Up Frend
16 T
VANCOUVER SHUTDOWN
Richmond Skatepark Closed
Richmond Skate Ranch, near Van
couver, British Columbia, has bitten the
dust. Vert dogs Remy Stratton, Max
Schaaf, Tas Pappas, Mike Crum, Neal
Hendrix, Mike Frazier, Danny Way and
many others gave it a fitting farewell
with a crazed last party/ses-
sion on January 29th, 1994.
The Seattle crew was there
in full force, weaseling their
way onto the ramp, and the
locals were blazing as well.
The Ranch opened in
January of 1987, thanks to
Kevin Harris. It consisted of
the Expo '86 vert ramp, a
12' wide mini-ramp and a
few quarter-pipes. When it
first opened, The Ranch was
a pretty unique thing: an in-
door wooden skatepark.
Clockwise from top left: Known
far and wide for his no-holds-
barred style, Mark Hubbard
stiffens out on Indy. Scott Smiley
bruises the air space with a
frontside bone. After dislocating
some fingers, Sluggo was mod
as hell to make a half-cab heel
flip. Eyeing his touchdown, Barrie
Walsh floats a backside ollie.
Next was the "Mini-Chin" phase.
Lance Mountain flew up and designed
a ramp with a hip, a vert wall, a pump
bump and differing heights. A big-
money pro contest was held, sessions
were plentiful, and the park thrived.
Alas, the park soon gave up its lease
and moved a few miles away to Rich-
mond. The new park featured the
Expo, the Chin and a weird X-shaped
ramp with a gnarly spine and vert wall.
The minis were good, but Expo began
to sag, so some much-needed vert was
added. It still seemed saggy, if you ask
me. The minis were eventually shifted
around, and the park now had a better
spine, a weird half bowl thing with
messed up carve lines, and a tight, tiny
ramp. Later, the vert ramp was scrap-
ped and a new, better ramp was built,
named Imra, after a local who had
recently died. This ramp was the shit.
The Ranch produced a lot of rippers,
including Colin Ruloff (where is he
now?), Rob Boyce, Rick Howard, Rich
Grosset, Peter Sullivan, Colin McKay,
Sam Devlin and the list continues.
Thanks to all of the Canadians who i
have hosted us over the years, includ
ing the Jaks team, Sluggo, Peter and
everyone else. Biggest thanks to Kevin
Harris for keeping us skating during the
winters of '87 to '94. -Wez Lundry
JOHN DRAKE
23
XYZ SKATESUPPLY
DROORS
CLOTHING
B
WORLD
NEUSTRIES
THE MOST UP TO DATE MAILORDER SHOP THERE IS.
619-434-2444
Mailorder ready items: Droors, Plan B, Blind, World Industries, Prime,
101, Clutch, Foundation, Alien Workshop, Evol, Girl, Bitch, Planet
Earth, Real, Stereo, New Deal, Mad Circle, Underworld Element,
Droors Shoes, Airwalk, Etnies, Vans, Venture, Indy, Thunder, Folded,
Union, Spitfire, Type A Snowboards and clothing.
XYZ
SKATESUPPLY
775 Carlsbad Village Drive, Carlsbad, CA 92008
Send one dollar for our new catalog, price list, and sticker.