Transition (‘tranny’) skating uses curved ramp surfaces — quarter pipes, half pipes, bowls and vert ramps — as opposed to the flat ground and street obstacles of street skating. It emphasises generating speed by pumping the transitions, carving lines, and performing airs (flying above the coping), grinds on the coping and lip tricks. Transition skating descends partly from the empty-swimming-pool skating of 1970s California. It demands a different feel from street skating — commitment to speed and the curved wall — and many skaters favour one discipline, though plenty do both.
Key points
- Skating curved ramps and bowls
- Pump for speed, carve lines, do airs
- Descends from pool skating
- Distinct feel from street skating