident expert rider at Hidden Valley, agrees it's easy to learn quickly.

"A guy came up who had never snowboarded, made six runs, and had a ball," Roberts said. "He came back the next weekend."

Even the best riders, though, fall sometimes. Part of the reason is because better riders take off the handbrake, but slips are inevitable when you are going over bumpy terrain and attempting jumps. Hidden Valley provides all riders with elbow guards, wrist guards, knee guards and a helmet. So, if you do hit the deck, you will be well protected, but more cautious beginners on an easy trail do not have to worry about falling quite as much.

"It's similar to golfing and losing balls," Bob Duppstadt, the resort spokesman, said. "You don't lose them until you get good enough."

Hidden Valley's mountain boarding costs $20 for a half day and $30 for a full day. The season runs from whenever the snow is gone and the ground is dry (normally around mid-May) through about mid-October. On the weekends, Hidden Valley runs a van to the top of the hill so you do not have to walk. And if you really enjoy yourself, you can purchase your own board for anywhere between $150 and $600. The ones Hidden Valley rents out cost around $450.

Because mountain boarding is relatively new at Hidden Valley, guests generally do not have to worry about all the rental boards being taken when they get there.. But Darr says nearly everyone who tries it enjoys it, so it is just a matter of time before it becomes more popular.

Sever thinks that's true on a national scale as well.

" I think it will follow a similar path to skateboarding," he said. "It was on ABC's 'Wide World of Sports' in the 1970s, then it faded away for a few years. Now it will reemerge as a power thing."