# Can Anyone Share Some Tips for Mounting a GoPro on the Board?



## Agent21 (Nov 2, 2014)

I snagged a Hero 3+ Black last season and am addicted to filming with it (not just riding, but surfing/skating/diving, he'll even just driving around or everyday things haha). Huge fan of the quality of the pics/vids for a "set it and forget it" canera that mounts practically anywhere. MUCH more convinient than filming with my DSLRs (which can't really happen while riding anyway). I love going for interesting shots and camera angles when I film/photograph things and I decided on a trip last year to use one of the included sticky mounts and put it on my board, in front of my bindings, on the last bit of flat before the nose curve, and offset to my toe side. The resulting angle has my full body perfectly in frame.

So I ride to the top, strp in, hit record, take my run, get to bottom and lean down to stop video, GOPRO GONE! Got that instant sinking feeling. My friend hopped on the lift to retrace our run, and I stayed at the bottom where all the trails merge to one. This was a busy Saturday afternoon, but on a small mountain (Ragged, in NH), so "packed" by their standards (5-10min lift lines) but not the volume of people the bigger resorts see. I look up the hill and see a little black speck about 1/2 way up. I just stared at it thinking if it's my camera I can see who grabs it. A few groups go by then o see a skier stop and look, then pick it up and ride down. I go running up and she hands it to me, and the thing was still recording and it's all on video haha. You see me carving then all the sudden the camera slides off my board and flips like 100 times in a couple seconds then lands face down and films 9 1/2mins of white snow til she picks it up. 

I dodge a bullet on that one, BIG time, but now I'm too paranoid to use the stickey mounts on the board. I've seen many vid's where people have em on their boards, and they're riding waist deep powder, or launching 40' park jumps, and they stay on fine. Is there a specific technique, or adhesive or other product to use to assure it isn't going to come off? Also, I'm wondering if maybe the location had something to do with it, as it was basically right next to my toe side nose contact point, on a really stiff camber board. I'm thinking maybe the flex or vibration from the edge when carving might have broken the adhesive loose? It's the stock GoPro flat mount, and I heated the spot on the board and the adhesive itself a bit before putting it on. 

And while on the subject, does anyone have another other cool angle mount ideas for riding?


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## ekb18c (Mar 11, 2013)

Are you an editor or something? Your posts are very descriptive and long. 50% of the people won't read this.

Don't use board mounts as they will fall off all the time but if you insist on doing it, put a leash on the gopro.


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## Steezus Christ (Jul 29, 2013)

ekb18c said:


> Your posts are very descriptive and long. 50% of the people won't read this.


this. i stopped at 2 lines.

POVs suck unless you're doing seriously gnarly shit. the best thing to do IMO is using it as a follow cam. Buy urself the handlebar mount and find an old broken ski pole. Handle bar mount is by far my favourite, you can pretty much put it on anything. I never really had use for the curve mount so I put it on my bong.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

I had a contour mounted on my binding before facing forward... It was a cool angle but pretty boring after a couple runs. The rotating lens helps with the mounting positions but I've owned two POV cameras now and sold both of them. I'm going the other route and using my DSLR more. There's no replacement for a large sensor!


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## Agent21 (Nov 2, 2014)

Sorry about the descriptive posts :x haha.

I do have a few different pole mounts already, and mostly use those, I just like to splice in footage from different angles a lot. 

I was thinking a leash but what would I latch it to, my binding maybe? It'd have to be short enough to not get caught under the board should the adhesive let go.


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## Agent21 (Nov 2, 2014)

poutanen said:


> I had a contour mounted on my binding before facing forward... It was a cool angle but pretty boring after a couple runs. The rotating lens helps with the mounting positions but I've owned two POV cameras now and sold both of them. I'm going the other route and using my DSLR more. There's no replacement for a large sensor!


But you can't use the DSLR while riding (or doing much of anything actually). That's why I like the GoPro, it captures stuff from cool angles that you can't get with a DSLR, in terms of first person or filming yourself. Also don't really like lugging the gear around unless I'm specifically going out to take pics or film for others. But on a riding day, it's way easier to toss the GP in you backpack or pocket or mount in on yourself to grab footage than it is to carry, and protect, a DSLR while riding.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

Stick with the long descriptive posts if it helps make your point. To many ppl have 3 lines of jibberish garbage. It's a forum, meant to share thoughts and converse!! 

I've wanted to make a plate that goes onto the top of my binding footpad, then I step on it then strap in. That is all that would be holding it in. Not sure if the vibrations would be to much though....

was proper cleaning of the top sheet done before you applied the adhesive to it. That is crucial. I know my helmet mount aint coming off and that is very similar to a top sheet

As stated before make sure you leash it no matter what. You dodge a bullet once, I doubt you'll be that lucky a 2nd time


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## sclogger (Dec 3, 2013)

Too much flex in a board, the vibrations are horrible and translate to really shaky footage on anything except powder.


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## radiomuse210 (Sep 5, 2014)

Agent21 said:


> Sorry about the descriptive posts :x haha.
> 
> I do have a few different pole mounts already, and mostly use those, I just like to splice in footage from different angles a lot.
> 
> I was thinking a leash but what would I latch it to, my binding maybe? It'd have to be short enough to not get caught under the board should the adhesive let go.


