Tom landed the trick while skating the MegaRamp at Woodward West action sports camp in Tehachapi, California last week, and video of his efforts is now making waves on YouTube.



"It was the hardest trick I've ever done, but it was easier than I thought," Tom told ESPN.



His dad, Nick, said he landed it on only his fifth attempt.



"He warmed up with 10 gay twists [a fakie to forward mute-grab 360], half a dozen 720s, and I think he threw a 900 in there. Then he did the 1080 on his fifth try. Then he went back and did it again the next day," he told ESPN.



Tom, only 1.52m tall, had grown up skating with his older brother, Nick said.



"John was pretty darn good, and Tom just copied him," said Nick.

Some commenters on YouTube suggested Tom's feat was less impressive than Tony Hawk's 900, the previous benchmark, because Hawk's trick was landed on a normal halfpipe, rather than a purpose-built ramp.

Hawk himself was more generous: "Tom Schaar nailed it."