Defy the Mountain

See the boards About Nishan

Hangzhou, since 2014

Go against the mountain

A rider by the water at sunset, her board under her arm
A rider high in the air above his flipping board, under white columns

Pro-level boards from China’s dance scene: a competition-grade ride at an entry-level price, now in the US and Canada through Nishan’s official North American distributor.

In the old stories, immortals crossed the sky on flying swords — 飞剑 (fēijiàn). The riders of 逆山 (nìshān), the Reverse Mountain, keep that image alive: the longboard as their sword, the mountain as their sect. Run after run, the rider hones their art, moving as one — until the mountain is conquered.

Our story

A global crew, one community

Nishan started with one skater and a small online shop. Today its riders dance down streets in China, Korea, the USA, Canada and across the EU, on one idea: make friends through boards.

Meet the team

It’s not just wood, it’s soul.

Our Longboards

Shop at No Comply Project

Our Surf Skates

Shop at No Comply Project

Made by Nishan

Our art. Our builds. Our methods.

  1. Longboards

    A rider’s shoes on a pink deck, the wood showing at its edge

    Body of Wood, Soul of Fire

    Carbonized bamboo cores, tuned fiberglass, resin infused under pressure. Layups we developed ourselves.

  2. Surf skates

    The Snake truck up close on a floral deck

    Built to carve like water

    Inspired by a snake. Three years of testing for one truck.

  3. Innovation

    Nishan Forged Precision Trucks in black, white, pink and teal on the ground

    Obsessed with details

    Forged precision trucks, tuned flex, and our signature U and W concaves. The experiments never stop.

How they’re made

Nishan riders

Out riding

  • A rider in a white tee kicking his board into the air
  • A rider in pink with a pink deer board in front of a wall of roses
  • Matt, Nishan North America
  • A rider in the air under a row of white columns
  • A rider in an Eight Fast tee holding his board across his body
  • A rider sitting on the sea wall with his board at dusk
  • A rider with teal hair in the air against a white sky
  • Steve, Nishan North America
  • A rider kneeling on the grass beside a pale board
  • A rider high above his board between glass towers
  • A rider holding her board up against a bright window
  • A rider in the air in front of a white building
  • Jojo, Nishan North America
  • A rider in black flipping her board in front of a steel shutter
  • A rider in a dark jacket holding his board in front of the white stadium
  • A rider in a yellow top in the air above her board
  • Franswer, Nishan North America
  • A rider in silhouette kicking his board up under a bridge
  • A rider in a pink cap holding her board up at night
  • A rider in a white dress jumping over her board
  • Wesley, Nishan North America
  • Two riders bumping fists between the towers
  • A rider sitting on the lawn with her board
  • A rider flipping his board with the skyline behind
  • A rider leaping with her board, mountains behind
  • Alli, Nishan North America
  • A rider in the air with the city behind her
  • A rider in a cowboy hat with a board against a stone wall
  • Two riders with their arms out on a mountain road
  • Mere, Nishan North America
  • A rider in black sliding his board on the riverside
  • A rider by orange stairs at night with her board
  • Adrian, Nishan North America
  • A rider in the air above his board
  • A rider in a patterned shirt standing on his board
  • A surf skater carving low in a concrete bowl
  • Sheldon, Nishan North America
  • A rider leaping high above her board
  • A rider in the air in front of a crowd at an event
  • A rider in a lilac tee holding his board
  • Mark, Nishan North America
  • A rider jumping in front of a crowd at night
  • A rider holding a board overhead against the evening sky
  • A rider in red trousers with her arms wide, board beside her
  • A rider in green jumping over her flipping board
  • A rider in a white tee hugging his board in front of the stadium
  • Three riders leaning on the rail by the water
  • A rider in the air by a giant red heart
  • A rider in pink in the air above her board
  • A rider in mid-air above her board
  • A rider jumping high indoors

Nishan in numbers

  • 2014

    Founded in Hangzhou

  • ~3,000

    Events hosted or sponsored

  • 100+

    Sponsored riders

  • 100,000+

    Riders who trust the boards

Nishan North America

The team

  • Matt

    Matt

    A Chinese longboarder studying in the United States, and the liaison between Nishan North America and Nishan China. On the Nishan team since 2020: competitions, good rankings, and judging some contests. Happy to skate with anyone in New York or Philadelphia.

  • Steve

    Steve

    Hi this is Steve, founder of No Comply Project and Nishan North America coordinator! I’ve been skateboarding since high school and college, and more recently picked up longboard dancing and freestyle. The Toronto family, our communities and beyond have been so warm and supportive, and it’s been nothing but inspiring. With a decade of experience and a background in art and design, brand and content strategy, tech start-ups, and building communities and events, I wanted to bring the joy of longboarding and a vibrant creative culture to more people – and build something bigger, something that crosses worlds and knows no borders.

  • Alli

    Alli

    Hi, I’m Alli! I’m a Toronto-based longboarder who joined the Nishan team in 2023. I started longboarding to arrive to classes on time and stumbled into the amazing community in Philadelphia. Since then, I have been skating with awesome and talented riders from Philly Longboard Crew, Flow Crew NYC, Longboard PDX, and now Yonge-Finch Skate. I have also been fortunate enough to achieve podium in competitions in New York, Nashville, Toronto, and Philly. Making new friends, and helping each other find flow is the best feeling because together, we can defy the odds and conquer the mountain!

  • Franswer

    Franswer

    NYC-based. Started longboarding during the pandemic and now helps run Flow Crew NYC. Joined the Nishan team at the end of 2022 and has competed in Nashville and NYC.

Everyone on the team

Stories

Behind the boards

A rider in a red jacket on blue stairs with her board

Personality quiz

Threads of Fate

Under the moon, the old matchmaker Yuè Lǎo ties a red thread between every rider and the sword that waits for them. Twelve questions, no longboarding knowledge needed: find the Nishan board that's your spirit sword.

Take the quiz

Ride one

Nishan boards ship across the US and Canada from No Comply Project, the official North American distributor.

Shop at No Comply Project