Eric Koston was born on April 29, 1975, in Bangkok, Thailand. His family moved to California when he was 8 months old. At the age of 11, Koston’s older brother handed him an old skateboard with mismatched trucks, sparking Eric's lifelong passion for skateboarding.

Koston turned pro in 1993 and quickly made a name for himself. He started with H-Street, co-founded by Tony Magnusson and Mike Ternasky. Later, he joined 101 (a division of World Industries) and the Girl Skateboards team. His journey continued with éS, Lakai, and eventually Nike SB.

Eric Koston is famous for his technical prowess. He pioneered tricks like the “Koston Grind” (a variation of the 5-0 grind) and the “K-Grind” (a crooked grind to 360 flip out). His style blended creativity and precision.

Koston appeared in iconic skate videos, including “Goldfish,” “Mouse,” “Yeah Right,” and “Pretty Sweet.” In “Menikmati,” he returned to his birthplace, Bangkok, showcasing his skills.

Eric Koston has also done well in skate competitions, including:

X Games: He dominated X Games competitions, winning gold medals in street skateboarding.
Street League Skateboarding (SLS): Koston competed in SLS events, showcasing his technical abilities.

Koston’s virtual presence extended to video games. He featured in the Tony Hawk’s series, captivating gamers worldwide.

Beyond skating, Koston co-owns Fourstar Clothing (with Guy Mariano) and “The Berrics” skatepark/website (with Steve Berra).

Eric Koston Skateboarding Videos:

Eric Koston: " Mouse" Skateboard Video

"Koston's amazing board control and effortless snap (especially on those nollies) is on full display in Girl's vid from '96. Lutzka introduces one of the greats."

"That switch frontside heelflip at 1:22 will forever be the most beautiful trick I've ever seen."

"Skating and jazz couldn't go more hand in hand."

"i wouldn't mind having another pair of kostan es. some of the most functional skate shoes i ever had."

Eric Koston: "Menikmati" Skateboard Video

"His skating has never disappointed, but this part made it a written-in-stone, fact of life: Koston's an all-time best. And this was years before Yeah, Right! and Fully Flared. Daryl Angel describes a classic."

"There's just something so nostalgic about watching koston skate in baggy jeans/cargo pants and basketball shoes. Oh and the occasional Lakers jersey, haha. Man, it brings back memories. Golden Era of skateboarding. The 2000s"

"Watching this dawned a realization that TIME is real. Tangible. In every way, shape and form, life is so different. Every emotion evoked watching this and thinking back and never thinking then that we all would age and our teenage or early 20s self would cease to exist. There are some emotions and feelings I felt then and never again. Unreal and no words to express."

"This was the best time in skateboarding. Literally, some of the most important videos came out around this era. And in general things were much more interesting. You had to physically wait to buy a VHS to get the latest content. The excitement of getting the latest skating video was immense."

"Back when skaters were like a lil secret society. Floating around relatively unnoticed and in smaller, tight knit groups going to office complex and school yards after hours. Now I can't even go to a spot without the "hey they have skateparks speech" or skate fast in a SKATEpark without soccer moms telling me how skateboards should behave, while their kid sits on the box. Thanks. Old man back in the good ol days rant. "

Eric Koston "Chomp On This" Skateboard Video

"Chomp" remains one of the all-time great vids to mix up sheer fun and dork tricks with gnarly, hardcore skating."

"I swear to god Koston is the closest we'll get to a skating comedian, that line at 2:20 was so goddamn hilarious"

"Damn, I remember this video part so well, seems like it is burned in my memory even though I haven't watched it that many times. It probably left a lot bigger impact on me than any of the "bangers" video parts nowadays. Chomp on this was such a great video. Koston's interpretation of GG Allin was just priceless."

Eric Koston "Yeah Right" Skateboard Video

"Yeah Right! is a skateboarding video by Girl Skateboards (featuring Chocolate Skateboards), directed by Ty Evans and Spike Jonze. Yeah Right! is notable for its soundtrack, length, and the extensive use of never-before-seen (in a skateboarding video) special effects.

A short prologue pays tribute to skater Keenan Milton, who died in 2001. Milton was part of the Chocolate Skateboards team, a subset of Girl Skateboards.

The introduction credits for the video feature a unique series of shots in ultra-slow motion, filmed with Jonze's personal camera, that is capable of shooting 100 frames per second. The camera is low to the ground and very close to the skateboarder as various flip tricks are completed.

Although Yeah Right features mainly skateboarding, there are many special effects used. There are several different scenes in between skaters' parts which make use of green screen technology, like the "invisible skateboards" bit and other camera effects such as the "magic board" and the "Skatetrix" bits.

A cameo is made by Owen Wilson. He is in a parking lot with Rick Howard, Eric Koston, and Mike Carroll, preparing to perform a trick on a handrail. By framing the camera very carefully, it appears that Wilson attempts the extremely difficult trick (a backside bluntslide). However, while the camera was facing the opposite direction for a moment, Wilson had slipped out of the frame and is replaced by Eric Koston who is wearing a wig and matching clothes. Koston performs the trick down the staircase, and Wilson reappears in the shot after Koston lands to make it look like he completed the trick."

"20 years later still the best street part of all time"

"He was doing so many things at such a high level - manuals, handrails, tech, gaps. The ending section of the part would be still be insane if it dropped today, let alone in 2003"

Eric Koston "Fully Flared" Skateboard Video

"When I see Koston riding , I feel like I can land whatever fuck trick I wanna land. He gives me the energy to skate! I can watch this video for days!"

"Blown away by how good this part is. I did not appreciate HOW good it was back in the day"

"Probably the best street skater in my opinion."

Eric Koston: Nike SB Video Part

"I grew up watching Koston one of the very Best of all time!"

"Still, so fresh & so clean…the smoothest to ever ride a board"

"Koston Is The Best!"