YEW may be unaware, but October 17 marks a historic date in one of the most extreme sports to ever exist. It was on this date in 1975 that the very first downhill skateboard race, the Signal Hill Speed Run, took place.
As dangerous as it was entertaining, participants in the race set a world record topping out at over 50 mph on a 30 degree drop. And what started off as a special on ABC’s Guinness Book of World Records TV show, ended up kicking off an annual event on Signal Hill (in Long Beach) that lasted 25 years, and a sport that still races to this day in the X Games.
With all its broken bones, bloody bruises and high-performance breakthroughs, “The Signal Hill Speed Run,” a feature-length documentary narrated by Ben Harper, is available to stream for free on RedBull TV
