You remember the smell of a new PlayStation 2 manual? That glossy paper scent and the promise of a soundtrack that would define your entire personality for the next decade? If you were hunched over a CRT television in the early 2000s, you weren't just playing a game. You were living in the Neversoft era. And in that era, specifically within the transition from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4, there’s this specific bit of DNA that sticks in the craw of every completionist: the THPS 3 4 stiffy over the hill.
It’s a phrase that sounds like gibberish to anyone who didn't grow up trying to 100% the Foundry or Alcatraz. But for the rest of us? It’s a mechanical nightmare.
The Stiffy isn't just a trick. It's a statement. It’s one of those grab tricks that feels heavier than a standard Indy or Melon. Your skater—maybe you picked Geoff Rowley or Elissa Steamer—kicks their board out, legs locked, completely rigid. It’s awkward. It’s risky. And when the game demands you pull a THPS 3 4 stiffy over the hill, usually as part of a specific gap or a high-score line, the physics of the old Neversoft engine start to feel very, very real.
The Physics of the Stiffy and Why It Matters
Let’s be real for a second. The Tony Hawk games weren't ever "realistic." You could grind a telephone wire for three miles while doing a kickflip underflip. But the internal logic of the games mattered. In THPS 3, the introduction of the Revert changed everything. It connected vert ramps to manual lines, making infinite combos possible. By the time THPS 4 rolled around, the levels got bigger. They got weirder. The goals stopped being two-minute runs and became open-world challenges.
When you’re trying to clear a "hill" gap—whether it’s the rolling slopes of the Suburbia level in 3 or the massive drops in 4’s Kona or San Francisco—the Stiffy is a dangerous choice. Why? Because of the animation.
Unlike a quick mute grab, the Stiffy has a long "wind-up" and "wind-down." Your legs are straight. If you clip the lip of the hill or the "over the hill" transition while your skater is still in that locked-out pose, you’re hitting the pavement. Hard. It’s a trick that demands height. You can't just pop a small ollie. You need the full arc.
The Evolution of the Gap
In the third game, the "hill" was often a literal geographic feature. Think about the Suburbia map. You had those wooden ramps and the central trailer park area. Clearing a gap "over the hill" meant navigating the awkward geometry that Neversoft loved to use to trip players up.
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By Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, the "hill" became more metaphorical. It was about the steepness. Think about the San Francisco level. If you’re trying to nail a grab trick over a specific transition there, you aren't just fighting the score; you’re fighting the gravity of a game engine that was being pushed to its absolute limit on the hardware of the time.
Breaking Down the Stiffy Trick Input
Honestly, if you're struggling with the THPS 3 4 stiffy over the hill requirements, you have to look at your controller layout. Back then, it was simple. But simple doesn't mean easy.
- THPS 3 Input: Usually Right + Circle (on PlayStation) or B (on Xbox/GameCube).
- The Problem: If you accidentally tilt the stick diagonally, you’re doing a Madonna or a Benihana. Both are cool, but neither counts for the "Stiffy" gap.
- The Commit: You have to hold it. A "tapped" Stiffy rarely registers for specific high-point gaps. You need to see those legs lock out.
I’ve seen people lose entire 5-million-point combos because they tried to sneak a Stiffy into a "clear the hill" gap at the end of a line. The board flies away. The bail animation plays. You want to throw the controller through the window. We've all been there.
Why "Over the Hill" Is the Real Enemy
The phrase "over the hill" in these games usually refers to a specific Gap. Gaps were the secret sauce of THPS. They weren't just about points; they were about finding the "intended" line the developers hid in the architecture.
In the transition between the two games, the "hill" gaps became more complex. In the earlier titles, a gap was usually just Point A to Point B. By THPS 4, they started adding "Transfer" gaps. You had to clear one quarter-pipe, fly over a piece of scenery (the hill), and land in another.
The Specificity of the THPS 3 4 Stiffy Over the Hill
When you combine a specific trick like the Stiffy with a specific geographic requirement like "over the hill," you’re looking at a precision challenge.
