A wallride is one of the most satisfying tricks in street skating: you roll up to a vertical wall, get all four wheels onto it, ride along it for a moment, and come back down to the ground. It looks intimidating, but the core skill is all about approach angle, speed, and commitment rather than raw pop. This guide walks through how to find a good wall, the step-by-step technique, and how to fix the mistakes that stop most people from landing their first one.
What Is a Wallride?
A wallride is any trick where the skateboard rolls along a vertical or near-vertical surface with the wheels touching the wall. The most common version for beginners is the frontside wallride, where you approach with your toes facing the wall and your chest turned toward it. Backside wallrides, with your back to the wall, are harder because you can’t see the wall as well during the trick.
Wallrides can be done off a bank or quarter pipe (the easiest version), off an ollie from flat ground, or even from a ramp transition into a wall. We’ll focus on the ollie-in frontside wallride from flat ground, with a note on learning it on transitions first.
Prerequisites
- A solid ollie while rolling. You need to ollie at moderate speed without thinking about it. Brush up with our guide to ollieing higher if needed.
- Confident carving and turning. Wallrides require you to approach at an angle and lean into the wall, so knowing how to carve helps a lot.
- Frontside 180 comfort. The shoulder rotation used to come off the wall is similar to a frontside 180.
Finding the Right Wall
The wall matters more than people expect. Look for these features:
- Smooth surface. Painted concrete, smooth brick, or plywood are ideal. Rough stucco or textured stone will grab your wheels and throw you off.
- A small bank or curb at the base. A slight transition where the ground meets the wall makes learning much easier. Many skateparks have wallride sections on banks built for exactly this.
- A long, clear run-up. You need space to build speed and set up your angle without dodging obstacles.
- Permission and safety. Don’t practice on walls where you’ll damage property, bother people, or roll into traffic.
Step 1: Set Your Approach Angle
Approach the wall at roughly a 30 to 45 degree angle, not head-on and not parallel. Too steep and you’ll slam straight into the wall; too shallow and you’ll never get the wheels up onto it. Roll at a medium speed, faster than you’d think. Speed is what keeps you on the wall, and going too slowly is the most common reason wallrides fail.
Step 2: Position Your Feet
Use your normal ollie stance, with your back foot on the tail and your front foot just behind the front bolts. Keep your knees bent and weight centered. Some skaters move the front foot slightly closer to the toe edge to make it easier to push the board into the wall.
Step 3: Ollie Into the Wall
About a board’s length from the wall, pop an ollie and turn your shoulders slightly frontside toward the wall. Instead of leveling the board out flat in the air, guide it with your front foot so that it tilts sideways toward the wall. The goal is to press all four wheels flat against the vertical surface. Your ollie doesn’t need to be high. It just needs to lift you off the ground and deliver the board onto the wall at a good angle.
Step 4: Ride the Wall
As the wheels make contact, lean your body toward the wall and keep your weight pressing into the board. Your shoulders should stay roughly parallel to the wall and your knees stay bent. Keep your head up and look along the wall in the direction you’re rolling. The board will naturally travel up and along the wall in an arc. Don’t fight it.
Step 5: Come Back Down
Gravity pulls you down after a moment. As you start to descend, turn your shoulders back toward the direction of travel and push the board away from the wall with your feet so the wheels come back to the ground. Land with bent knees over the bolts and ride away. On transitions or banks, you can simply roll down; from flat ground you’ll need to straighten the board out as you land.
Common Wallride Mistakes
The board slides out from under you
You aren’t pressing the board into the wall enough, or the wall surface is too slick or dusty. Lean more into the wall and try a cleaner surface.
Only two wheels touch the wall
Your board isn’t turning far enough sideways. Focus on steering it flat against the wall with your front foot during the ollie.
You hit the wall and stop dead
Your approach is too steep or too slow. Flatten the angle and add speed.
You fall off the wall backward
You’re leaning away from the wall out of fear. Commit and lean in. The wall is what’s holding you up.
Learn It on a Bank or Quarter Pipe First
If flat-ground wallrides feel too committing, find a skatepark with a bank that meets a wall, or a quarter pipe with an extension. Rolling up a transition and simply carving onto the wall removes the ollie and lets you learn the balance and lean first. Once you’re comfortable there, the flat-ground version comes much faster.
Safety Tips
- Wear a helmet. Falls from wallrides often happen sideways and can be awkward.
- Check the ground below the wall for cracks, rocks, or debris before you start.
- Consider softer wheels for rougher walls. They grip better, and our wheel hardness guide explains the tradeoffs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a wallride hard to learn?
It’s an intermediate trick. If you have a consistent rolling ollie and are comfortable carving, most skaters can land a basic frontside wallride within a few sessions on a good wall.
What is the easiest way to learn a wallride?
Start on a bank or quarter pipe that meets a wall, where you can carve onto the wall without ollieing. Then progress to flat-ground ollie-in wallrides.
How fast should I go for a wallride?
Medium to fairly fast. Speed is what keeps the board on the wall, so going too slowly is one of the most common reasons for failed attempts.
Frontside or backside wallride first?
Frontside is easier for most skaters because you face the wall and can see where your board is going. Learn frontside first.
Does a wallride damage walls?
It can leave wheel marks and scuffs, which is why you should only practice on skatepark walls or surfaces where you have permission.
