The Unbreakable Nyjah Huston

Street skating is known for epic tricks—and epic falls. So how is it possible that the sport’s top dog has escaped intact? 

- Alyssa Roenigk

Nyjah Huston doesn’t give much thought to his bones, the 206 collagen-and-calcium pieces that form one of the greatest, most consistent street skaters the sport has seen. But others do.

“People always ask how many bones I’ve broken,” says Huston, 22, who looks to add to his eight gold medals at X Games Minneapolis (July 13-16). “They ask because I skate big stairs and rails, and I’ve been known to take gnarly slams. Almost every skateboarder has broken at least one bone.” But not Huston. “None,” he says. “I’ve never broken a bone.” 

Huston does have a way of making the most technical tricks down terrifyingly steep rails look effortless, and he rarely falls, even at the most high-pressure moments. But when he does, those slams are often spectacular and cringe worthy.