Top 5 Times Skaters Got Off Their Boards

For the most part, skating's all about trying to stay on your board as much as possible, but sometimes it can be more memorable when people decide they'd rather just walk down a set of stairs instead.

We take a look at some of the best examples of people not skating from over the years, because sometimes the best part about skating is not skating.

Jason Dill - Photosynthesis (2000)

Might as well get this one out the way first. If you ask someone to name an example of someone getting off their board mid-line, nine times out of ten this is probably gonna be the example they give. It doesn't get much more iconic than Dill barging through the streets of New York before rolling up to a set of stairs, nonchalantly getting off his board, walking down the stairs and ollieing the next set. This clip blew minds when it came out at the turn of millennium, with skaters all over the world collectively gawping at the screen and exclaiming: 'I didn't know you could do that'. The truth is, you probably can't. Dill can though.

Jerry Hsu - Bag of Suck (2006)

You could definitely make a very strong case for this being one of the best parts of all time. Jerry's line at the start of the second song where he skates the now legendary San Jose rock spot is nothing short of iconic. While Dill's stair descent stands out for the way it disrupts the flow of the line and shatters convention; Jerry manages to seamlessly weave his dismount into the line and basically turns it into a trick in itself. This is the work of a true genius. Plus, there's definitely a joke to be made about how these first two examples both involve skating on rocks.

Dylan Sourbeer - SABOTAGE 4 (2015)

You never need an excuse to post Love Park footage. However, when said footage includes not one but two references to iconic Love clips (Kalis and Pappalardo) then it's basically illegal not to post it. This part is packed with incredible dismounts, from the Kalis tribute back tail to pushchair, to the line where he rides off on a parade float at the end. Seriously legendary shit. It goes without saying that Sourbeer does everything proper, with the part boasting a healthy portion of balanced nosegrind pop-outs a la Wenning. Matey's got one of the best names in the business too. Might as well be called Gary Lager.

John Rattray - Dying To Live (2002)

We've already had this part in a Top 5 this year but fuck it, it's so nice we're including it twice. The fact he pushes twice and even throws in a tic-tac before jumping off his board makes it 10 times better. The front 3 off the curb is straight money too. Best of all, the song's about walking too so it makes perfect sense.

Chris Pastras - Tincan Folklore (1996)

Ok, so this one's a bit different from the rest because we don't see him get off his board, but he does pretty much run a marathon before he eventually gets on it. Still counts, right? Dune starts this legendary part out by running a lap of the spot before jumping into a caveman wallride. It's basically the prototype for all those memes where people pretend to throw down their board but never do.

Honourable Mentions

Dave Mackey - The Big Push No. 2 (2006)

UK legend, Dave Mackey, filmed an insane clip at Cardiff's notorious Green Street banks in which he jumps off his board before ollieing over the wheelchair lift thing. Unfortunately though, there's no trace of the footage on the internet so you'll just have to take our word for it unless anyone has the clip.

Louie Barletta - Bag of Suck (2006)

Louie's got loads of tricks in this part where he gets off his board - including a line where he runs over picnic tables before leaping into a bank, and even running down a handrail mid-boardslide. But that's the problem, it's part of the trick - rather than something between, before, or after a trick - and for that reason he didn't make it on the list. Maybe I'm just being pedantic.

That's enough chit-chat though. Head to the shop to browse the latest skateboard decks, clothing, shoes, and more and buy now from CSC. Or, check out more of our Top 5's on the CSC Blog. Safe.