Hill bombs without ending in hospital

This guide isn't going to talk you out of hill bombs. It will, however, try to stop you from ending your session in A&E. Every rule here was written by someone who went to hospital and wishes they'd read it first. Read it twice.

01The honest framing

Skateboarding has exactly one thing more dangerous than hill bombs, and that's hill bombs without a plan. The sport doesn't care how experienced you are: a pothole at 50 km/h is an ambulance ride. A car turning out of a side street is worse. What keeps riders alive isn't talent — it's preparation.

Every hill bomb you've done without falling is a data point. But so is every traffic light you've run and not been hit at. The crash comes eventually. The question is whether you're ready.

02Scout the hill

Walk it before you ride it. Every time. Even hills you've bombed before, because tarmac changes, gravel appears, gates open that weren't open last week.

• Is there a clear runout? At minimum, 50 metres of flat at the bottom.
• Are there side streets that cars emerge from? Avoid.
• What's the surface? Gravel, sand or wet leaves = no bomb.
• What's the traffic pattern — morning commute, Sunday quiet, late evening?
• Any open storm drains, potholes, manhole covers in the line?

03The setup

A street deck isn't a good hill bombing tool under 25 km/h. Above that, a dedicated downhill setup isn't optional. For moderate hills:

• Deck: minimum 8.5", ideally a drop-through or pintail 34"+.
• Trucks: wider than your deck — 180mm minimum — with stiff bushings (90A+).
• Wheels: 70mm+ 78A cruiser/downhill formula.
• Bearings: clean, oiled, running free — see our bearing-cleaning guide.
• Helmet: full-face above 40 km/h, standard certified skate helmet under that.
• Slide gloves: non-negotiable. €40. Will save your hands.

04Stopping, properly

The number-one cause of hill-bomb injuries is not having a stopping plan. Tucking down and hoping for a flat run-out is a plan; so is "carve into the grass at 15 km/h." The plan needs to exist before you push.

Footbrake

The default. Weight on front foot, back foot lowered, flat sole drags. Practice at 10 km/h until the technique is automatic. Don't slam — progressive pressure only. Works up to about 35 km/h on a decent shoe.

Carving to scrub speed

Deep S-turns across the road scrub serious speed. Works on wider roads with no traffic. Requires confident leaning; fall off a carve and you're sliding on your hip.

Slide

Advanced — weeks to learn. Kick the tail out sideways to break grip, slide across the road, recover. With slide gloves you can put a hand down (a Coleman slide) for extra bleed. Not a first-hill technique.

05Speed wobbles — how to beat them

Speed wobble is when your deck starts oscillating side-to-side at speed because your trucks are too loose, your bushings are too soft, or your stance is off. It escalates. If you feel the first wobble, do not stiffen up — bend your knees, lower your centre, and unload the trucks by taking weight off the back foot briefly.

• Prevent: tighten trucks one turn before bombing, or install stiffer bushings (Riptide 93A+).
• Stance: slight forward lean, weight 60/40 front foot, knees bent.
• First wobble: breathe, bend knees deeper, ride it out — don't fight it.
• Escalating wobble: step off backward onto your foot, board continues ahead.

06How to fall at speed

A bad fall is the one you fight. A good fall is the one you commit to. Above 30 km/h, trying to save it is how you break wrists and collarbones. The plan:

• Drop low — the closer to the ground, the shorter the fall.
• Go to a knee and slide on knee pads. Not feet first, not hands first.
• Tuck arms in — elbows tight, hands near chest.
• If you must put a hand down, use slide gloves, palm flat, arm relaxed.
• Roll if you can; sliding on a joint is worse than sliding on a padded surface.

07Progression — building to fast hills

• Month one: footbrake drills on flat ground at walking pace.
• Month two: small hills, <15 km/h. Practice carving and footbraking at speed.
• Month three: medium hills, <25 km/h. Slide gloves arrive. Practice small slides on flat.
• Month four onward: steeper hills only with full armour and a scouted line.
• Never: unknown hills, wet pavement, traffic hours, without a helmet.