“Bottom of the Barrel”: Olympic Snowboarder Shaun White Details How ‘Birdman’ Tony Hawk Helped Him With His “Obsessions

5x Olympian and iconic skateboarder Shaun White is no stranger to adventures. After all, rolling down an icy hill with a board to maneuver through the terrain is not for the faint-hearted.  White, who has won multiple titles including 3 Olympic gold medals has always been an inspiration for young people. And his inspiration? Turns out, it’s none other than the Birdman!

Tony Hawk may be retired but his name does not fail to invoke applause. The innovative vert skateboarder has paved the way for several athletes, and notably, White has been on the receiving end of his inspired techniques. In his recent revealing documentary, White explains how his most profound obsession back in the day, was facilitated by the legendary Hawk. 

Tony Hawk’s vert ramp assisting Shaun White

In his documentary with Max Streaming, White says he was “obsessed” to become the best in both summer and winter skateboarding games. He used to love his time in LA but the con for the athlete was, that there were no vert ramps around. He could not practice his boarding skills and enjoy his time in LA simultaneously. At that time Tony Hawk had his portable vert ramps in LA, and White bought one of them. In his documentary, Shaun White: The Last Run, the 36-year-old says, “I really loved living in LA, but there were no vert ramps around. So, I remember Tony Hawk having a portable skate ramp. I bought one of those.”

The road wasn’t easy for the pro snowboarder, from being at the top of the game in his career to being at the bottom rung in a whole different sport. He says, “It’s definitely frustrating to be No. 1 in snowboarding and then go into skating and be like at the bottom of the barrel trying to work your way up.”

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After buying the ramp, White used to assemble it anywhere feasible in LA; at Studio parking lots, abandoned buildings lots, and inside the empty space of studios. That is how he honed his craft while living in LA.  “And it recreated what I was doing at Project X,” says White, speaking on his Project X which was one of his greatest successes. 

Shaun White’s project X on vert ramp

Project X in collaboration with RedBull was an hour-long special project that was aired in January 2010 on NBC. It included a 22-foot deep superpipe incorporated with a foam pit for White to assemble new moves for his Olympics. It was the prime story for Shaun White’s snowboarding career. White says when vert ramp recreated his Project X, it was not easy for him to do his moves on this kind of apparatus. 

Shaun White’s tell-all documentary is on air now, a point of contention because his documentary and his girlfriend Nina Dobrev’s Netflix movie came out nearly at the same time. However, all seems well in paradise, with fans getting a glimpse of both icons. 

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