Tony Hawk Shares Why Skating a 30-Foot Ramp Feels Safer Than Surfing

It was pretty funny how blown away Rob Lowe was by Tony's confession, but he backed it up with a solid point: “People are like, ‘you’ll ride a 30-foot ramp,’” said Hawk. “That ramp isn’t going to come after me if I fall. It’s not going to hold me down and bury me—and then another one is coming after it.”

Exactly. And although the thought of slamming on a ramp made of "metal and wood"—as Lowe points out—as opposed to the ocean might seem worse, Tony once again had the perfect defense, saying, "I just know how to fall. I’m not scared of it. I have decades of experience doing that. And I’ve had hold-downs. I know the fear. It’s super scary.”

All I'll say is this—the ocean is unpredictable. Vert ramps? Not so much. But at the end of the day, it's all gnarly. So, whatever!

If you want to listen to the whole episode, I added it here below, along with the Literally! blurb on YouTube:

"Tony Hawk is tempting Rob to get back on the skateboard! The legendary skateboarder joins Rob Lowe to discuss growing up in Southern California, coming to terms with your age, the iconic soundtracks to the 'Pro Skater' video games, Rob’s skateboarding days at Santa Monica High, why Tony's intimidated by surfing, and much more."

I guess the question is: which is scarier? And I'd say that answer is bound to vary depending on the person. But we probably won't see Tony wrapped in a wetsuit getting gnarly in the ocean anytime soon. Fair enough!