Skateboarders fly down SF's Dolores Street at insane speeds in flash 'hill bomb'

Hundreds of skateboarders zoomed down a steep section of Dolores Street on July 11, 2019, in an impromptu "hill bomb." Hundreds of skateboarders zoomed down a steep section of Dolores Street on July 11, 2019, in an impromptu "hill bomb." Photo: Kiara Gil, Instagram: Photo_ki.gil Photo: Kiara Gil, Instagram: Photo_ki.gil Image 1 of / 25 Caption Close Skateboarders fly down SF's Dolores Street at insane speeds in flash 'hill bomb' 1 / 25 Back to Gallery

With incredible skill and speed, skateboarders from across the Bay Area flew down a steep section of Dolores Street in San Francisco's Mission District Thursday night.

The impromptu gathering, organized by word-of-mouth and call-outs in social media, drew hundreds to take part in the "hill bombing" — skating down a street as fast as you possibly can for the ultimate adrenaline rush.

The skaters of all ages — some kids looked no older than 10 years old — zoomed down the hill, turning several blocks of the east side of the city's iconic palm-lined street into the ultimate skating course. As they wooshed by, they held their arms carefully placed at their sides for balance. Some wore masks and interesting hats — one skater had a balloon bouquet wrapped around his neck.

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Matt Beaton, 22, who traveled from Sacramento to skate Dolores, described the vibe as "super-charged."

"Everyone was seeking maximum brutality of epic proportions," said Beaton who has been skating for 15 years. "I got the invite today to come bomb some hills with my best friends and there's nothing on earth I'd rather do."

The skaters attracted a crowd who cheered on the athletes and were wowed by their stunts. Many took photos with their phones, but unless you had a professional camera it was tricky to capture anything more than a blur; the hill racers were moving way way too fast.

"It stops everyone in their tracks," said Alina Osborn, 19, a San Francisco resident who was attending for the second year in a row. "I love seeing my friends skate down the hill. It's also intense because you don't want them to fall."

"I don't skate, but I have a lot of friends who do," said Kiara Gil, who was on the sidelines taking photos. "I was just there to support them and get the insanity of it all on my camera. It's a cool event because it was organized solely by the skating community in San Francisco and it's had the same huge turnout for the last three years just through word-of-mouth."

This is the third hill bomb of this scale to take place on Dolores Street in recent years. At the 2017 event, conflict arose between skaters and police, and the San Francisco Chronicle reported there were fights and bottles thrown, but this year's hill bomb appeared to be peaceful, though possibly a surprise for people living in the neighborhood and drivers passing by.

Amy Graff is a news producer for SFGATE. Email her at agraff@sfgate.com.