Instagram/@bam__margera
Bam Margera posted a video of Chaz Ortiz doing something extremely insane. The high-level skill shows how wicked modern skateboarding can be. The post got much attention, with all sorts of comments in the skating forums: some praising the skill, some pondering how far skateboarding has evolved.
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Being back in the skateboarding limelight and acting as hype man to one of the most technically gifted riders in the world, Bam gave skate fans yet another reason to praise him. The ex-‘Jackass’ star uploaded a video to his feed of Chaz Ortiz executing a kind of trick so breathtaking and mind-boggling that Margera exclaimed, “This bea straight up bonkers!” Ortiz kind of like a biggatch backside 180, locking into a nosegrind on a ledge, then popping out of the grind into a switch front foot impossible that would require an insane amount of board control and precision. The ‘Jackass’ star tagged Ortiz and put the location on Milwaukee, WI, which is some pinpoint accuracy for this really rare moment of skill.
The reaction came straight up from the followers, awestruck the moment and dissecting the tricks the next.”Nice to see Chaz still killing it” was the echo of much respect that has followed Ortiz since his prodigy days. The discourse has today gone fully into skateboarding jargon, however. Another user attempted to call it a 180 5-0 to Merlin twist, which only incited a very stark correction from another follower that said, “Double wrong. Merlin Twist is a switch frontside 180° front foot impossible. There was no switch frontside 180° here. Also it’s a 180° nosegrind. Correct answer is Backside 180° Nosegrind Switch Front Foot Impossible.” We can see that there are some pretty deep debates in skate culture about trick names and definitions.
The more technical argument sparked much bigger thoughts on where modern skateboarding is going. Most admitted they would never even begin to believe that tricks like these are today normal. “guy there is so much insane shit these kids are doing today it’s fucking Minghag,” one commenter said, the misspelling of ‘mayhem’ adding chaotic energy to the sentiment. Another follower, Elderly Skater, said, “😂😂😂 foreal man lol as someone who skated and was decent growing up… Never understood how people could have so much control over their board that they could do lit flip tricks OUT OF or IN TO grinds. Shits nuts lol” This is another shot at generational divide in skateboarding, where the difficulty of tricks has grown exponentially.
The theme of aging in the sport was sprinkled throughout many comments. “i feel like the new age skaters in 2025 are so insanely good especially the younger skaters some of these kids are going insane shit .. kinda jealous but then i remember id break my 💩and falling today hurts 10x more,” one said. It was a true mix of admiration and joking self-preservation, a bit that a lot of people connected with. The nostalgia for the game being “videogame” style also could be heard: “That’s some videogame shii right there,” said a user, likening the stunt to whatever the virtual equivalent would be.
There was brief debate on the location of the clip, one poser insisting, “Isn’t that lot 11 Miami?,” only to be corrected by others confirming it’s indeed Milwaukee. This really speaks to the eagle-eyed skate community that can identify a spot with just a handful of frames. The mood rivalry instead admires Chaz Ortiz’s capability. As one fan remarked, “Haha that’s fucking lit bro. Also I couldn’t even imagine being shouted out by bam margera 😭😭 must be so sick,” which is recognition of what a shout-out from someone like Margera really meant.
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Bam Margera writes-and-it-was-offensive-reminder-that-the-man-still-has-his-finger-firmly-on-the-pulse-of-skateboarding. His personal life has been somewhat tumultuous, but he’s never lost appreciation of raw, progressive talent. Celebrating a “bonkers” trick of Chaz Ortiz, his post acted as a salute to a fellow skater and the initiation of a dialogue on skill, progression, and the sick trajectory of today’s street skating. That reaction alone proves that skateboarding is still watching, analyzing, and utterly impressed when somebody throws down mind-boggling tricks. Recently, Margera celebrated his son Phoenix’s first day of school and also debuted a custom Baltimore suit after a four-year wait. He has also been spotted skating with American Idol star Oliver Steele in Tennessee and sharing a cryptic video while heading to FDR Skatepark.
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