The biggest competition that he has won was the vert contest at the 2001 X-Games. Before his final run- the last run of the event- Burnquist was sitting in second place behind two-time defending champion Bucky Lasek. Burnquist produced a flawless run, including multiple tricks that had never been seen before, and as a result, were unnamed. During the run, commentator Tony Hawk went hoarse and nearly lost his voice while screaming in disbelief. Burnquist was rewarded with a 98, the highest score ever given in skateboard vert.

His speciality is switch stance skateboarding. He has always tried to find new ways to make his tricks more creative and more difficult. He has a signature trick called "one-footed smith grind". Burnquist has also been featured in the hit video game, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and appeared in all of its sequels. However, he was not featured in Pro Skater 3 because of license restrictions, as he was featured in another video game, X-Games Skateboarding, during that year. He is again, however, a featured skater in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series.

He also won a gold medal on the 2005 X-Games Best Trick vert contest.

Bob Burnquist is the only skater to go over a loop ramp with a gap in it. Not only was the loop gapped, but he also did the gap switch. He is also the first skater to go through a loop while riding switch stance, and the first to go all the way around a full pipe just by pumping up to speed inside it. In 2000, Burnquist won the X-Games' best trick contest with his famous fakie 5-0, fakie Kickflip out off of the grind bar.

Burnquist also completed a BASE jump after attempting a world class rail slide off of a cliff of gigantic proportions. The first attempt nearly cost Burnquist his life after he missed the rail and fell out of control before regaining himself and successfully deploying his parachute. After some adjustments to the take-off ramp his second attempt went off flawlessly.

He also owns a world-renowned vert ramp in his backyard.