SKATE SETUPS
Vert

Vert Skater Setups

Vert skating happens on large half-pipes where skaters reach the vertical section and launch into the air. It demands courage, strength, and technical mastery.

37 pro riders
street park transition

What Defines a Vert Skating Setup

Vert skating happens on full-size half-pipes — typically 11 to 13 feet tall with a true vertical section above the transition. The setup is built for one priority: stability at speed and on landings from massive airs. Vert decks are noticeably wider than street decks, wheels are larger to carry speed across flat bottoms, and trucks are tightened for predictable response when launching above the coping. There's very little technical-flip overlap with street here.

We track the complete setups of 37 professional vert skaters in our database. The numbers below are aggregated directly from those verified setups.

What 37 Pro Vert Skaters Actually Ride

Decks

57.1% of pro vert skaters in our database ride decks between 8.0" and 8.5" wide. The most common size is 8.5", chosen by 27.0% of vert pros. 10" (5.4%) is the next most popular. The average vert pro deck is 8.71" wide , with Birdhouse Skateboards the most-ridden deck brand at 18.9%.

Trucks

Independent Trucks leads truck choice at 64.9% of pro vert skaters. Thunder Trucks is second at 18.9%. Together, the top two brands account for 83.8% of all pro vert truck choices , with Slappy Trucks (5.4%) the most common alternative.

Wheels

The average vert pro wheel is 57.3mm. 60mm is the most-ridden size at 16.2%, followed by 56mm at 10.8%. Bones Wheels dominates wheel brand choice at 35.1% of vert pros, with Spitfire Wheels second at 27.0%.

Bearings

Bones Swiss leads at 13.5% of pro vert skaters with verified bearing data , followed by Bones at 13.5%. Pros consistently choose precision bearings over budget options because performance under repeated impact matters at this level.

Shoes

Shoe choice is more distributed than wheels or trucks. Vans leads at 40.5%, followed by DC Shoes (8.1%) and Nike SB (8.1%). Treat shoe data as a quality signal across the top brands rather than a strict recommendation — sponsorship plays a heavy role here.

How Vert Setups Compare

Vert is the stability end of the spectrum. Compared to street setups, vert decks are roughly half an inch wider on average, wheels are larger, and Independent trucks become near-universal. The shift makes sense: when you're landing 8 feet above the deck, every millimetre of platform helps and every degree of unwanted truck turn is a problem. This is why most vert pros' setups would feel sluggish to a street skater — and most street setups would feel terrifying on a real ramp.

Component StreetParkVert
Deck width
8.30"avg
8.25"median
8.36"avg
8.38"median
8.71"avg
8.50"median
Wheel size
53.1mmavg
53.0mmmedian
54.7mmavg
54.0mmmedian
57.3mmavg
58.0mmmedian
Top truck Independent Trucks (35.8%)Independent Trucks (60.4%)Independent Trucks (64.9%)

Browse All Vert Pros

Vert Setup FAQ

What deck size do most pro vert skaters ride?

The most common deck size among pro vert skaters is 8.5", ridden by 27.0% of the 37 pros in our database. The average vert pro deck width is 8.71", and 57.1% ride somewhere between 8.0" and 8.5".

What truck brand is most popular for vert skating?

Independent Trucks is the most-ridden truck brand among pro vert skaters, chosen by 64.9% of the 37 pros in our database. Thunder Trucks is the next most popular at 18.9%, with the top two brands together accounting for 83.8% of all pro vert truck setups.

What wheel size do pro vert skaters use?

The average pro vert skater rides 57.3mm wheels. 60mm is the most-ridden specific size at 16.2%, and Bones Wheels is the dominant wheel brand at 35.1% of the 37 pros tracked.

What shoes do pro vert skaters wear?

Vans leads vert skating shoe choice at 40.5% of pros in our database, but the field is more distributed than wheels or trucks because shoe choice is heavily influenced by sponsorship. Treat the data as a quality signal across the top brands.

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