Just like the street course the vert ramp was the first of it’s kind. It did have loop de lops or anything but it had some offset sections on both sides. It kind of had some elements of the DC ramp. Danny Way confirmed that too. Why is any of this significant. Well, if you think about it and you probably don’t because vert is “dead” but Tony Magnusson did the highest air on a vert ramp at the Cedar Crest Ramp in Virginia in like 1986 or something. Freakin 22 years ago. While the top 5-10 vert ramp skaters are progressing, below them it is kinda looking dead until recently. With ramps like the DC ramp and the one at Maloof money cup becoming trendy it kind of allows for a lot more creative skating, other than just back to back walls. Bucky was doing nollie flips to tail, Bob Burnquist did insane transfers, dudes could go high, do 900’s, incorporate street elements; it was all insane to watch and it did not even feel like 1986. It kinda seems like skateboarding is coming around to be more well rounded; not just I am a street skater, I am a ramp skater or whatever. All the different aspects of skating are borrowing from each other more and more and that is good.
So, needless to say the finals were insane. Everyone got a run then a 35 minute jam ensued. It allowed the skaters to really go for the hard tricks since they were not limited by a timed run. Things were judged mixing day one and day two. For day one the skaters could only hit 8 walls, the action was supposedly packed, I was not there. Lets check out the top 7 on the last day. Keep in mind I am only talking about day 2 when I talk about their placing. I could see Shaun, Danny Meyer and other placing higher with only eight walls. Anyway, Bob Burnquist is an alien he did such wacky shit but fell a lot I guess cuz his skating was beyond 7th place. Andy Mac got robbed I believe, as usual. I think he makes skating look too easy. He did like every version of the 5 you could do, including a varial 5, he did 7’s he used the transfers and got 6th, whatever. Sandro did a 900, a 540 to tail, hit hella speed he would placed higher had he used the ramp more, did I say he did a 900? Danny Mayer got 4th and it was probably the highest placing in his life. It was probably Danny’s kickflip 5 and heelflip disaster transfer that got him into fourth. Now those two tricks were sick but I don’t know about beating a 900, Andy consistency and Bob’s insanity and creativity. On to the top 3. I guessed the top three would be Bucky/PLG/Shaun. Rune Glifberg claimed PLG/Bucky/Shaun, the judges went with PLG/Shaun/Bucky. Lets start with Bucky then. Bucky did his first 7 and it was a boned out Indy 7, maybe the best 7 ever done. Bucky used all the transfer lines, threw in crazy shit like a nollie heel to tail and other stuff. In my mind he should have won but what the heck do I care. Shaun White got second. Shaun skated inane, including a frontside rodeo transfer but Bucky utilized the obstacles more. In the X Games Shaun woulda won. PLG won and I guess I can’t argue with that, he ripped, did some tranfers, 720’s, flips, spins – the whole package
Smack! Sandro Dias does a massive Madonna from low to high in practice
Bob rules, this is like a varial to lien transfer in practice
The golden boy Shaun White was there, air to fakie transfer
“Rob Loriface skated the best he has ever skated” – Rune Glifberg, frontside ollie to nose grind, low to high
Frontside 5 – anytime. Bob
Rune Glifberg 5-0 off the BIG extension
Jakey Brown backside ollie in practice
Bucky Lasek was one of the few to successfully use these things on the deck of the ramp – back lip
PLG does a switch heel 360 and makes it
Andy Mac – varial 5
To get to this position PLG negotiated 5 different transitions in 2 walls – alley oop nollie heel
Alex Perelson is one to watch for – massive 540 from low to high
Bucky Lasek
Lincolda Ueda goes big
Bob ollies to nose, low to high, going away from the camera
Bucky Lasek catches the front cab heel transfer
Frontside rodeo transfer
You are looking at Bucky’s first 7 and a boned out indy none the less
Right after that Sandro did his 900
PLG, Shaun and Bucky on the podium. Dave Duncan reminded PLG that his sponsors will match his prize money, PLG’s eyes lit up and he goes “That’s right!”
VERT
1 Pierre-Luc Gagnon $75,000, a New Ford Flex SUV and Nixon watch worth $10,000
2 Shaun White $35,000
3 Bucky Lasek $20,000
4 Danny Mayer $10,000
5 Sandro Dias $6,000
6 Andy MacDonald $5,000
7 Bob Burnquist $4,000
8 Lincoln Ueda $3,000
9 Rodrigo Menenez $2,000
10 Rob Buster Halterman $1,000
11 Rune Glifberg $1000
12 Rob Lorifice $1000
13 Neal Hendrix $1000
14 Alex Perelson $1000
15 Jake Brown $1000
16 Josh Stafford $1000
17 Darren Navarrette $1000
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