Enter BNGBNG BUILDER. Our secret weapon who handled every aspect of the ramp build. It didn’t take long before something was thrown together and with our new addition to the spot the session continued. Dom was first to test the new ramp, throwing out a barspin, followed by Rick Row with a footplant. We rode the pool until the room was pitch black and the batteries on both my flashes ran out. With the last of Tad’s VX light Tariq dropped 8ft into the pool’s new ramp and shut down the session.

“Knowing that we could be thrown out at any moment led everyone to start shredding straight away.”

A top day all around but with news from the graffiti artists that the building was getting renovated and locked off for good soon, we decided it needed at least one more venture. This time around I wanted to see what park riders would make of the spot. Lee Hebb and Alan Schofield came down along with the BNGBNG lot. The second we arrived BNGBNG BUILDER got straight to work on fashioning a bigger and better ramp. An hour’s labouring and the job was complete. Along with the new ramp, a sub box (in the form of an old locker) was added above the first ramp. At this point the pool was getting wet from condensation, but lucky for us BNGBNG BUILDER managed to salvage carpet tiles from somewhere which combatted that problem. Some final aesthetic touches and the DIY pool spot, in all its glory, was complete.

Lee was the first to hit the new ramp, smashing out a huge flair. Quickly followed by Alan throwing a whip and then a double whip on his second hit. BNGBNG rider, Chris Smith was first to transfer ramp to ramp proving that the wood was holding strong. Everyone began riding the setup at full pelt. Moz hit the locker going straight in with a double peg to barspin and for the next hour everyone rode as hard as possible. We were losing light fast and couldn’t escape the fact that this could be the last time we hit our spot. Just before we were engulfed in complete darkness, Hebby threw a no-hander down the 8ft drop into our original ramp and with that we decided it was time to call it a day.

“After what we managed over two days I can only dream of what we could have done with a week in the place.”

It’s real shitter that our spot wasn’t going to last long, with what we managed over two days I can only dream of what we could have done with a week in the place. I guess that’s the beauty and curse of DIY spots. You never know when it’s going to be destroyed and taken away from you. It makes the time you spend riding the spot all the more valuable, it pushes you to try something different. Finally, when you eventually lose the spot it’s onto the next one to see what else can be created.

More pool goodness:

– Portugal Pool Party with Kevin Kalkoff and João Soares