In recent years, longboarding has been on the up and up in many parts of the world. In what looks to be a steady paradigm shift, many “core” skate shops have started to carry products to satisfy a still-growing longboarding market, only to see that market keep those shops in business. A few personalities are becoming burgeoning superstars, attracting more people to step on a board and ride. The development of more events, more coverage, and more signs that point to longboarding eventually getting past that tipping point into total mainstream acceptance.

Mark McCrudden’s film “DROP: My Life Downhill” is a documentary on one important facet of the steady rise of longboarding, downhill skateboarding. It’s equal parts of insight on the sport straight from its most established stars, and a whole lot of great skate footage. The great treatment of the run that Martin Siegrist, Mischo Erban, and Erik Lundberg share could be a film on its own. But instead, it serves as a great side to a healthy portion of what exactly the world of a downhill skateboarder is like.

The community aspect of the sport really gets brought out in the film, where the same racers engaged in a back and forth downhill battle, are the same people who hang out afterwards. It also exposes the rather unglamorous undertakings these lifers have to go through to get to the hills they want to bomb. Hours upon hours of road trips, the luxury of taking showers, the odd jobs needed in order to raise funds, these and others are the kinds of sacrifices made all in order to get sufficiently stoked. But despite the grueling nature of events leading up to getting downhill, DROP most certainly posits the point that the fun you have in the end most certainly justifies the hard work and sacrifice put in to getting there.

It’s a must-see for anyone looking to get into downhill skateboarding, or longboarding in general. It might be hasty to call it now, but perhaps some years down the line, it might be at par with the Dogtown and Z-Boys documentary that marked a watershed moment in skateboarding that kept it around and thriving to see new evolutions of the form everyday.

Watch Drop: Meet the Riders HERE

Watch DROP. Then head out of your house, grab your board (don’t forget your gear), and just go out and skate!

Written By: Mykee