| SkullandBonesSkateboards.com Forum Index » RAMPS » Seattle Vert Ramp |
|
Page 4 of 5 Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Next |
|
| Author |
Message |
| tonezz |
 Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 6:00 pm |
 |
|
Joined: 12 Jun 2003
Posts: 391
Location: cultus lake bc
|
| stoked...set up my paypal donation monthly, heading down this weekend. 2hr drive from here....super amped! |
_________________
antonio |
|
| Back to top |
    
|
|
|
| and123 |
| Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 3:16 am |
|
|
ORDER OF THE SKULL
Joined: 06 Mar 2012
Posts: 1231
Location: Australia
|
...W  W..
...awesome...  |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| tonezz |
| Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 2:31 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 12 Jun 2003
Posts: 391
Location: cultus lake bc
|
best time ive had in seattle... new vert ramp is sweet. jefferson and woodlands also amazing!!
 |
_________________
antonio |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
| MuffBreff |
| Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 7:24 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 01 Oct 2011
Posts: 796
Location: Seattle
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Vismania |
| Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 11:50 pm |
|
|
ORDER OF THE SKULL
Joined: 10 Jan 2013
Posts: 1338
Location: Philthadelphia
|
^^^looks like a good ole time  |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| MuffBreff |
| Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2013 2:20 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 01 Oct 2011
Posts: 796
Location: Seattle
|
Here's a nice little piece written by ramp local Rob.
"The dream to build a covered, competition-sized vert ramp in Seattle was a concept which I overheard at a local skateboard park almost a year ago. The idea sounded incredible and seemed to be little more than someone's dream.
As days passed, the notion of the ramp was captivating and kept me wondering if a project like this could actually gain traction. I needed to learn more information. I searched and found an online conversation by the small group discussing their shared dream. From a safe distance, I began to listen, observing what might transpire.
Without knowing anyone involved, I was hesitant to invest energy. There was little I was able to contribute during the early exploration of potential Seattle property, ramp costs, or general conceptual plans. Some of the challenges being discussed online made it sound like this dream didn’t have a future.
The dreamers persisted.
After months of watching and wondering, I noticed a comment which said that property had been identified and excavation had begun. This implausible event set me into action. I became one of the dreamers and immediately invested my labor with the hope that this exciting project would inspire enough people to make the dream come true.
It was impressive to witness and experience how a few early, and pivotal, investments quickly drove many others to step up and contribute generously to get the project started. In only a matter of days, the site was excavated, initial materials were purchased and volunteers showed up to help build.
The actual process of constructing the ramp proved to be quite challenging. A group of volunteers, most who barely knew each other, were attempting to build a structure which was planned to be larger than most houses and estimated to be covered before the Seattle winter rains arrived.
The skeleton of the ramp was framed under the sun of late summer and started to take shape as the rainy season began. Due to the complicated landscape of our location, there was no access to the site for cranes or construction lifts. Much like a barn-raising during days of old, we needed to work as a team to perform tasks rarely seen on a modern construction site. We shuttled heavy materials by hand down a hillside. Volunteers worked together to complete many of the framing tasks. The cumbersome trusses, first constructed on the ground, were moved by teams of 15 and raised into place using ropes and clever rigging set upon tall scaffold towers. Our efforts to honor and continue the traditions of our collective skateboarding pasts seemed all the more relevant as we employed certain building techniques from before our time.
It was difficult to maintain motivation as our giant wooden structure, and the crew of volunteers, began to feel the onset of a gloomy Seattle winter. It was even more heartbreaking when we realized the first two trusses had been erected with a critical assembly mistake. There was a tension in attempting to determine a solution while accepting the delay in progress. It required extra perseverance to follow our decision to lower, modify and re-set the trusses, yet our careful deliberation allowed the re-work to proceed faster than expected. We had managed through smaller challenges throughout the project and catapulting over this huge challenge reinforced our pride as a group.
Seeing all the giant roof trusses in place injected a fresh dose of inspiration to push the project toward completion. After the trusses were properly set and meticulously tuned using a vast series of cross-braces and tension-cables, our crew of volunteers lifted and pulled with all their might to raise and align the giant fabric roof covering over the entire structure. Though it was mid-winter the ramp was finally sheltered from the rain!
With the roof on, the excitement which had been building for months was explosive. The top layer of riding surface had not yet been installed but that did not stop us from skating the ramp. Along with the others, I brought my skateboard to test my skills. Regardless of the slowing effect of the rough plywood, it was immediately clear that, at 40 years old, I had never ridden a ramp this size. Taking my turns between the local pros who were already dominating the ramp, I resembled child attempting to walk wearing their parent’s shoes. True to the traditions and culture of skateboarding, the experienced skaters challenged, encouraged, and guided while I enjoyed learning the fundamentals.
We were elated with skating the plywood and yet our work was far from done. Over the following weeks we would finish the end-walls, shingle the side roof structures, improve the stairs and site drainage. All of these details came together when we completed installing the final birch riding surface.
Then the real skating began.
The inspiration of this project has been contagious and has managed to bring together the northwest community of people who love skateboarding. Some have been heavily involved with it their whole lives, while others have returned to skateboarding after being away from it for decades.
What brought us together was the same spirit that brings strangers together at skate parks all over the world and allows them to support each other in efforts to improve and master their skills. Each of us brought unique backgrounds and expertise to contribute to the ramp, and yet we have all been touched by skateboarding in a common way at some point in our lives. We came together to continue the skateboarding traditions of daring athleticism, freedom, and the ability to transcend differences to create community - and a true sense of purpose - among people.
The sense of teamwork and community which was formed throughout construction continues to grow stronger as we skate together. It is already possible to see how this epic structure might serve as a monument for years to come. Within that monument will be held some of the lessons bestowed upon myself and our group as we’ve traveled through this experience: you are never too old to do something you love, invest in your community, encourage others, and follow your dreams."
http://seattle.vertramp.org/ |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
| tonezz |
| Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 11:46 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 12 Jun 2003
Posts: 391
Location: cultus lake bc
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| slob-air |
| Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 5:00 pm |
|
|
Site Admin
Joined: 27 Oct 2001
Posts: 63466
Location: S&B HQ
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| warehouse |
| Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2013 1:12 pm |
|
|
ORDER OF THE SKULL
Joined: 23 Jan 2004
Posts: 2014
Location: British Columbia
|
| How long from van to that place? Too bad there isn't a roof on sluggo's set up. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
| SPG |
| Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2013 1:36 pm |
|
|
Joined: 26 Jul 2011
Posts: 10
|
| That thing is beautiful! Nice job! |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
