In 1985, Marty McFly tore through downtown Hill Valley on a skateboard he sort of invented by taking off the top portion of a kid’s homemade scooter in the movie, “Back to the Future.” In the second movie in the trilogy, Marty travels ahead in time to 2015 where the cool kids are all riding hoverboards (except over water, but that is another story).

If you were a skater in 1985, the present day Marty had the kind of skateboard that most people had who were into the sport at the time. A lot of casual skaters grabbed onto the backs of trucks for that extra thrill of the ride, but mostly it was about propelling yourself with your foot and gliding along until you ran out of momentum.

While skating has come a long way since then, the hoverboard isn’t quite what they thought it would get to by 2015. What’s brilliant about skateboarding, though, is how far it actually has come over the thirty-year span between 1985 and 2015. We might not have the kind of hoverboards they had in 2015 Hill Valley, but we have the motorized skateboard, the automatic skateboard, the motor longboard and the electric off road skateboard.

These days, there are so many different ways to enjoy the sport and art of skateboarding. With the United States making up roughly 50% of the global skateboard market, you can be certain you can score some of the best boards out there.

So, what kind of skater are you? This is a great example of how far the sport has come in over three decades since McFly coaxed Biff into crashing his car into the manure truck. Used to be, a skater was just a skater. Now, someone who skates 25 times a year or less is known as a “casual skater” while anything over 25 times a year puts you in the “core skater” category.

The other thing that has changed over the years is where and how you can skate. In the old days, rolling into the dirt was an instant crash. If you’ve ever done it, you probably went flying and then, to add insult to injury, you probably ruined your trucks. Now, the electric off road skateboard or, better yet, the all terrain electric skateboard will allow you to explore the off-road scenes with ease.

So, grab a board and get out there!