SKATE: The Love for Backyard Ramps

With the ongoing addition of elite skate parks popping up all over the world, it seems to be harder to find a secret spot. Before the skate park boom of the mid to

late 1990’s there were minimal parks and ramps were something that one would hear about and travel to see for yourself. Sometimes you would drive for an hour only to find that it had been torn down, or is chained up or guarded by a large pig, like the legendary pig ramp of florida.

Most of the time it would be a successful skate journey culminating in a great session with good friends and a great memory. My friend Eddie called and told me

that his friend said that a guy just positioned 2 quarter pipes in the woods facing each other on a concrete slab at an undisclosed location. When we got there we walked along the path near some condos and some undeveloped wooded area near a swampy river about a hundred yards in was a clearing with a semi smooth concrete foundation and the 2 ramps.

The make shift mini ramp (2 qp’s) was about 3 feet tall and 8 feet wide with metal coping and sheeted with good old plywood. There were holes, uneven coping and sketchy decks but an amazing find. We skated for over an hour and had more fun than we do at some great skate parks. Maybe it was because it was out of context and reminded us of how it was when parks and backyard ramps were too much of an insurance risk.

It was indeed someone’s sanctuary where hours were put in to the completion of a simple set up. It was for sure a great way to spend the afternoon. Go make a sanctuary for yourself!