Can you pogo at burning man?

[samhandwich22]

Hello, virgin burner here! I thought that it might be fun to bring a pogo stick (like an extreme sports kind) to burning man but am unsure of how stable the playa surface is for that sort of activity. Pogo sticking requires a hard surface to bounce on and I have never experienced the playa before so I cant really say to how effective it would be in the desert environment.

As an alternative I may bring stilt-shoes/powerbocking shoes. The principal is the same as the pogo stick but the exerted force would be divided into two legs as opposed to just one which might make bouncing on softer ground easier. In the case that I cant really bounce much with them, I can always still walk with them.

Can anyone advise?

[Sham]

There can be some hard packed areas of the playa, but also some very soft mushy spots as well. I say you should bring the pogo stick either way, as it will be pure entertainment to watch!!

Welcome to eplaya.

Sham....

[TomServo]

Maybe, in select spots. But word is that it will be extra dusty again this year. If you could widen the foot pad and have it still work, I'd say your chances are good.

[TomServo]

They make ATP's?

[FIGJAM]

If "They" don't, we can!

[theCryptofishist]

Of course, you can pogo like Sid.

[Savannah]

Of course, you can pogo like Sid.

That's what I thought of first, too.

[ygmir]

Of course, you can pogo like Sid.

That's what I thought of first, too.

[EspressoDude]

this is like a TMI moment or something from Critical Dicks....|.....| ..\.. /..|../.___

[unjonharley]

I have a short unicycle out in the shop.. Should I bring it and watch some one brake there?????????????????????????????

[knowmad]

I't akin to Rollerskating in a Buffalo herd.
also not a good idea.

[samhandwich22]

Ive decided to go with the jump stilts for practicality. One day I will master extreme tricks on the pogo stick, but until then, I want to be able to run 20 miles per hour and jump 7 feet high! I think the jump stilts will be a big hit at BM and am only concerned that the dust might be damaging to them.

[MikeGyver]

Ive decided to go with the jump stilts for practicality. One day I will master extreme tricks on the pogo stick, but until then, I want to be able to run 20 miles per hour and jump 7 feet high! I think the jump stilts will be a big hit at BM and am only concerned that the dust might be damaging to them.

Unless your in deep playa don't go running 20 miles per hour its fairly crowded and your bound to run into someone eventually. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure those have closed bearings so you shouldn't have any issues other than they will be white for a couple months after. If anything bring some compressed air to get dust&dirt out of the moving parts.

[trilobyte]

I'm giving this a nudge over to the Q&A board, since that's a better fit for questions about the event. To reply to the question, others have already offered great answers but I'll throw in my two cents… if it's a really nice (or expensive) stick, you may want to leave it at home. The playa dust is alkali-rich, and corrosive. If it's an easily replaceable thing, or can take a pretty severe beating, then bring it along and give it a try.

[unjonharley]

Wax The durn things.. Lots of Wax

[knowmad]

Ive decided to go with the jump stilts for practicality. One day I will master extreme tricks on the pogo stick, but until then, I want to be able to run 20 miles per hour and jump 7 feet high! I think the jump stilts will be a big hit at BM and am only concerned that the dust might be damaging to them.

one of my camp mates screwed up his knee really bad (folded his leg back ) on those. his burn was no fun. The next year he biffed it on his bike 20min after getting there. we made him a cart we could haul him around in. it was lame.

[theCryptofishist]

Ive decided to go with the jump stilts for practicality. One day I will master extreme tricks on the pogo stick, but until then, I want to be able to run 20 miles per hour and jump 7 feet high! I think the jump stilts will be a big hit at BM and am only concerned that the dust might be damaging to them.

one of my camp mates screwed up his knee really bad (folded his leg back ) on those. his burn was no fun. The next year he biffed it on his bike 20min after getting there. we made him a cart we could haul him around in. it was lame.

No, he was lame. Don't use "it" in place of the mail pronoun.

[AntiM]

Use the wrong mail pronoun and someone will go postal.

[knowmad]

kinda stuck my foot in that one!

[dustydame]

I don't really have a reply. I just want to say that I liked your question.

[samhandwich22]

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!

I have my own set of jumping stilts now! In a nutshell, these things are AWESOME and would be AWESOME to take to burning man. However, they cost $350 and im not sure if I am willing to risk taking them to the playa. The frame is made of aluminum and the spring itself isnt a steel spring at all, but a fiberglass bow. I am unsure of the effect that the corrosive playa dust would have on bolts that hold it together and enable its dynamic movements. I really dont want to have to replace these because of burning man (I just got them!) but I am so tempted to take them anyway. I am having incredible fun with them right now.

Other concerns are that they might slip out on the dusty surface, leading to injury or at the least, severe annoyance and reluctance to use them. I have no problem walking with them on concrete or soft grass, but all it would take is a minor slip for them to fail outright, especially if I am running or leaping with them, which is kind of the point of owning them to begin with.
Google an image of jumping stilts if you have never seen them. I just wish there were more experienced jumping burners who could advise me on the issue of whether to take them or not.

[FIGJAM]

All I can tell you is that I've seen them use on the playa.

[maladroit]

I know someone who uses the spring stilts on playa with no issues. All I can say is try not to be an idiot, be aware of your surroundings. Or else you'll end up squashed by a mutant vehicle, or lying next to a tent with a foot of uncapped rebar protruding from the back of your neck. Read the back of the ticket and calculate the risk vs. reward!