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Ramps and Rails:
So what do you do when just
carving up and down the same street / park gets a little monotonous? BUILD A
RAMP! A ramp is a good idea if you have somewhere to keep it and intend to use
it. All you need to do is get your hands on some wood and any other materials
you may want to use. You can however go all out and get new wood, paint etc and
build a ramp that will last a long time and will look good in all your trick
photos.
I have built a basic wedge
style ramp for my frame board. I am doing this because I want to jump long
distances, not high up in the air. Before you think about building a ramp
you should consider whether or not there is somewhere to build some dirt
kickers as they are much better for a mountain boards in my honest
opinion. Steps to build a wedge ramp:
1. Draw up a design and plan out all
the aspects of your ramp: dimensions, style etc. Take into consideration
what you want to do, your board and your riding style.
2. Find some wood. Get Some ply wood
and as many planks as you need. Look around before you go and buy the
stuff - building sites will usually have scraps that you can have.
3. Your ramps dimensions should be
relative to your board. Make sure it is longer than your board and is wide
enough to come in at a few different angles.
4. Cut up all the wood and set it up
in the manner you feel is correct. Nail everything together form the
outside in.
  
Rails
Here is a picture of my
"Dodgy Rail of Doom." Be warned! If you intend on building a rail please do
a better job than I did.
The best way to build a rail
is to get two long poles (metal or PVC or both) whack them together and then
erect them on a stable base. Once the rail is stable (VERY STABLE!) then you
can wax it up and start grinding it. There a plenty of different style,
double rails, hex rails, rainbow rails and so forth. It is pretty difficult
to ride them on the ATB but its a pretty handy skill to develop.
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Ramp Rail Porta Set
Ok so you cant be stuffed going to all the trouble of building a rail or a
kicker/ wedge ramp but you still want to have some obstacles to show off
your skills. This is a good alternative.
Get some bricks or a log of wood or something that can be used to raise your
sheet of ply to the desired height. Then get your un-mounted rail and place
it on the other side of the ramp. Then you'll end up having a quick and easy
ramp and rail set just like this one:
 
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Safety:
| Always remember to wear a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and
wrist guards whenever riding on your board. Yeah it might not look too
'cool' but it could save your life. I have had numerous instances where I
have clocked some pretty hairy speeds and got thrown off my board due to
speed wobbles, had I not have been wearing my helmet and other gear I am
certain that I would've donated 10 kilos of flesh and most of the insides of
my skull to the Canning St Reserve curators. ALWAYS GEAR UP!
  :Its
fun to slide......... not lose your hide!: |
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