Bentley's Boards Ramps Up Excitement

Nate Gauger is in possession of perhaps the most entertaining "U" since the 1980's Miami Hurricanes. The Bentley's Boards owner has a new addition to his shop: a full-size mini-ramp. A mini-ramp is similar to the u-shaped half-pipe ramps seen by viewers on the X Games. Unlike those full-size monsters, however, mini-ramps lack a section of "vert" on the ramp. Short for vertical transition, vert is a steep portion of the ramp face that helps launch skaters into the air.

"The ramp is 12 feet wide, four feet high and has an eight foot transition," Gauger said, "which is more of a mellow transition. That was designed more for the intermediate and beginner kids so that they have an easier time learning how to drop in."

When skaters learn to drop in, they place the tail of their board over the edge of the ramp. They then lean forward into the ramp and ride down. The original ramp had a six-foot transition, leading to a steeper ramp face and a more difficult and intimidating drop in. Once the skater rides down the transition they cross the flat bottom, the joining section between both ramp faces. The top of the ramp has metal coping for the skaters to perform tricks on. The steeper the transition, the easier it is to catch air off the ramp; it's harder to get above the coping with the newer transition, Gauger said.

That coping runs the entire 12-feet length of the ramp on one side, while the other wall introduces a little wrinkle.

"On the other side it has two four foot sections of coping with a four foot wide bank in the middle," Gauger said. "It gives it a little bit more variety, so the kids can do a different variety of tricks; it kind of inserts a street element into the mini-ramp."

Gauger had help in constructing and finishing his skate spot. Ben Zearfoss and a man Gauger called "Old School Chris" helped build the ramp, while the Skatelite surface was donated by a local man named Justin.

"The Skatelite actually originated from the 2004 X Games (which were held in Philadelphia) and then from there went over to Justin's house," Gauger said. "He had a mini-ramp and a bowl in his backyard … he took that down when the wood underneath started to rot out and he was just looking for the first person that would come to him with a good use for the Skatelite and that happened to be me with the ramp here at the shop."

Skaters must sign a waiver to skate the ramp. Helmets and pads are encouraged but not required. Two dollars allows one to skate all day.

"I try to keep the price low because a lot of the kids coming in don't have a lot of money," Gauger said. The price is well below what an average indoor skatepark would charge for the use of its facilities.

A steady stream of users proves the ramp is a hit.

"Fifteen to twenty kids come in on a regular basis," Gauger said.

Gauger would be interested in building another ramp if the opportunity presented itself and there are plans in place to possibly expand the length of this ramp and add a section of pool coping.

"The kids love it," Gauger said. "They really like it. They like the bank part of it, instead of it being just a straight mini-ramp. They really like it a lot."