The Skateboard Slam Heard ‘Round the World

Was the Most Famous Crash in Skateboarding Staged?

By Stephen Krcmar

It was another sunny day in Southern California. Pro skateboarder Garrett Hill was at work. He was sessioning with some friends. One was working on capturing a tick and a filmer was there to capture it. 

Hill decided to get his buddies some coffee. So he left the spot on his board, picked up java from two separate locations, and when he returned, disaster struck. 

Dun bun, dunnn: he hit a pebble, his board came to a screeching stop, and Hill and his coffees went flying.

The filmer caught every frame of the Garrett Hill coffee slam. The video went viral. In the decade it’s been up, the slam has garnered 1.7 million views and earned the former pro invites to chat on podcasts ranging from the RIDE Channel to the most popular skateboarding podcast in the world: The Nine Club.

There’s been some grumblings about the crash being staged. 

Then, skateboarding’s most popular cynic took a deep dive. It might be the most entertaining way to spend 49 minutes. 

Grab a coffee (iced, hot, or Irish) and enjoy.