We’ve all been there – almost as soon as you leave the lip of the jump, you know it’s going wrong.

You’re off balance, your arms waving wildly, your torso twitching like a fish out of water. You desperately try to bail out and brace yourself for impact and then… All of a sudden you’re riding away. Or you’re getting up and dusting yourself off. And somehow, miraculously, you’re unscathed.

There are times when the action sports gods smile on you and slams that look and feel life-threatening (or at least likely to end in a broken limb) end up being absolutely fine. Here are 10 classic examples of slams that riders’ had no right to walk away from… but somehow did.

1) Plummeting Out of Control Off a 100ft Cliff

He might not be able to link turns properly but doesn’t stop Morgan ‘Coonman’ Rose from hucking himself off monster cliffs in the Mt Baker backcountry. And somehow he rides away unscathed!

2) The Best BMX Bail Out Ever

That’s what you call quitting while you’re ahead.

3) “You Just Fell 15 Foot Headfirst…”

We’re still not sure how skateboarder Luke Jones walked away from this one. Stairs aren’t usually what you want to break your fall…

4) Escaping the Clutches of a Tree

You fly wildly out of control into a tree and somehow manage to style it out? That’s when you know lady luck likes you.

5) Dodging Death Twice in Two Seconds

This guy definitely just used up 8 of his 9 lives. No wonder he looks a bit shocked!

6) Taking One to the Temple

So she may not exactly be happy here, but Ivy Martin walked out of this without needing stitches or suffering concussion. How? We’re not sure either. But she’s one tough cookie…

7) A Helmet-Shattering Blow

Manon Carpenter was looking good in this year’s Fort William downhill world cup. Until, just before the finish line, this happened. Still, her speed in brushing it off meant she still bagged fourth place.

8) The Accidental Frontflip

I most people caught their nose dropping off something like this, they’d be toast. But not Jed Anderson. The surprise on his face tells you everything though… he had no right to land that.

9) The Casual Jog Out

This guy makes it look so casual it’s like he’s just tripped on a paving stone… rather than narrowly avoided eating metal.

10) The BASE Jumping Death Drop

So we’re stretching the definition of “walked away” on this last one – apparently it took Ivan three months to walk after he shattered his pelvis and broke his leg here. But we’ve included it here just because it’s frankly incredible that the young Russian survived this at all, let alone walked again. They’re made of tough stuff in Siberia!

The Indestructibles, a new TV show sponsored by G-Shock, is coming soon to Dave.

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