Why it’s Special: We can skate no matter what the weather up here in the mountains. The indoor miniramp is a hit for snowy days and late night sessions, and the outdoor features get heavy use when the weather is nice. It’s also easy to avoid the major downsides of going to a public park. No snakes, no bratty kids, and no jaded cool guys. Everyone that’s respectful and has fun is welcome here, even if you’re just learning how to push around or do your first rock to fakie. The 10-step commute gives us that live here absolutely no excuse to not skate, even if you only have 15 minutes before it gets dark.
We really need a bowl to make this place complete, but for now it’s the perfect place to learn something new, get some exercise, maybe even make a new friend or two. Downsides include: skating when you should be working, weird people stopping in the street to ask questions or take unwanted photos, being in a constant state of soreness, and feeling like a psychopath because you haven’t left the property in a week other than to grab food or bev.
When and how did you discover the spot?
On Zillow in 2016. I bought the place from a skater who used to have an insane oververt ramp in the garage that had been long gone, but the driveway was a crumbling mess. I revived the garage mini with a more fun/friendly design, and repaved the entire 10,000 sq/ft driveway to make it nice and smooth. With some crucial help from local friends we later poured the concrete features, and I Iearned how to weld in order to get some rails going. The boxes were a quick afternoon build, but they seem to be just as popular as the concrete features and rails.
The Skater: Cody Benjamin is a co-founder of Devium USA. You can reach Cody at cody@deviumusa.com.
Give us a rough idea of where your spot is, without giving away your secret.
In the mountains of California. Close to a lake for summer afternoon dips, and close enough to town for a mid-day snack run.
