Growing up skating we all had that one friend who was lucky enough to have a mini ramp in his backyard, garage, barn or some other shotty erected structure. These kids skated everyday and were the best not only because they had their own ramp, but also because they knew where every nail was poking out of the water warped and cracked masonite. It didn’t matter if their skate deck was cracked with grip tape peeling, or their trucks were held on with two screws, they knew the secret to skating their own mini ramp because lets face it every mini is different.
We’ve compiled the top ten mini ramp tricks that are timeless and stylish on any ramp whether it be a nail infested hunk of wood or something built be someone with actual carpentry experience.
10. Rock to Fakie
It’s the first thing you learn riding a mini, its simple, timeless and a must know.
Simply lift of that front truck, rock on the baseof the deck slightly lifting the front truck again going to fakie riding down the transition.
9. 50-50/Axel stall
The invention of the great Jay Adams and another classic. It is the gateway to many mini ramp tricks. Once you ascend to the top of the transition lift up the front truck rotating 45 degrees, and setting both trucks on the coping. Once settled on the coping, rotate another 45 degrees and simply drop in. Once you have got this down take it to the next level by going at it at a slight angle with more speed and you will slide the coping completing a 50/50. This is a must know to keep your speed in able to progress into other more advanced tricks.
8. Smith Grind/Stall
Since you have mastered a 50-50 a Smith grind and stall should come easy. Go at the coping as if trying to do a 50-50 only keeping your back trucks on the coping while your front trucks are off facing the ramp as you are sliding or completely stalled. This 50-50 variation is sure to make you look stylee and impress the homies.
7. Nose Stall
Now that you’ve got some basics down you are trying to get into more technical tricks. A nose stall doesn’t sound too awfully hard but you’ll be surprised how many times you’ll slip out on the coping receiving a nice shiner. Once you reach the top of the coping you want to shift all your weight onto the nose of the board balancing on the coping. Finishing the lip trick is the hardest part because you will be dropping in fakie. Once you have gotten all of this down start adding some style to it by reverting once you have dropped in fakie.
6. Staple Gun
Sometimes you just have to throw some old school tricks down to impress your friends and the old gents still rocking Rector pads from 1980. A staple gun consists of taking your back foot of the board and planting it below the coping while using your front foot to stomp the board down on the platform. In one smooth motion your front foot pulls the board back towards the ramp while hopping back onto the board with you back foot. Ride away fakie and prepare for the next wall.
5. Blunt to Fakie
Not an easy trick to land, definitely an easy trick to get that swellbow you’ve heard so much about. Your back truck is placed over the coping while your tail is placed on the coping. Ollie out, ride away fakie, and a blunt to fakie no longer refers to you and your friends passing counter clockwise in a skunky basement.
4. Lay back grind
You need to know where something’s been before you take it farther and you can go way back with this OG grind. When riding up the transition lean back placing your trailing hand on or around the coping while turning the board putting it into a 50-50 or boardslide. Use your hand to push the grind farther and as the grind slows pull the board towards you while hunching down to settle the board on the transition.
3. Bean Plant
Time to kick it old school again. Similar to a boneless but grabbing melon are nose. While ascending the transition of the ram bend down grabbing melon or nose, pull your front foot off slamming it on the ground on the heel side of the board propelling yourself vertically out of the ramp. In the air put your front foot back on and roll away fakie down the transition. This is stylish and is sure to impress your friends.
2. Disaster
Invented by the master of disaster himself, Duane Peters. A disaster is when you ollie 180 at the top of the transition of the mini ramp landing with your front trucks facing the ramp, balancing on the coping. Then simply pull up your back trucks slightly and drop back in. If you want to show your friends how technical of a skater you have become once you have landed the ollie 180 on the coping revert and drop in fakie and start adding variations to the disaster.
1. Nose Blunt
Getting blunted now has two meanings with all the variations of blunt stalls and slides you know. A nose blunt is performed by ollie 180’ing up to the lip or going at it switch and landing your front foot on your nose balancing the nose on the coping. To re-enter the ramp you must either nollie or tailgrab to get the front trucks back over the coping.
Other tricks we think are cool that we would like to see more of on a mini ramp, but a top 15 list seems unnecessarily weird, Eggplant, Miller Flip, layback air, Texas Two-Step, and a Thruster.