Still in his teens, San Diego’s Alex Perelson is on the short list of elite younger skaters breathing fresh life into the highly technical and often unforgiving sport of vert skating. Possessing 540 variations and the 720, Perelson is a threat to podium and, often, a top ten lock whenever he shows up to rip contests. And remember; he’s often skating against guys at least ten to 15-years older than him! Perelson hit the vert scene hard at 13 years old when he won the Dam Am Vert contest in Costa Mesa (Calif.) – throwing down with a 540 on his last run (which, at the time, made him the youngest rider to ever pull that hairball vert trick in a comp). From there it was “On,” as they say, and Perelson began his meteoric rise up the vert charts.

In ’05 Perelson turned pro (at age 16) and proceeded to step up and place 2nd at the LG Action Sports World Championships in Manchester, England. Competing on his skateboard in places such as Dubai, Mexico City and Copenhagen – while his friends were attending high school football games back in SoCal – Perelson set a course for skateboard stardom and has not let up. Backed by giants Volcom and Vans, Perelson will be counted on by legions of old school vert riders to help a carry the sport’s torch in the coming years. It’s a heavy task, but the dude’s proved he’s already up for it.