Vert skating

Vert skating or vertical skating is a discipline using skates like inline skates or roller skates on a vert ramp, a style of half-pipe. In vert skating, the skater is able to achieve more air-time as compared to other styles of skating, meaning skaters can perform complicated aerial maneuvers and acrobatic tricks, such as spins and flips.

The intent of vert skating is to ride higher than the coping (the metal pipe on top of the ramp) and perform spins or flips.^[1] It focuses on complicated aerial maneuvers, such as spins and flips.^[2] The intent of the skater is to build speed until they are of sufficient height above the edge of the ramp to perform various aerial acrobatics.^[3] In competitions skaters have limited time, often less than a minute, to impress the judges by landing numerous and difficult tricks, having a good flow and consistency, having creativity with the routine and most importantly having a good style.^[4]

The first X Games, in 1995, featured four inline skating events: best trick/big air, men's and women's vert, men's street, and men's downhill.^[5] At its heyday in 1998, inline skating had the most events of any sport at the X Games, featuring vert triples (a three-person team based vert event), women's street, and women's downhill in addition to the original events.^[6]

However, the sport soon fell out of fashion and by 2004, vert skating was the only remaining event at the X Games – including just one men's and women's combined contest.^[7] For the 2005 X Games, aggressive inline was dropped entirely and the vert competition was replaced by women's skateboarding.^[8]

Vert skating is considered a challenging sport: as of 2012 there are fewer than 15 professional vert skaters attending competitions.^{[citation needed]}