10 Skateboarding Records That Defy Gravity

Skateboarding is full of opportunities to set and break world records, and the sport is new, fresh, and inventive enough that people are still setting records all the time. Some of the most impressive records include the longest jump, the biggest spin, and the most ollies in a row.01of 10

Highest Ollie

Aldrin Garcia holds the official record for the highest ollie, at 45 inches. However, there is video footage of a skater named Jose Marabotto from Peru ollying a stack of skateboards. Many people think the stack should be at least 50 inches tall, but as the trick is only on video, it’s impossible to tell.

Longest Jump and Highest Air

Danny Way holds several world records in skateboarding. He invented the Mega Ramp, a massive skateboarding ramp first seen in the DC Video. In that video, Way broke the records for longest jump and highest air off of a ramp. At the 2004 X Games, at the Big Air competition that used a similar Mega Ramp, Way broke his own record for distance, setting the current record of 79 feet. In 2015, he set the record for the highest air, landing 25.5 feet off a quarterpipe.

Longest 24-Hour Distance

What is the longest distance covered on a skateboard in a 24-hour period? In 2013, Andrew Andras broke the record by skating an incredible 261 miles. The previous record was held by “Barefoot Ted,” who skated his way to fame by covering 242 miles in 24 hours during Ultraskate IV in Seattle, Washington.

Most 360-Degree Spins

The current Guinness world record holder for the most 360-degree spins is Richy Carrasco, who completed 142 consecutive spins.

The unofficial record holder is Russ Howell, who supposedly did 163 spins at the Long Beach World Championships in 1977. A true “old school” skater, Howell began skateboarding back in 1958. He has competed and won several contests, including the main event at the 1975 Del Mar Contest (seen in the movie “Lords of Dogtown”).05of 10

Highest Speed

The record for the fastest speed on a skateboard was broken in 2017, when English skater Peter Connolly achieved 91.17 miles per hour on his board.

Biggest Spin

For many years, the record for the most rotations in mid-air was held by Tony Hawk. At the 1999 X Games, he pulled off a 900—meaning he completed two-and-a-half full spins, or a 900-degree turn. In 2012, 12-year-old skater Tom Schaar did one better, completing the very first 1080-degree spin.07of 10

Most Ollies in a Row

In 2017, German skater Marcel Meckel broke the record for the most consecutive ollies, performing 285.08of 10

Highest Freefall

In 2006, Danny Way destroyed the “Bomb Drop” (jumping off a structure on a skateboard and freefalling onto a landing) world record by freefalling 28 feet from the Fender Stratocaster guitar atop the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, landing cleanly on a ramp below. Before this, the freefall record was only 12 feet.09of 10

Largest Skateboard

In 1996, Todd Swank became the first record holder for the World’s Largest Skateboard. He built a skateboard that was 10 feet long, four feet wide and three feet high. It weighed 500 pounds and used a variety of parts, not all of which looked like skateboard parts (such as tires from a sports car).

Rob Dyrdek claimed the world record for the largest most realistic skateboard in 2009. Dyrdek’s board is 38.5 feet long and about 5 feet tall.10of 10

Longest Handstand

Russ Howell holds the official record for the world’s longest handstand on a skateboard—two minutes. In a conversation with a skater on Silverfish Longboarding, Howell said,

“It was [disappointing] for me when I set the record. At that time, I was doing handstands down long hills at speed (40mpg+) which lasted several minutes. When I arrived at the Guinness site, all that we were allowed was a small 30′ x 30′ asphalt area. All I could do was to kick into a handstand while the board remained motionless. That’s much more difficult than when the board is moving. I held the static handstand for two minutes and to the best of my knowledge, that time has never been challenged; too bad because it would be easy for someone else to break the record if given a larger area.”