Mat Hoffman, The Birth of Big Air

The Birth of Big Air, a documentary about Mat Hoffman, premiered this weekend in NYC. It was received well and I encourage you buy this movie as soon as you can. Matt was a pioneer of the vert ramp, going huge, and pushing the limits of what is/was possible on a BMX bike. This video shows us some of the happenings at the premiere including Kevin Robinson doing 6 flairs in a row in tribute to the first person to ever land a flair, Mat Hoffman.

Mat was the inventor of so many tricks I will not even begin to try and list them all, but I want to mention the no handed 900.

At the X Games in 2002, everyone was wondering why the Condor came back. We all thought he retired as was not the same. Then he drops in and does a trick that had never and still to this day has never been done again in a competition. It has been 8 years since this happened, but Matt was so far ahead of everyone else this trick stands alone. If you don't remember this happening, watch the video a few times and pay attention to the other riders they show for a few seconds, even they are in disbelief at what they just saw. Mat Hoffman, AKA the Condor, a legend in his own time, and hero to me.