What is vert skateboarding? A brief guide to the discipline popularised by Tony Hawk
Find out more about the popular skateboarding discipline that will feature as an event the World Skate Games Italia 2024 and include top Olympic skateboarding stars.
Skateboarding
One of the earliest forms of skateboarding, vertical skateboarding - or ‘vert’ skateboarding - refers to the discipline of riding a skateboard on a near-vertical surface.
A brief history
Its origins can be traced back to the mid-1960s in California, United States, at a time when the sport was experiencing its first boom.
Hunting new ways to skate, pioneers of vert first started in empty swimming pools, rolling the board from the shallow end to the deep end.
As ambitions grew, so did the kinds of terrains skaters sought out and, by the late 1970s, half-pipes and large ramps with near-vertical surfaces began appearing with skaters relishing the change to adapt. The advent of the ollie - first on a vert ramp - began to unlock new trick possibilities.
The following decade saw skateboarding breakthrough into mainstream culture, predominantly through the medium of vert.
Tony Hawk, Stacy Peralta, Rodney Mullen and other names that are now legendary today began to show the world what they were able to do with the technicality of aerial tricks capturing acclaim.
The rise of skateboard competitions provided the perfect testing ground for the likes of Hawk to invent new tricks with the US star said to have created over 100 tricks on vert including the Madonna and kickflip mctwist.
The gamechanger, however, came when Hawk landed the first-ever 900 in competition at X Games in San Francisco in 1999. Shortly after came the skateboarder’s video game which revolutionised skateboarding forever.
Fast forward to the 21st century, though not an Olympic discipline like park or street skateboarding, vert continues to be fertile ground for historic skate moments.
In 2021, Brazil’s Gui Khury, then aged 12, became the first to land 1080 on a vert ramp in competition. This year, Australian Olympic park champion Arisa Trew became the first woman to land a 900, just months after landing a historic 720 in competition.
There are significant overlaps between vert and park skating with many park tricks having their roots on the vert ramp.
“Many of the best park skaters have done their time on vert,” said Renton Millar, Head of Vert Skateboarding Commission at World Skate.
“Many of the best current park skaters could potentially be some of the best vert skaters in the world and vice versa. It’s judged very similarly as well.”
Tony Hawk grabs his skateboard vertical as he jumps from the ramp during the X Games 1998 in San Diego, California.
How do you skate vert?
To skate vert, the process typically begins at the top of the ramp on a flat surface.
The skater then drops into the ramp, transitioning from a horizontal plane to a vertical picking up speed on the way. The momentum generated from the transition eventually enables the skater to perform tricks on and above the coping (the metal pipe on the top of the ramp).
Several techniques needed to skate vert include pumping, which involves generating momentum through the knees to maintain speed; carving, which is the ability to turn; grinding, which involves sliding the skateboard trucks along a surface, and airing, which involves jumping off the the ramp to perform aerial tricks.
What equipment is required for vert skateboarding?
The first essential element to vert skateboarding, other than a suitably adapted skateboard, is to have a vert ramp. A vert ramp is defined by its steep incline and vertical transitions; they are typically 3.6m (12ft) tall.
Other equipment often used are helmets, knee pads, and elbow pads to help protect the body during falls.
How to watch Vert Skateboarding at World Skate Games Italia 2024
Select action from the World Skate Games Italia 2024 - including vert skateboarding - will be available to stream live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app for mobile devices.
- Skateboarding Vert finals - Saturday 7 September
- Skateboarding Street semi-finals and finals - 13-14 September
- Skateboard Park semi-finals and finals 21-22 September
The are restrictions in place for the following territories: Japan, People's Republic of China, Brazil, Hong Kong, China, Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, Ukraine and United Kingdom.