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Skateboarder Danny Way Jumped the Great Wall of China

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Danny Way jumps the Great Wall of China with a skateboard. This article tells you how he did it.

Danny Way in front of the Great Wall of China

Great Wall of China Skateboard History

Most visitors seldom skateboard the ancient tourist attraction, let alone jump across it.

Let’s take a look at the Great Wall of China. It is unique as a structure and is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. For 4,500 miles, the ancient Wall meanders through the mountain ranges of China with more miles than the distance from New York to California. It is wide enough for two cars to drive on it – 25 feet tall and 25 – 30 feet wide.

The Ming Dynasty rebuilt the Great Wall from the many small walls that multiple Chinese emperors had constructed. The dynasty also developed elaborate battlements, cannons, and watchtowers to protect the people.

They used limestone, bricks, and tiles, and ancient records indicate that over 300,000 soldiers and 500,000 commoners worked on the Great Wall of China. They never saw the future or imagined a young, talented skateboarder would be gliding and careening down the center of the Wall.

“To a certain extent, I’m not trying to evolve out of this world of physical pain into a world of mental stress and anguish. But I do have a bit of the business bug. I’m aware I have to try to mediate it to a certain point so I don’t become soaked down to the point where it’s hard to escape.” Danny Way

The location of the Great Wall of China is outlined in red.
Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is wide enough for two cars to drive on it—25 feet tall and 25 to 30 feet wide.

Danny Way: Skater of the Year Twice

Daniel Way is from Portland, Oregon, and was born in 1974. He won Thrasher magazine’s “Skater of the Year” award twice.

He thinks outside the box when it comes to skateboarding stunts. Watching him skateboard is priceless. He is a talent worth watching to understand skateboarding.

“Obviously, it’s not in my nature to walk away from something, but there’s got to be a fine line of what is possible and what’s so . . . dangerous that you gotta go, ‘OK, that’s all that’s possible, here.” Danny Way

What is a Professional Skateboarder?

Being a pro skateboarder takes a strong soul to conquer the board —from frequenting local skate parks to winning regional competitions and, eventually, taking on national and international competitions, including product endorsements and wild video shots. Being on a skateboard means performing tricks like flip, daydream flip, plasma spin, sex change, gingersnap, and at least 100 other tricks.

Skateboarding Tricks and Stunts

I wrote a piece on the top skateboard movies, focusing on the intriguing grit and audacity as these brave souls perform on their boards.

Living on the Edge

Like Danny Way, a few others are bold and defy gravity, like the rock climber Alex Honnold, who climbed El Capitan at Yosemite without a rope, which became an Oscar-winning documentary. Or the inspirational story of the parachutist who broke the record in free-falling.

Waiting for Lightning follows skateboarder Danny Way, known for performing over-the-top feats, similarly with a parachute. Most skateboarders call him a visionary for his extraordinary achievements and performances throughout his career. Samuel Goldwyn Films released the film on Blu-ray, DVD, or online streaming.

Danny Way Skateboards Jumps Wall of China

Interviews with Top Skateboarders

The documentary explores the amount of abuse the body can sustain. It touches on how passionately one must accept challenges that defy survival. Danny Way has proven himself to be an incredibly talented skateboarder and the sport’s top innovator.

The documentary features incredible skateboarding tricks and stunts, along with interviews with the best in the sport. We hear from big players like Travis Pastrana, Laird Hamilton, Rodney Mullen, Mat Hoffman, Ken Block, and Tony Hawk, to name a few.

The story begins with an inspirational account of visionary skateboarder Danny Way, following the journey of a young boy from a broken home in Southern California. He has a deep passion for skateboarding, which has brought him fame and a lifetime of accomplishments.

“That was the scariest … thing I’ve ever done in my life. I’m lucky I’m alive.” Danny White

China’s Great Wall Master by Inspiration

Way’s drive is an inspiration. He has no limits to what he can do. The documentary showcases his creations as they are captured on screen. To jump China’s Great Wall on a skateboard, we see the ramp of Herculean and dangerous proportions.

Overall, I highly recommend this documentary. The video below gives you a glimpse of someone who could pull off such feats.

Danny May is Skateboarder #5 with his Great Wall Jump

6 Skateboard Movies Worth Watching

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Skateboard movies show tricks on the board while offering a story to keep you entertained.

Skateboarding is an adrenaline high!

Skateboard Movies Worth Watching

Skateboard films produce creative tricks, thrilling stunts, and high-energy circumstances that draw an audience. These movies often showcase the talent and subculture of skateboarding, engaging and entertaining those interested in extreme sports. Combining visuals, music, and decent storytelling also contributes to their appeal.

Get ready to swoop into the culture of tricks, actions and storytelling. Check out this list of skateboard movies. Enjoy the action and drama.

1. Lords of Dogtown (2005)

2. Thrashin (1986)

3. Mid90s (2018)

4. Skate Kitchen (2018)

5. Paranoid Park (2007)

6. Gleaming the Cube (1989)

1. Lords of Dogtown (2005)

Lords of Dogtown is a memorable skateboarding movie based on a real-life story. The film follows the development of the skateboarding culture and its personalities. We meet four young boys in the 1970s, living in California, who hang out together and skateboard.

The movie touches on the innocence of the young at heart, living free without the burdens of adulthood.

Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke cut her teeth, helming this iconic movie about skateboarding. The late Heath Ledger shines under her direction as Skip, the owner of a surfboard and skateboard shop. The kids look up to him because he’s the oldest and knows more about surfing and skateboarding than anyone in the area. Skip is also wild and crazy, making his scenes enjoyable.

During a Director’s Cut podcast, Hardwicke talked about using skateboard fans as the background for the competition scene. She was amazed by their enthusiasm for the extreme sport, which was so genuine.

What is Dogtown in Santa Monica?

In the movie, these young skateboarders eat, sleep, breathe and live skateboarding.

The boys hang out with other skateboarders and surfers at the famous Dogtown in Santa Monica — a coffee, breakfast, and lunch spot. Here, American skateboard and surfing nostalgia percolates, keeping the traditions alive.

It’s all about skateboarding in empty pools.

Empty Swimming Pools

The young, blonde-haired boys with their vans, sneakers and boards ride their skateboards throughout Santa Monica. They want something more from their skateboarding- empty swimming pools- a higher purpose in life.

One boy discovers a dried-up, abandoned swimming pool.

Empty swimming pools become the next wave of skateboarding. The four boys search the neighborhoods for every abandoned pool to conquer and skate.

The young boys skate the empty pools with the drive to find a bigger and challenging cement hole. They glide on their boards to wild parties, pick up cute, tanned girls, and await the next step toward their higher purpose.

2. Thrashin (1986)

Directed by David Winters, this 1986 movie follows how some Valley boys deal with punk rockers. Billed as a teenage adventure, Thrashers received 72% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The skateboarders called “The Ramp Locals” use their skateboards against the punk rockers. Corey Webster, played by a young Josh Brolin, leads the group, while the street punks follow Tommy Hook, played by Robert Rusler.

The difficulty begins when Corey falls in love with Tommy’s little sister, played by Pamela Gidley, who is visiting from Indiana. It builds during the severe “LA Massacre,” a 20-mile downhill skateboarding race, like all gang conflicts. The prize is a corporate sponsor.

The best scene for any skateboard fan is the final race. A camera is strapped to the front of a skateboard, creating in your seat thrills as an exhilarating sense of the gallant “thrashers” — hence the movie’s title.

3. Mid90s (2018)

Mid90s follows Stevie, a thirteen-year-old living in 90s-era Los Angeles. He spends his summer navigating between his troubled home life with his brother and a group of new friends he hangs out with at a local skate shop.

Jonah Hill wrote and directed this film. We know him for his acting talent in 21 & 22 Jump Street and Money Ball.

The coming-of-age movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Hill received a standing ovation.

4. Skate Kitchen (2018)

Crystal Moselle directs Skate Kitchen. The movie focuses on Camille, played by Rachelle Vinberg. She skateboards but is introverted, so she keeps to herself. She hooks up with an all-girl skateboarding group after cutting ties with her mother. She becomes friends with the girls and develops confidence.

She also meets Devon, played by Jaden Smith, a skateboarder who isn’t as he seems. As the story unfolds, Camille learns about true friendship and self-discovery.

What is so remarkable about this skateboarding movie is that it is about a teenage group of girls who skateboard together, compared to Lords of Dogtown, which is about all boys. The only girls in the cult movie are cute and suntanned, lacking depth and intelligence.

The girl’s group is called Skate Kitchen. They are talented and outgoing, and being cute or suntanned is the least of their concerns.

An all-girl skateboard group is about self-discovery and friendship.

5. Paranoid Park (2007)

Another skateboard movie that caught my eye is Paranoid Park, directed by Gus Van Sant, based on the book by Blake Nelson. The popular book makes it to the silver screen smoothly with an entertaining appeal.

In the story, we meet a teenage skateboarder named Alex, played by Gabe Nevins, a withdrawn 16-year-old boy who has recently discovered Paranoid Park — a massive skate park in Portland, Oregon. The Portland unruly skateboarders built Paranoid Park to create a place to cruise the concrete without being constantly harassed by the cops.

Alex hooks up with another skateboarder at the park, quickly becoming friends. His new friend is known for being an anarchist at the park. But that doesn’t stop Alex from being his friend because he feels he needs more drama to forget about his troubles back home.

The theme is there are consequences to your actions.

Making the Right Choices

Making the right choices defines the story in the movie. Alex and his new friend take a wild shot and hop on a train. A security guard sees them and chases after them. But tragedy falls upon the two teens when the security guard gets killed because he pursued them, and they are angsty over the consequences of their youthful waywardness.

Alex doubts he can convince anyone of what happened that night. Who would believe him if he told the truth? The local authorities investigate the death while troubled Alex expresses himself in a journal. We get to experience his hardship and personal pain, wearing the same shoes as an adolescent boy who only sought to escape from the troubles of home and the concept of mortality.

6. Gleaming the Cube (1989)

Gleaming the Cube is a coming-of-age movie. The action-drama stars a young Christian Slater playing a skateboarder named Brian. Brian’s adopted brother disappeared, and the authorities found him dead. The police say it’s a homicide, but Brian doesn’t believe it.

Brian skateboards around the city, searching for answers about how his brother died. He investigates and discovers that his brother works in a shop that sends weapons to Vietnam.