21 Levels of Skateboarding

This video is amazing. Tony Hawk goes through what he considers the 21 levels of skateboarding difficulty, starting with the easiest trick and ending with a trick that no one has pulled off yet (well, watch the video). It’s fascinating because of the slow motion views showing how his feet are manipulating the board in the air.

And of course when he gets to the crazy ramp tricks it’s even better. He describes learning the 900 (level 17) at the 16:45 mark. And they don’t just show him nailing it, they show the many falls…

I’ve broken my rib on it, I’ve broken my ego many times trying to make it happen. I had been trying 900s for about ten years before I actually made one.

Ten years!