I like the splicing idea, but a full video of watching just a person on a board and not being able to see any of the surroundings or what they are doing - ugh, doesn't do it for me. If it's mounted on the board, I like it to at least be facing down the slope. I enjoy the follow cams a lot more. That's just my opinion. Splicing it all in is a neat idea though.

Don't have any advice on the gopro...just wanted to throw in my two cents regarding content.


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## Agent21 (Nov 2, 2014)

I swabbed the area with rubbing alcohol before putting the mount on. And I'm definitely going to come up with a leash solution if I try it again. What I meant by running it over was I never even noticed it fell off the first time, so with the leash there is a risk of it popped off and getting run over before I have a chance to notice. But it probabaly wouldn't matter too much even if it did happen, cause these things take a beating and are fine, and I'd probabaly notice right away if it started flipping in the snow, or Id probabaly fall if it went under the board anyway.

And I agree on certain angles not being that interesting for full runs. A lot of stuff like head cams or that board mount view get boring real quick because you don't see much. I personally prefer the chase footage or using my telescoping pole to film myself because it gets everything in the shot. I don't like watching a vid where you just see the persons upper body the whole time and the background move, or its on their head but there's no view of the board so if just kinda looks like you're sightseeing. But I DO like cutting in the cool angles, like the board mounted view for slashes where you get a good spray or head mounted shots of a run through the trees to show the rider's prospective.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Agent21 said:


> But you can't use the DSLR while riding (or doing much of anything actually). That's why I like the GoPro, it captures stuff from cool angles that you can't get with a DSLR, in terms of first person or filming yourself. Also don't really like lugging the gear around unless I'm specifically going out to take pics or film for others. But on a riding day, it's way easier to toss the GP in you backpack or pocket or mount in on yourself to grab footage than it is to carry, and protect, a DSLR while riding.


Yeah but that's just it, POV cameras really don't look good with most snowboarding. Unless you're fantastic. I just find it takes away from the fun of actually riding. I bring my DSLR about two days a year, and photograph or film my friends and family. Don't have much footage of me, but at the end of the day it's all about having fun!


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

You can always mickey mouse a Binding attached mount. I have made several that work really well. The problem with camera footage from that angle is, it's only good for use on groomer runs. Anything more than an inch or two of fresh and the snow will constantly get thrown up onto the lens and ruin any footage.

I think some binding mounted, board angle footage spliced into a decent edit might look pretty cool for some of these park, jump and jib shots and edits. Like I said tho,.. that angle doesn't work for any BC or POW riding shots! 

While I agree with others who have mentioned that a lot of POV footage can sometimes get to be pretty boring,… I also get really annoyed at pole mount shots that aren't wide enough to include the riders board! 

Seems they're always either getting their heads cut off in the shots, or they only show themselves riding from the knees up! I hate that! 

I am a reasonably tall guy and I either shoot wide enough or use a pole long enough so that the board is included in my riding. (…not that my riding is so intense or interesting that anyone wants to watch it, but you get my drift!)


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## deagol (Mar 26, 2014)

you can sometimes angle the camera down to show the board, or ahead as POV when the sun is at your back, you can capture your shadow..

It's all just experimentation and most of my footage would bore anyone (including myself) to tears

But, since you asked, here is a vid I did messing around with mounting a Gorpo down low behind the nose. 
Warning: it's not very exciting, but there it is ...


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

/\ where I think this kinda of footage would be cool is the park or off a jump. Splicing in different angles, the feature coming up on you, spinning. Of course not a full shot of this but spliced in for cool sections. 

I was surprised how steady that was on the groomers actually. When you really got some speed it got a little bouncy but all-in-all not bad. I think park footage would be quite usable and interesting !!

I know this is on a "ski" boot but this is the type of mount I was wanting to make and thought would be good footage to splice in. I would add a gusset to help stabilize it, at least that was my thinking










Here is a ghetto version of adding some security to keep the mount from popping off. Looks like ass but might work...???


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## deagol (Mar 26, 2014)

I would think landing a jump with a camera mounted to the board would shock the $%&^* out of the camera .... ??? ....


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

poutanen said:


> I had a contour mounted on my binding before facing forward... It was a cool angle but pretty boring after a couple runs.


Here's my binding mount video on a hardpack day at Nakiska a few years ago. I wiped out about 2/3rds of the way through, and the camera came loose, hence the shakiness after. Sorta cool angle and you can see the board tip, but otherwise pretty boring.


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## Kevin137 (May 5, 2013)

I would not mount any camera direct to the board, there is too much vibration and as such you may suffer from the sensor being damaged, i have seen it happen a few times now, people think it is a great idea, mounting on the binding helps, mounting on the boots helps more...

Other than that, no advice for you...


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## snowmanblue35 (Oct 21, 2014)

didn't read thread. Just pointing out that 360 degree cams are coming out now. GoPro killers, everyone will have them. Youtube will probably implement something to scroll around the video. The manufacturer's have websites and apps dedicated to uploading videos and can be scrolled through. It's kind of like being in Street View in Google Earth. You can select it to just show part of or all 360 degrees. 
There's a Kodak one and a few others. I own stock in 360fly, so I want everyone to buy that one of course, I think it looks the coolest at least.


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## Steezus Christ (Jul 29, 2013)

i dont even know what to think of that...


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

snowmanblue35 said:


> so I want everyone to buy that one of course, I think it looks the coolest at least.


Teletubbies! And that's not a 360 degree camera, it's a wide angle facing up... would be pretty boring for snowboarding.


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