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- Speed is your best friend and your worst enemy. Too much speed and you overshoot the landing ramp, missing the gap trigger. Too little, and you don't clear the "hill" part.
- The Angle. You can't hit these hills head-on usually. You have to carve.
- The Revert. If you’re doing this in a combo, you have to be ready to Revert the moment you hit the transition on the other side of the hill.
The Stiffy, specifically, has a wide hitbox for the skater. Because your legs are extended, you’re "taller" in the air. This makes it way easier to clip overhead objects or the top edge of a fence while trying to clear the hill.
Is It Different in the Remakes?
Kinda. When Vicarious Visions released Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, they updated the physics. Everything is smoother. But the "stiffness" of the Stiffy remains. If you’re playing the older versions—maybe on an emulator or original hardware—the THPS 3 4 stiffy over the hill challenges feel "crunchier."
There’s a certain lag to the animations in the original THPS 3 on PS1 versus the PS2 version. If you’re on the PS1 version, God help you. The frame rate makes timing that grab over a hill transition feel like a game of Russian roulette with your combo meter.
Real Talk: The Community Obsession
Why do we still talk about this? Because the Tony Hawk community is built on these specific, niche frustrations. Go on any old forum or the THPS subreddit, and you’ll find people complaining about specific gap triggers. "The game didn't count my Stiffy!" or "I cleared the hill, where's my Blue Tape?"
It’s part of the charm. These games were built with a "skater" mentality—try, fail, try again, fail better.
How to Nail the Stiffy Over the Hill Every Time
If you’re currently staring at a screen trying to get this done, here is the actual, non-nonsense way to do it. Stop trying to "freestyle" it.
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First, look for the literal markers. Most "hill" gaps in THPS 3 and 4 have a specific "entry" point. Usually, it’s a piece of discolored concrete or a specific piece of plywood.
- Line up your approach. Don't wiggle. Use the D-pad if you have to. Analog sticks in 2002 were notoriously twitchy.
- Ollie at the very last millisecond. You want the maximum "pop" off the transition.
- The Input. Tap Right + Circle (or your equivalent) immediately. Do not wait for the peak of your jump. You need the animation to finish before you start your descent.
- Let go early. This is the mistake everyone makes. They hold the grab too long because it looks cool. Let go of the Stiffy while you're still at the apex of the jump. This gives the skater time to pull their legs back in and prepare for the landing.
If you’re doing this in THPS 4, remember that you can "skitch" behind vehicles to get extra speed. If there’s a car going past the hill, grab on, get that boost, and then launch. It makes the "over the hill" part trivial.
The Legacy of the Neversoft Era
The THPS 3 4 stiffy over the hill era represents the peak of arcade extreme sports. Before the series got too bogged down with Underground’s story or American Wasteland’s "no loading screens" (which were actually just long hallways), it was just about the movement.
The Stiffy isn't a "glamour" trick like the 900 or the Kickflip Backflip. It’s a workhorse trick. It’s for the blue-collar skater. It’s for the person who wants to see every single gap listed in the menu turn from gray to gold.
Honestly, the sheer frustration of missing a Stiffy over a hill in Suburbia is a rite of passage. If you haven't shouted at a digital version of Tony Hawk because his legs wouldn't uncurl fast enough, have you even really played the game?
What to Do Next
If you’re heading back into the games to finally clear this, do yourself a favor:
- Check your stats. If your "Air" or "Hangtime" stats aren't maxed out, you're making life harder for yourself. Go find some more stat points.
- Practice the "Fastplant." Double-tap Up then Ollie. It gives you a higher jump than a standard Ollie, making those "over the hill" gaps way more forgiving.
- Watch a speedrun. Seriously. Watch someone like George "Bullet" Pulido or other THPS legends. See how they approach the geometry. They don't look at a hill as an obstacle; they look at it as a launchpad.
Go back to the Foundry. Go back to the College. Nail that Stiffy. Turn the music up—maybe some CKY or Motörhead—and remember why these games were the only thing that mattered for a few years. Once you land that specific gap, the rest of the game feels like a downhill coast. Just don't forget to Revert. Always, always Revert.