Hill bomb
A hill bomb is a maneuver in skateboarding in which a rider rides down a big hill. The trick is noted for its particular danger and, sometimes, grace.[1]
History
Thrasher magazine refers to hill bombing as "one of the first thrills ever on a skateboard."[1] Hill bombs are dangerous and should only be attempted by highly skilled skateboarders.[2] Sean Greene, Pablo Ramirez, Frank Gerwer, GX1000, and others have repopularized hill bombing in the mid to late 2010s.[3][4]
1980s
In the 1985 Powell Peralta Skate video Future Primitive, Tommy Guerrero skates down the hills of San Francisco, using the steep landscape of the city in ways previously unseen.[5] In the 1988 skate video Sick Boys, skaters, in particular Julien Stranger, skate down the steep streets of San Francisco.[6]
1990s
In Toy Machine's 1998 skate video - Jump Off A Building - Chris Senn's part contains a number of hill bombs.[7]
2000s
At the end of Jon Allie's part in the 2005 Zero skateboards video "New Blood," he does a frontside 180 kickflip to hill bomb.[8] In the 2005 DVS skate video Skate More Dennis Busenitz incorporates a number of hill bombs into his part.[9]
2010s
In 2010, Emerica released the skate video Stay Gold featuring a part by Brandon Westgate that contains a hill bomb down a drainage ditch.[10] In 2011, Magenta skateboards released SF Hill Street Blues filmed by Yoan Taillandier which features many San Francisco hill bombs.[11] In the 2011, Emerica released a video: Brandon Westgate: New Shoe, New Part which contains a number of hill bomb lines filmed in San Francisco.[12] The GX1000 videos are known to contain gnarly hill bombing, including the 2017: Adrenaline Junkie and the 2018 Roll Up and El Camino.[13][14][15][16] In the 2019 Supreme video CANDYLAND - dedicated to Pablo Ramirez and directed by William Strobeck - a number of hill bombs are featured, including ones by Sean Greene, Jeff Carlyle, Rowan Zorilla, Matt Finley, Sean Pablo, Andrew Torralvo, Taylor Nida, and Elissa Steamer.[17][18]
San Francisco
Due to its hilly nature, San Francisco, California is known to be a particularly good city in which to bomb hills.[19]
Dolores Park hill bomb
In July in San Francisco, California, hundreds of skateboarders gather on Dolores Street across from Dolores Park for an impromptu hill bombing event.[20][21][22] The event has become an annual tradition. There have been some injuries and at least one death associated with the event.[23][24][25] The city attempted to stop the event from happening by installing Botts dots in 2020.[26][27] However, skaters returned anyway, in spite of those.[28]
References
- "The Descent: Hill-Bomb Photo Feature". www.thrashermagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
- "'Hill Bombing' Has Kids Taking Skateboarding To Deadly New Extreme". 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
- "Meet GX1000, the Fastest, Most Fearless Crew in Skateboarding". GQ. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
- "THIS SF HILL BOMB SLAM IS CURRENTLY GOING VIRAL". The Berrics. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
- "Powell Peralta - Future Primitive skate video soundtrack | Skatevideosite". www.skatevideosite.com. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
- "Sick Boys skate video soundtrack | Skatevideosite". www.skatevideosite.com. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
- "Classics: Chris Senn "Jump Off a Building"".
- Classics: Jon Allie's "New Blood" Part, retrieved 2019-10-30
- DVS Skate More - Zered Bassett and Dennis Busenitz, retrieved 2019-10-30
- "Emerica - Stay Gold skate video soundtrack - Video by Jon Miner, Mike Manzoori | Skatevideosite". www.skatevideosite.com. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
- "Magenta - SF Hill Street Blues skate video soundtrack - Video by Yoan Taillandier | Skatevideosite". www.skatevideosite.com.
- "Emerica - Brandon Westgate: New Shoe, New Part skate video soundtrack | Skatevideosite". www.skatevideosite.com. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
- GX1000: Adrenaline Junkie, retrieved 2019-07-17
- "GX1000 - Roll Up skate video soundtrack - Video by Ryan Garshell | Skatevideosite". www.skatevideosite.com. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
- GX1000's "Roll Up" Video, retrieved 2019-05-14
- GX1000: El Camino, retrieved 2019-07-17
- "Supreme - Candyland skate video soundtrack - Video by Bill Strobeck | Skatevideosite". www.skatevideosite.com. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
- "BE Skate Mag-Supreme | CANDYLAND Video - Skateboarding Magazine". BE Skate Mag. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
- BroBible. "Skater With A Death Wish Goes Bombing Down San Francisco's Hills, Somehow Doesn't Die". BroBible. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
- Keeling, Brock (2018-07-17). "Four terrifying SF 'hill bombs' popular with skaters". Curbed SF. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
- Graff, Amy; SFGATE (2019-07-12). "Skateboarders fly down SF's Dolores Street at insane speeds in flash 'hill bomb'". SFGate. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
- Graff, Amy (2018-07-13). "Hundreds of skateboarders take over SF's Dolores St. for flash 'hill bombing' event". SFChronicle.com. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
- Browning, Corey (2020-07-20). "Man killed in hill bomb collision remembered as passionate cyclist, artist". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
- "Pavement markers slow daredevil skateboarders on popular SF hill after near-fatal crash". Retrieved 2023-07-05.
- "Well Known Skateboarder Tomoko Oikawa Suffers Brain Injury During Dolores Hill Bomb". SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports. 2019-07-20. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
- "City Installs Raised Dots On Dolores Street Following 'Hill Bomb' Death". SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports. 2020-07-20. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
- "San Francisco Officials Move To Stop Dangerous Dolores Street 'Hill Bombing' Skateboard Events - CBS San Francisco". www.cbsnews.com. 2020-07-20. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
- Horowitz, David Mamaril (2022-11-01). "Stabbing, fighting at Dolores Park Halloween 'Hill Bomb'". Mission Local. Retrieved 2023-07-05.