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Paul-Luc Ronchetti’s Top Five: Vert Skaters

We recently caught up with vertical destroyer, Pulsar Watches ambassador and Carlsbad’s Norfolk connection Paul-Luc Ronchetti to ask him for a couple of top five lists an see who influences him skate-wise. Carry on down the page for a selection of his favourite vert skaters, one of their sections and an explanation of why they’ve made the list, and keep an eye out over the next couple of days for a more all-terrain look at Paul-Luc’s favourite current skateboarders. There’s some right classics in the list below!

Mike Frazier – Powell Peralta ‘Eight’

Here’s a 90s Mike Frazier clip from Powell Peralta’s ‘Eight’ video. The crazy part is that everything from this clip was filmed in one day! He has a style that is one hundred percent commitment and the ability to add unique accents to most of his tricks in the form of tail-slaps, disasters, tweaks and reverts. His handplants are next level and he was doing mind blowing lip tricks that even today are hard to fathom. Mike Frazier has definitely inspired me to mix it up and give it some authority on certain tricks.

Tony Hawk – Birdhouse ‘The End’

This part from Birdhouse’s ‘The End’ is such an epic part. I used to constantly watch it around the time I was getting into skating vert. Hawk has an endless bag of tricks that covers all realms. It is inspiring to see that he is still ripping today, well into his forties.

Lincoln Ueda – New Deal ‘7 Year Glitch’

Lincoln’s part from the New Deal video ‘7 Year Glitch’. It is always a pleasure to watch Lincoln do his thing. His pump and speed on a vert ramp are unmatched, and the amplitude he gets from that perfect timing is unbelievable – he literally hits the roof at times! Lincoln inspires me to go big and tweak my airs.

Buster Halterman – Planet Earth ‘Now ‘N’ Later’

Here is Buster Halterman’s part from Planet Earth’s “Now N’ Later”. His style is one of the smoothest I’ve ever witnessed and he makes coping tomfoolery look effortless. I could watch his Lien 360’s and Sugarcane grinds all day!

Bucky Lasek – 411VM

Bucky is another guy who is still going strong. It’s easy to tell how well-rounded a skateboarder he is when watching him. He is very technical but makes it look natural. I love how his lines flow either direction, and he’ll often come out with a banger spontaneously.