The Top 10 Fingerboard Riders in the World
Photo: Frankenpost Germany
From the pioneers who defined modern fingerboarding to the new generation pushing the limits of technical consistency, creativity and competition.
Fingerboarding has changed dramatically since the days of Tech Decks and homemade obstacles. What was once a toy became a global subculture, complete with professional riders, international competitions, specialist brands, dedicated parks and a competitive scene that stretches across Europe, North America, Asia and beyond.
But who are the top fingerboard riders in the world?
There is no universally accepted ranking. Competitive results tell only part of the story. Some riders have dominated contests, others have revolutionised style, while others have influenced generations through videos, tutorials, product development or simply by being around long enough to become part of fingerboarding's history.
Rather than pretending there is an objective mathematical ranking, this list considers competition results, technical ability, longevity, influence, style and contribution to the culture.
1. Alex Christ 🇩🇪
Alex Christ represents the transition between fingerboarding's established competitive generation and its current future.
In June 2026, Christ won Fast Fingers 22, defeating Danil Aldoshin in the final to become the 2026 Fingerboard World Champion. Francisco Martins and 2024 champion Ramon Angelow shared third place.
Christ had already been competing at the highest level for years, finishing fourth in 2016 and fourth again in 2019.
Why he makes the list: World Champion in 2026, a long competitive history and one of the defining names of the current generation.
2. Ramon Angelow 🇩🇪
Ramon Angelow won the 2024 Fast Fingers World Championship and has remained one of the most consistent riders in modern competitive fingerboarding.
His strength is not simply spectacular individual tricks but the ability to construct complete runs and perform under competitive pressure.
Why he makes the list: World Champion, elite consistency and one of the strongest competitive riders of the current era.
3. Elias Assmuth 🇦🇹
Before today's generation of highly technical riders, there was Elias Assmuth.
Assmuth became the first official Fingerboard World Champion in 2008.
His historical importance is difficult to overstate. He wasn't simply an early champion; he became the first name written into the history of the modern World Championship.
Why he makes the list: The first Fingerboard World Champion and one of the longest-standing elite riders in the scene.
4. Petr Ptáček 🇨🇿
Few competitive records are as impressive as Petr Ptáček's three consecutive Fast Fingers World Championship victories.
He won in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Three consecutive titles demonstrated sustained competitive dominance rather than a single breakthrough performance.
Why he makes the list: Three consecutive world championships, one of the greatest competitive runs in fingerboarding history.
5. Dimitri Schlotthauer 🇩🇪
Dimitri Schlotthauer won the 2010 Fingerboard World Championship and remained a major competitive presence for years afterwards.
He was still competing at Fast Fingers 21 in 2024, finishing seventh.
Why he makes the list: World Champion, longevity and the ability to remain competitive across different generations.
6. Mike Schneider 🇺🇸
Mike Schneider's importance goes beyond contest results.
He is one of the most recognisable American names in fingerboarding, with a long association with Blackriver and a distinctive approach to riding.
His name has also become closely associated with equipment, with Blackriver producing a dedicated Mike Schneider selection.
Why he makes the list: American influence, distinctive style, longevity and cultural recognition.
7. Chris Daniels 🇺🇸
Chris Daniels, better known as CD Playa, is one of the most important figures in American fingerboarding history.
Daniels began fingerboarding in 1998 and became involved with the online community in 1999. His career developed into professional sponsorships, international travel, competitions and extensive content creation.
His influence isn't limited to riding. He helped document and communicate fingerboarding during its formative internet era.
Why he makes the list: An early major American rider, a professional career, distinctive technical style and a contribution to fingerboarding media and community.
8. Francisco Martins 🇵🇹
Francisco Martins represents the increasingly international nature of modern fingerboarding.
He finished second at Fast Fingers 21 in 2024 and returned to the podium in 2026 with a joint third-place finish.
Two World Championship podium appearances demonstrate elite-level consistency.
Why he makes the list: World Championship podium appearances in 2024 and 2026 and elite-level consistency.
9. Timo Kranz 🇩🇪
Timo Kranz is one of the original names of the modern World Championship era.
He won the 2009 Fingerboard World Championship, becoming the second official champion after Elias Assmuth.
His continued appearances at major Fast Fingers events demonstrate longevity.
Why he makes the list: 2009 World Champion and an important figure from the first generation of official World Championship competition.
10. Berta Gutiérrez Díaz 🇪🇸
Berta Gutiérrez Díaz represents the international nature of elite fingerboarding.
She finished fourth at the 2015 World Championship and has remained connected to the highest levels of the scene.
Her career is another reminder that the elite scene has expanded far beyond the early German and Central European contests.
Why she makes the list: Elite competitive history, longevity and representation of the international growth of competitive fingerboarding.
Honourable Mentions
Tobias "Stolly" Stoll, Nico Frank, Danil Aldoshin, Valentin Leiber, Tommaso Busoni, Jeldo Ulpts and Markus Schmidinger all deserve consideration.
The history of Fast Fingers shows how many generations of elite riders have contributed to the sport.
What Makes a Great Fingerboarder?
Elite fingerboarding involves several different skills:
- Technical ability
- Consistency
- Creativity
- Style
- Competition performance
- Longevity
- Influence
The greatest riders aren't necessarily the people who perform the single most difficult trick.
Some dominate contests. Some innovate. Some develop styles that other riders copy. Some document the culture. Others inspire an entire generation.
The New Generation vs the Legends
Perhaps the most exciting thing about fingerboarding in 2026 is that these generations now overlap.
The first World Champion, Elias Assmuth, remains connected to the same Blackriver team environment as the newest World Champion, Alex Christ.
Meanwhile, riders such as Ramon Angelow, Francisco Martins, Nico Frank and Danil Aldoshin are competing alongside riders who grew up watching the previous generation.
Fingerboarding has enough history now to have legends.
It also has enough new talent to keep challenging them at the top.
Who Is the Greatest?
There is no single objective answer.
Petr Ptáček has the three-title argument. Elias Assmuth has the historical argument. Dimitri Schlotthauer and Timo Kranz have longevity. Alex Christ represents the current championship generation. Ramon Angelow represents modern consistency. Chris Daniels and Mike Schneider demonstrate that influence cannot be measured solely through trophies.
That is what makes fingerboarding interesting.
There isn't just one way to be great.
There are contest riders, innovators, technicians, filmmakers, teachers, pioneers and style icons.
And every generation produces another group determined to push the limits further.
The next ten years of fingerboarding could completely change this list.