How's it going Steemers??
So last Sunday I had the opportunity to be part of the worlds first inline mega ramp competition in Victoria Australia ☺
Now the mega ramp has been number 1 on my bucket list for so long now and I finally got to tick it off ! It was a day full of mixed emotions. The anxiety leading up to comp was very full on, we had the Australian titles in Geelong the day before and I didnt realy skate much at the comp to save my self from injury, so I could session the mega ramp with everyone. Once you see how big this set up really is the nerves kicked in.
This vert quarter pipe is 28ft high, the biggest vert ramp in the Southern Hemisphere. All though this ramp is so big, it is very forgiving in the angle. It boosts you straight up and not out.
There is 6 roll in points to hit the 3 kickers. The top of the roll in is about 4 storys off the ground. And the biggest roll in's have some vert extensions you can add to get that extra speed.
The smallest kicker send you around 10 meters over the gap.
My one goal was to 360 a mega ramp so that was the trick I practiced all day.
The entire surface is covered in skate lite which is a hard plastic surface, which makes the surface very smooth and forgiving when you crash and slide out.
Now my fear of heights was not in my favour when I was standing at the top of the roll in. I would look down the ramp and my vision went all blurry and I became dizzy, but I had to push through it to be able to session this ramp. It is such a beast!
Now everything I have ever learnt about skating a box jump didnt work on this scale. It is like nothing I have ever skated before. When you hit the lip of the kicker you have to slow your rotation down so much because you are in the air for around 3 seconds and you dont want to over rotate your spin. It took me about three goes at the kicker to work out the spin speed. The first attempt I had I over rotated and landed side ways on the down ramp on my hip.
But I quickly learnt not to do that again haha.
But once I worked it out it was so much fun and the best feeling ever! The speed you get from dropping in on the roll in and the sound of the air whistling past your ears is like nothing else. Then once your in the air its like complete silence untill you stick your landing and you are going so damn fast into this huge quarter pipe.
Now I haven't skated a vert ramp in years let alone the largest vert ramp in the Southern Hemisphere... So it was terrifying to be headed at the beast of a ramp at around 50kmh. So I would try and wash off as much speed as possible before I got to the quarter pipe so I didnt go over the coping, or I would just fall to my knees and slide along the flat.
We all faced our fears on this ramp. And got kind of used to it then it was comp time. I said to the guys my only goal was to 360 the gap and I wasn't going to push my self on any other tricks cause I didnt want to get hurt. Earlier in the day one of the guy's had a crash and dislocated his shoulder.
Nick with a nice methid grab over the knuckle
There was 11 competitors all up in the mega comp and we had two heats with four runs each. I just stuck to my 360's as the other guys pushed their limits to see what the could land.
Nick with a misty attempt
Dingle with a huge back flip
Dingle absolutely shredded the mega ramp. You could see his training on this beast had payed off. He sent the biggest back flip I had ever seen!
Golder was killing it all day as well!
Once the heats were over they called for a finals and some how I made it through. I wasnt expecting that at all, as I was just playing around with 360's.
I had already taken my pads and skates off and was talking to the owner of the Mega Ranch when they called my name out. My ankle was sore from a crash I had earlier in the day and was pretty much done skating. So I padded up strapped on my skates and headed back up the top to do another 3 lot's of 360's haha.
I didn't get to see what the other guys sent over the gap, as soon as I landed I had to get back up the top to skate again.
The finals were done and we were all sweaty and a bit sunburnt, but most of us got to walk away from a full day of skating a mega ramp. Which looking back on it is CRAZY!!
I got the camera out to film the prize presentation, and they announced the best trick comp first. " And for 3rd place Gerard" I couldn't belive it ! I placed 3rd in the best trick comp with my 360's.
I guess slow and steady won the race. As I didnt push my self in the finals and landed 3 of the 4 360's.
Best trick winners. 1st Dingle. 2nd Daryl. 3rd Myself
It was an amazing experience to have the opportunity to skate a Mega Ramp. And I now can tick it off my bucket list ☺
Massive shout out to Nick for organizing the competition and to the Mega Ranch for building this beast on their property in Victoria. And to everyone that manned up and skated the beast!
If you ever want to have a go at the mega ramp get in contact with the Mega Ranch here -
This was a day I will never forget! See you guys next year at the Mega Ramp comp 👍
Happy landings
G