AEW’s resident daredevil Darby Allin just made history in the most Darby Allin way possible: by landing a kickflip thousands of feet in the sky, on the side of Mount Freaking Everest. That’s right. While most people are gasping for air at base camp and wondering if altitude sickness is real (it is), Darby’s out here ollie-ing into the stratosphere like Tony Hawk with a death wish and a Sherpa.
In a beard-clad video posted to Instagram that looks like it was shot by a drone with vertigo, Allin nails a clean kickflip at Everest’s Camp 2 — which just so happens to sit at 20,958 feet above sea level. For reference, that’s higher than most people’s hopes, dreams, and credit card debt.
According to Allin, that kickflip now holds the world record for highest elevation kickflip ever landed, a record he made up but which now exists simply because nobody else was reckless enough to try. He confirmed the feat with the aid of a digital watch, a skateboard, and apparently zero regard for oxygen.
Allin’s Everest climb began in early April and is expected to continue into June. So far, updates suggest he’s doing well, which in his case means “still alive and posting videos while ignoring the existence of gravity.” The trek, long delayed due to a 2024 foot injury, had been in his plans for years — because of course it was. This is a man who treats mountains the way most people treat skateparks.
In an interview last year, Darby said he wanted to take on Everest to remind himself he’s capable of anything. Most people use inspirational quotes or therapy. Darby uses snow, cliffs, and imminent danger.
AEW, for its part, is letting him do this mid-contract, proving that either Tony Khan is incredibly supportive… or just gave up trying to stop him.
When he returns, Allin will presumably bring back a renewed spirit, a tattered snowboard sponsor offer, and possibly the lung capacity of a Himalayan goat.