Wallenberg Set

Wallenberg, also known as the Wallenberg Four, is located at the Raoul Wallenberg Traditional High School in San Francisco, California, United States.[1]

It is a popular gap among the skateboarding community and measures to a height of 4 feet 4.8 inches and a length of 16 feet 6 inches.[1]

While the stair set is still there, the school has re-profiled the "run up" to the set so it is no longer possible to use Vega Street to gain speed; it has to be obtained from a ramp, roll in or by gaining speed in some other form.[2]

Its exact location is 40 Vega Street, San Francisco, California 94118. Its GPS Coordinates are 37*46'48.86"N, 122*26'46.82"W.[3]

Coverage in skateboarding media

The Wallenberg gap first appeared in Mark Gonzales's part in "Video Days," a 1991 skateboarding video released by Blind Skateboards.[4]

In 1999, Danny Gonzalez performed a Kickflip to Melon grab as seen in Transworld's "The Reason".[5][6]

In 2004, Thrasher skateboard magazine hosted "High Noon at the Big Four" at the famous spot. Unlike traditional skateboarding competitions, there were no rankings or standings; the event was billed as a "big tricks contest." In order to encourage skaters to attempt difficult tricks, cash prizes were offered for landing specific ones. Andrew Reynolds was the first skateboarder to successfully perform a frontside flip. Darrell Stanton performed a switch backside 180. Lindsey Robertson landed a heelflip over the set.[7]

On 30 May 2009, Thrasher Magazine's Back to the Berg contest was held at Wallenberg, in which another set of difficult tricks were landed. Jordan Hoffart's varial heelflip, Nick Merlino's switch heelflip, Chris Cole's backside 360 and switch frontside flip, Cody McEntire's backside bigspin, Andrew Pott's hardflip, and Lizard King's 180 ollie north, ollie disaster, and scarewalk.[7]

Andrew Reynolds backside flipped the set. The trick appeared on the cover of the May 2007 [8] issue of Thrasher and was also added to Reynold's part in Emerica's Stay Gold [9] released in 2010.

Chris Cole was the first one to 360 flip it in New Blood a skateboarding video by Zero Skateboards. Some of the most popular skateboarding tricks that have been performed include Frank Gerwer's kickflip over the set. Lindsey Robertson performed a backside heelflip over the gap at the Thrasher contest. Some other tricks include a backside 180 (Diego Bucchieri), a pop-shove it (by Steve Nesser - 411VM #66), a switch ollie, a switch frontside 180 (by Tony Manfre - montage in Free Your Mind from Transworld Skateboarding), a pop-shove it to melon grab (Jeremy Reeves, from footage featured on Thrasher Magazine's website).

Forrest Edwards landed a Switch Kickflip down the massive stairs, adding yet one more amazing feat to this massive stair set. There are photographs of the feat in the April 2013 issue of Thrasher Magazine, and a 'magnified' clip of the trick on Thrasher's YouTube channel.[10] On the same day DJ Gaudin landed a Switch Backside Kickflip.[11]

Chris Joslin performed two tricks down the set for his Etnies Album part. The first was a hardflip backside 180 which was only captured from one angle since he landed it on his third attempt. The second was an inward heelflip. Both tricks were NBD's.

On November 9, 2019 Miles Silvas switch back heeled the set after five trips to the spot spanning over four years of attempts.[12]

Never Been Done (NBD's)
YearSkateboarderTrickVideo
1991Mark GonzalesOllie IndyBlind - Video Days
1998Diego BucchieriBackside 180 OllieThink - Dedication
1999Danny GonzalezKickflip MelonTransworld - The Reason
2002Frank GerwerKickflip411VM 60
2002Tony ManfreSwitch Ollie ?
2003Tony ManfreSwitch Frontside 180Transworld - Free Your Mind
2004Steve NesserBackside Pop Shove It411VM 66
2004Andrew ReynoldsFrontside FlipThrasher - High Noon at the Big Four
2004Darrell StantonSwitch Backside 180Thrasher - High Noon at the Big Four
2004Lindsey RobertsonHeelflipThrasher - High Noon at the Big Four
2005Chris Cole360 FlipZero - New Blood
2007Jeremy ReevesPop Shove It Melon ?
2007Andrew ReynoldsBackside FlipEmerica - Stay Gold
2009Chris ColeBackside 360Thrasher - Back to the Berg
2009Chris ColeSwitch Frontside FlipThrasher - Back to the Berg
2009Jordan HoffartVarial HeelflipThrasher - Back to the Berg
2009Nick MerlinoSwitch HeelflipThrasher - Back to the Berg
2009Lindsey RobertsonBackside HeelflipThrasher - Back to the Berg
2009Cody McEntireBackside BigspinThrasher - Back to the Berg
2009Andrew PottHardflipThrasher - Back to the Berg
2009Lizard KingBackside 180 Ollie NorthThrasher - Back to the Berg
2009Lizard KingOllie DisasterThrasher - Back to the Berg
2009Lizard KingScarewalkThrasher - Back to the Berg
2013Forrest EdwardsSwitch KickflipThrasher - NDB at Wallenberg
2013DJ GaudinSwitch Backside FlipThrasher - NDB at Wallenberg
2014Zach WallinNollie Backside 180Enjoi - Oververt
2015Shane O'NeillNollie Backside HeelflipShane Goes
2015TJ RogersSwitch Frontside BigspinBlind - IOU
2016Ryan DecenzoFrontside 360 OllieRDS - Enter the Red Dragon
2016TJ RogersSwitch Frontside 360 OllieRDS - Enter the Red Dragon
2018Chris JoslinHardflip Backside 180Etnies - Album
2018Chris JoslinInward HeelflipEtnies - Album
2019Miles SilvasSwitch Backside HeelflipPrimitive - Encore
2020Brandon TurnerSwitch HardflipSk8mafia - The Sk8mafia 2020 Video

References
  1. "WE CHARTED SOME OF SKATEBOARDING'S MOST ICONIC SPOTS". Jenkem Magazine. 2017-07-27. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  2. "The Wallenberg Four Stairs". Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  3. "Raoul Wallenberg Traditional High School", Wikipedia, 2020-11-30, retrieved 2020-12-15
  4. Colberg, Tait (2013-06-21). The Skateboarding Art. Lulu Press, Inc. ISBN 978-1-300-09709-9.
  5. "Video". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  6. "WHAT HAPPENED TO DANNY GONZALEZ?". July 20, 2011.
  7. "Junk Drawer". Thrasher Magazine. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  8. "Video". www.youtube.com. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meepxVVGvYk
  9. Miner, Jon (Director) (2010). Stay Gold (Motion picture). Emerica.
  10. "Video". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  11. "Video". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  12. "My War: Miles Silvas" – via www.thrashermagazine.com.
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