Man… this is sketchy. In the latest “My War” segment for Thrasher, Don Nguyen (a.k.a The Nuge) decided to grab his skateboard and bomb the steepest hill he could find in Los Angeles. After typing into Google “steepest hills in America,” Nuge tracked down one that was close to him: Baxter Street.
Baxter Street in LA is the 5th steepest hill in America. It has a 32% gradient, well beyond anything I’d be comfortable trying to skate. Seriously, it’s so steep that a bus once even got stuck on the top when trying to go down it.
Not only is it steep, but as you can see in the photo above, the street isn’t in the best condition. The concrete is cracked all over, there’s bumps, manholes, uneven spots… not exactly the most desirable spot. That didn’t stop Nuge from taking a shot at it, though. After taking a few test runs from half way up, finding the best (and only) line available, he dropped in.
Watching Don Nguyen gain speed as he makes his way down, there was definitely a few times when I thought he was going to eat it. Good thing he didn’t, because for some reason he thought it was a good idea to attempt this without a helmet, pads, or anything protection at all. What an awful idea! Guys, don’t ever try to do something like this without your gear on. You won’t look cool when you’re covered in road rash and you have a concussion.
While we won’t necessarily teach you how to bomb hills like this, Evolve can help you improve you skateboarding skills so that maybe one day you’ll be able to. We offer skateboarding camps and lessons for children ages 6-15 that aim to teach basic skills and improve on already existing abilities. If you’re interested, give us a call at 416.619.4521 or click here.
