Allison Waters is trying to start another indoor skatepark in NE Portland, Oregon. She’s investing a lot of her own money in the project but has turned to Kickstarter for help. The assumption is that feels Commonwealth is not large enough to meet demands and D Block isn’t in our city limits. There are some tentative renderings of the park that look a little bit uninspired, but nothing is set in stone yet. Key words: Family Friendly and All Ages. It will be interesting to see if this can come together, and if so, how long it can last. In my experience, DOS was always family friendly during corresponding times you might expect a family to be there. However, you’re always going to need a bit of the crust to fill those time slots when the kiddies are at school or in bed. When it opens, it will be called Stronger Skatepark. [Source: Oregonian]

I’ve seen and skated a few indoor ramps over the years, and I’m talking inside a proper house indoor, not a garage or a barn. This setup is pretty small but it’s fun to watch this little kid sessions it and rearrange at will like a little Lego set. I watched the whole thing, and every time I started to get bored another funny variation would pop up. Schaeffer McLean’s dad has out-GVKed Grover, somewhere in the U.K.. Apparently this kid is an internet sensation who has been ” uploading edits since he was 4 years old, currently one of the most watched skateboarders in the world with over 18 million You Tube views” This video is a couple years old, and the kid has gotten better, so it’s only a matter of time before we spot him breaking down, crying on his own MTV show. Still, you can’t watch this video without smiling.

Portland’s DOS Bowl is going through some changes. The new name Trusty Bowl, reflects the new management – Trusty Switchblade. The bowl will now be open to the public on certain days, including a monthly BMX only night. The changes are necessary to keep the whole thing afloat year round. Membership dips drastically in the spring and summer, and the guys on the lease have to foot the bill. If you want specifics, you can ask all the questions you want at the Open House this Saturday, April 5th from 5-8. Members only party afterwards.

Skateboarding4Life reports that the long running Peek Skateboards indoor skatepark in Düsseldorf, Germany is on the brink of being shut down because the land lord wants to use the space. It looks like a great space that has seen a lot of use. There is a web site (in German) set up to focus efforts to document and hopefully save the park. Video montage after the jump. – Thanks to Chris Eggers for the tip.

It just takes a little getting used to, and for the next day you can’t skate in a regular sized spot without a little residual hunch, but it’s a lot of fun. MC’s basement ramp video after the jump. It’s a little out of focus, which is either because of the low light, or the fact that I didn’t have my glasses. Nothing to do with ineptitude. Nothing. It’s all “eptitude.”

Winter Madness usually strikes closer to January or February, but apparently MC caught a particularly virulent strain. What else would possess him to build such a marginally skateable contraption in his basement with a six and a half foot tall ceiling, 3.5 feet wide with a 4 foot transition?

The shot in the top frame of a newly completed skatepark in the UK looked pretty clean and made me want to find out more about the spot. In the course of looking it up I saw that the builder Four One Four Skateparks, are using the CNC process to cut transitions and horizontal some supports, especially on bowl corners. It’s interesting that they use a stepped completely horizontal approach in those bowl corners. Notice that where the surface meets the back braces are not perpendicular. Instead they rest on two adjacent corners. I’m not sure if that makes in difference in the longevity of the bowl, but it’s got to make the design and assembly process a hell of a lot faster. I’ve always held wooden bowl builders in high esteem, and this approach means any monkey could assemble it. It’s a case of nostalgia vs. progress, but I can’t imagine there are that many ramp builders out there with access to big enough CNC machinery. Some of the shots on the site make it look like the surface isn’t included in the CNC process though, so there’s still room for John Henry on the ramp building floor. This…

Bryan from right here in S&A’s back yard sent in some pictures of a ramp he built in his garage. Longtime reader here, just got back from Afghan and finished up the last corner of my garage ramp. Two main sides are 6ft radius and 4ft and 7.5 ft tall, house door side is 4.5ft radius and 2ft tall and garage door side is 3ft radius with 6.5ft tall near-vert wall. The newest corner has a 1ft tall roll-up to 4ft radius quarter to wall ride. The corner at the base of the 7.5ft tall section is a compound curve-based hip. Looks pretty excellent. What are you using on that top layer?

Another frankenramp creation, Barnside (unofficial name) is somewhere in the Kansas City area. Four videos after the jump. Chin Ramp indeed. – Thanks to Dave Campbell for the tip.

Down in the basement! Although if this was in my basement it would be a different story. Check out this incredibly tight (transitioned) mini bowl in Nate Latimer’s basement.