The Crash That Forced Tony Hawk to Rethink Everything

It seemed like just another day at the backyard ramp. It was March of 2022, and Tony Hawk—the Michael Jordan of skateboarding—had just completed a skateboarding session at his home in Southern California, when some friends showed up. Hawk, who was 53 at the time, wanted to show that his aging body could still perform at its pinnacle. He dropped in, soared up the side, and attempted a trick called the McTwist—a 540-degree flip. But Hawk didn’t have quite enough speed, and when he tried to land, he snapped his femur. Now 58, Hawk opens up about how that fateful moment and devastating injury changed his life on and off the skateboard.

What His Skateboarding Was Like Before the Injury

I was still pushing myself to the limits of my age and my skill set in my early fifties, and I rarely thought about the consequences. I’d been injured in my career before, but never in a way that had a truly dire effect on my body.

What He Did Wrong That Day in 2022

It was kind of an average day. I had already completed a tiring skating session when my friends showed up, including Bucky Lasek, Andy Macdonald, and Kevin Staab. One of our son’s good friends from college was there, and he was showing everyone my office, our house, and then our ramp. I felt inspired to get back onto the ramp. But these days, once I’ve already done a hard session, my body kind of freezes up. And back then I didn’t have much of a post-workout regimen. To be honest, I didn’t have any kind of recovery regimen.

I got back on the ramp and could already feel my body tightening up. And that’s when it happened. I was trying to show off. I didn’t have enough speed and tried a McTwist. In my youth, I could have compensated for the lack of speed. So I tried to come down in a squat to save the trick, but I can’t squat the way I used to because I put too much pressure on my femur and it broke. I fucked around and found out the hard way that I’m no longer Peter Pan.

How He Approached Recovery

I was cavalier, thinking I’ll get back to 100 percent of what I was doing soon. I was adamant I’d get back soon. And I pushed things too hard and sabotaged the healing process. I skated up a three-foot ramp, and when I stepped off, I felt the bone shift out of place. I needed to have another surgery to realign it. That’s when I really had to take inventory and understand that, at my age, I need to take my recovery slow. I couldn’t expect to get back to the level I had been at. And I lost a couple of very key techniques to my skating that I relied on.

The Moves He Lost

Still to this day, I miss being able to do a tuck-knee grab, and it’s the foundation for a variety of tricks, hand plants, the McTwist, Method Air. It was the default move for at least one-third of my tricks. I can’t really grab with my front hand around the side of my board. I’ve had closure on a lot of moves that I don’t do anymore. But I didn’t get closure on that move. It’s like one day it was just gone forever.

His Approach to Being an Athlete

The injury inspired me to actually start a workout regimen off the skateboard. I had always prided myself that skateboarders aren’t traditional athletes, so we don’t do cross-training. When I hit my fifties, upon the request of my wife, I started doing strength training and stretching. After the injury, at least three times a week I’m doing strenuous exercises for an hour. Weightlifting, rowing exercises, squats—my routine changes every other day. On the days I’m not doing those exercises, I’m doing yoga-like stretching, so I can at least jump on a skateboard and do the basics. I’m still skating three to four times a week and it’s strenuous. There are new techniques I’m working on, but they are low-impact and with a lower risk factor. They challenge me and I still find that fun.

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His Advice for Aging Athletes

Lessen your expectations. Don’t think your sport is going to happen the way it used to happen. It’s healthy to still push yourself. Customize your expectations for yourself to your age. Don’t compare. I skate with Andy Macdonald, and he’s a few years younger than me, and he didn’t break his leg. He can still do all of his tricks. And there’s part of me that’s super excited. And there’s part of me that’s jealous. I just have to let it go. Be thankful you can still do it at all.

What Skateboarding Should Do to Stay Relevant

Whatever skateboarding needs to do to stay relevant with kids, it’s doing it already. Skate parks are now part of the fabric of most cities. When I was growing up, there were three of them across the entire United States. Now there are probably three in your town. The idea that kids can choose skating as easily as they choose to play baseball or soccer, is amazing. I’m hopeful for more international growth for skating, and for more international support and recognition. It’s happening—maybe not at the rate that I’d like it to. But now that we have Olympic inclusion, that’s helping skating’s international recognition.

His Newest Project

It’s a restaurant called Chick & Hawk. I linked up with chef Andrew Bachelier [when] he was running a restaurant in San Diego doing gourmet takeout. It turns out we both love Nashville[-style] hot chicken. We went to every hot chicken sandwich area in Southern California for R&D. He came up with a recipe that I thought was the best. It took a year to find the right location and three more to get the permits. And we opened a few months ago. Around San Diego, people tell me that they’ve tried it and liked it, which is a good sign.

This article is from the Summer 2026 issue of Outside magazine. To receive the print magazine, become an Outside+ member here.