📝 Intro + Interview by Greg Navarro
📷 Photography by Orlando Asson & Franco
Previously on the #trendwatch, we cataloged the Tompkins Tetris phenomenon that has been taking hold of the T.F. this year. Born from this cultural movement was a vert wall on the west side of the Tompkins fence, which many of you likely know as the Tompkins Hell Ride™.
Just when the excitement of the new obstacle was at its peak following the Jenkem Block Party two weekends back, the vert wall vanished overnight. We had no other choice than to call Franco, the vert wall’s principal architect, to better understand where and when this Hell Ride™ would continue.
Franco, can you introduce yourself?
I’m a builder and a skater. And we built the Hell Ride I™. And then it turned into Hell Ride II™.
How did you get into carpentry work?
I started building at Ready Set fabrication. Set building spawned the format of Hell Ride™ because it was made from flats.
How’d the Hell Ride™ come about?
The first ramp was built with NYPD beam guards turned into posts for the right side and then we connected flats to the left. Then, we zipped these sheets of plywood onto that. It’s all scrap from the land. It’s like 8 feet x 12 feet, I believe.
It just kept expanding, and we kept the same vibe with the 1-8 Eagle. Brian did the artwork. Simon Wallace and Garren, some new rippers from Cali — they’ve been over here and they’re really ramp efficient. They were stacking all of the boxes crazy on top of each other; all the obstacles were so wonky. So I brought a handful of screws and my drill to really get them going so that the obstacles were a little more safe.
Was the intention to set out and make something that hadn’t been at Tompkins, or did it evolve organically?
The Melodi guys were stacking ramps up. Everyone started hucking out of nowhere, stacking these obstacles around. And it just got fun. It had a Dern Brothers vibe, you know? I remember I was watching some CKY Shit and Viva la Bam stuff [around that time]. It got me extra hyped. I always wanted to turn the fence into a ramp structure.
Everyone put their heads together and it blossomed into the Hell Ride™.
Any major challenges building this thing?
The only challenge is that they just tore it down. The kickball and hockey players complained and got it taken down the other day because they said it protruded into their area, which it actually was not. It was behind the lines.
Do you think that there’s a way we can all live harmoniously with other sports?
It’s been culturally a skate park for 30 years. [Ed. note: A 1989 Shut demo had a Hell Ride-esque structure. That was 37 years ago.]
What was the gnarliest thing that you saw go down on it?
Jake Yanko, he’s the champ so far. He front smith’d the Hell Ride II ™. He dropped in on Hell Ride I™ and II ™. He took me out. I gave it a shot and I hit my head twice. It was definitely the most forceful slam I’ve ever taken.
Jake Yanko Frontside Smith Slash by Orlando Asson
How’d it feel to see everyone skating your creation?
Everyone’s pitched in on the building over there. The predecessors before me were Kevin Graver and Pat Smith. To see Grant Taylor show up when the building is getting really crazy was pretty rewarding. You could tell he was hyped.
What are your plans for Hell Ride III?™
It won’t be as tall, but it’ll be longer and it’ll have two channels.
Holy shit.
We might add some more funky stuff to it, but we’re going to keep the big 1-8 Eagle and the same heads that made one and two. We’re going to make it work.
We got some AI artwork already coming in on this thing. [Laughs]
Franco Builds by Orlando Asson
Any last words you want to say?
Kevin Graver taught me everything I know. Get yourself some tools. Hopefully, someone knows how to do it and teaches you the right way [to build]. Get yourself some screws, get yourself a good pair of drills and you’re ready to go.
Support the GoFundMe to get Hell Ride III built, or at the very least, bring a box of screws next time you come to Tompkins.