The wallride is a trick developed by Natas Kaupas, Mark Gonzales and their contemporaries in the mid-eighties before technical tricks were popular. At the time, most tricks required that you at least try to keep your feet square on the board. The wallride is significant because it was one of the first tricks that allowed street skaters to ride non-transitional objects, in this case a flat, vertical wall.

Backside Wallride
For a backside wallride, you're going to be blindsided, so pulling it off will involve being able to "feel" where your board is. Approach the wall at about 45 degrees with your rear toe on the toe-edge corner of the tail, and the heel of your front foot hanging back off the heel edge of the board just behind the front bolts. As you approach the wall, ollie and scoop the board up and behind you as your back presses up against the wall. Use your front hand to keep your torso from slamming up against the wall. As your back wheels hit the wall, continue pushing the board along with your rear foot while guiding it along the wall in an arc with your front foot. Keep the nose up as you turn and descend. The front wheels will hit first. Keep most of your weight on your rear foot until the back wheels land.

Click here for Quicktime (99k) or here for an MPEG (83k) video clip of the Backside Wallride.

Frontside Wallride
The frontside wallride is quite different from the backside version because in this instance, you're actually facing the wall and can see what you're doing. For some this makes it easier. Again, appraoch the wall at about 45 degrees. Your feet should be in the heelflip position with your front toe hanging a bit over the toe-edge of the board. As you approach the wall, ollie and scoop the board up in front of you. All four wheels should hit the wall at about the same time. Use your rear hand to keep your face and torso from slamming into the wall. Push yourself along as you pivot on your rear wheels in an arc, much like the backside wallride. As your front wheels hit the ground, push yourself away from the wall.

Click here for Quicktime (116k) or here for an MPEG (99k) video clip of the Frontside Wallride.

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