Let’s just start things off by saying we are beyond excited to share this video with you. Recently, Braille’s very own Ricky Glaser got the chance to meet up with our friend Will Cortez at Woodward East in Pennsylvania. The mission seemed simple enough. Ricky, under the tutelage of Will Cortez, was going to learn how to skate the mini-mega ramp. Easy, right? Not quite. However, with Ricky Glaser learning from one of the best to ever do it, we figured we could pass on that mini-mega ramp knowledge to the rest of the world through this video and blog-post. So hang on to your griptape everyone, this is going to get hectic. Enjoy the video below and once you’ve built up the skills and confidence (and when you get the opportunity), take what you’ve learned from us and apply it to your first mini-mega ramp session.

How to Skate a Mini-Mega Ramp

1. Before you skate a mini-mega ramp, you should be comfortable skating mini-vert and vert ramps. Learning backside airs in vert helps too, as it will build your confidence. If at all possible, you should also work your way up to the mini-mega ramp by first skating it or something similar to it into a foam pit. Once you’ve done all that, you’ll be more than prepared to hit the mini-mega ramp for real.
2. WEAR FULL-PADS. BE PREPARED TO KNEE-SLIDE…A LOT.
3. Now that you’re ready to hit the mini-mega, you’re going to want to check your trucks. The best way to do this is to drop in on the landing ramp, kick-turn on the quarter pipe, and get a feel for how tight your trucks are. If you have even the slightest bit of wobble, you’re going to want to tighten those trucks. You definitely don’t want any wheel-bite when skating the mini-mega ramp.
4. Get a feel for the launch ramp. Drop-in on the launch, kick-turn on the main drop-in ramp, and use your speed to ride over the mini-mega gap. At this point, all that’s left is to drop in on the main ramp and go for it.
5. When you drop in for the first time and hit the launch ramp, don’t lift the nose of your board on the launch. Instead, once you clear the launch learn forward into the ramp so that you ride out the launch instead of getting air. This will give you the same speed and feeling of hitting the gap for real. Now that you know what it feels like to drop in, hit the launch, and ride out the landing, it’s finally time to air over the mini-mega ramp gap.
6. Drop-in on the main ramp, stay low and lift your front wheels slightly as you ollie out of the launch ramp. Spot your landing, bend your knees to brace for the impact, and once again, stay low.
7. Land on the bolts, bend your knees deeply and keep your body low. Ride out the landing ramp and you can begin to adjust your posture to prepare for the kick-turn on the quarter pipe.

We hope you enjoyed seeing the process of Ricky Glaser learning how to skate the mini-mega ramp. We hope it inspired you to try skating a mini-mega ramp for yourself if you ever get the chance! Just remember to take it one step at a time, and build up slowly. Ricky may have cleared the mini-mega gap his first time out, but the man is a skateboarding machine! As long as you try your best, have fun, and stay safe, that’s all that matters.  For all your skateboarding needs, visit our Online Skate Shop. Whether you need a new complete, a ramp or rail, trick tips, tutorials, or the freshest Braille apparel, we’ve got you covered. Now get out there and SKATE!