(February 2013) Let the specialist speak for himself: „The riding comfort, the low noise level, the traction, the gliding, all that is much better with granite “, says Adrián Otero in answering our mail. The Iberian stone mason docent built skateboard ramps in natural stone. They are currently being tested in the O Grove recreation park on Spain’s Atlantic coast not far from Otero’s home in Pontevedra.
With this project Otero, who is in his mid-thirties and a docent for stone masons and stone sculptors at the Escola de Canteiros in Pontevedra, and an avid skateboarder himself combines his hobby and his profession.
But can a stone ramp compete with one made of classic materials? Yes, says Adrián Otero and informs us: His ramps are not comparable to the concrete dishes sunk into the ground. His are freestanding and composed of several elements.
Wood has a number of drawbacks: It is not very resilient to weather and the wear and tear of the skateboard-wheels. On top of that, a skateboarder can incur serious injury through wood slivers. Conventional wooden ramps resonate and transmit vibrations to the rider.
But there’s more: the stone ramp allows better results when performing the „Pop“. For the „Grind“, too, granite is the material of choice.
We proudly announce after voluminous mail correspondence that we have attained a level of some expertise which we would like to pass on to our readers: „Pop“ is the act of striking the tail of the board against the ground to propel the board into the air; „Grind“ is scraping one or both truck axles on a curb, railing, or other surface.
All right then, let us return to the subject of natural stone.
The prototypes are made of Galician Granite emanating from a quarry some 40 km from Pontevedra. The material is ideally suited for the purpose says Otero: not too hard in case of a spill, but resilient enough to withstand the wear and tear, and affordable as well. Whether other types of stone are equally suitable remains to be tested, he says.
O Grove will be holding its famous Seafood Festival in October once again this year and the skateboard park will be put to the test then.
Adrián Otero (Mail)
Escola de Canteiros (Spanish)
