Scene reports: September 2005: We're going to Wales. Scene report on FATBMX by Chris Smith

The Midwales scene report, part 1, Welshpool ramps'

I live in a small town called Welshpool just inside the welshborder. Up until relatively recently there were just a few streetspots andsome trails in the near by hills for the small scene of riders to session, In the last few years all that has changed; It started with the introduction of a new facility into the area a small but adequate skatepark know by some as The library and by the majority just 'the park' .This youth facility came a little late, but realistically with bmx and action sports being at an all time steady high just the right time. The park consists of a nice qtr pipe, a jump box, a mini with two great hips and some over small ramps. Since these ramps were founded the local scene in my town has tripled and the rate of progression by the locals has blown me away! It is not just the town riders guys from BC, Churchstoke,Shrewsbury, Newtown, guilsfield and the places in between have all been shredding! On a buzzing day you may expect to find 15+ riders at the park all ripping it up!

Other places that have had a huge impact on my local scene are newtowns the mound, the infamous ' The coal yard trails' r.i.p and churchstokes trails. The best trails in the area at the moment are jonnieB's trails, roll it over in the clover! There are about a million lines at these trails all the transfers you could want and some of the fastest berms around which may have something to do with the fact a handfull of the diggers are pro downhillers/bmx racers! These trails were originally started over six years ago by Jon and his friends and there has been many top sessions there over the years right up until the crack of dawn! (Location: undisclosed) Another good set of trails in driving distance are Bishop castles which I have heard rule, luddlow and many more!

Going back to welshpool skatepark I am going too tell you about some of the local riders I have seen lately;


LanceW: Rides shit hot fly pantera all light and kitted, likes to mix flow with some jump box tricks and some grinds. some of his shit includes; 270X-up to smith on the mini, 270 tyre taps on the hips, one handed manuals over shit, massive height on the jump box with height and smoothness, hips both ways etc.

Bry: feeble to barspin, icepick grinds, tyre tap barspins, 180s, no breaks street set-up, getting smoother.

GazB: Dialled ride, Old skool no-handers over the box fast and smooth, turndowns CLICKED, Tables out of the ramps, smooth airs and tricks going alley oop, Some switch foot stuff, Smooth manuals, Tyre grabs, cross arm no handers, x-ups, 1ft x-ups, grinds on the ramps and street skills, smooth.

Mark: 540 tyre-taps, grinds, 720 peg manuals, tech peg combos, Et tyretaps, sweet bike but not as sweet as his mini bike.

Jonesy: Turndowns over the hips, tables, barspin to disaster, x-up stuff, nose manual to disaster, icepicks, tech peg stuff, mostly flow. no brakes. learning whips. Trails boss.

Jim M: smith-feeble combos, ice picks held for time, fufanu to icepick to fakie, abbubacuas, manuals, 1ft tables, 1ftx-up tables, 1ft 1hand tables, style, bio, alley-oop tables, backwards manuals, nosemanuals, feeble fakies, x-up stalls. learning toothpicks. Too much fucking energy. Flow.

Chazz: Super Dialled Ride, BLINGBLING. no pegs, no breaks. big trick list. manual abbubaca fakie, 360 sproket fakie, big 360s, 540s, smooth 270s over hip, fakie table transfers over hip, no breaks manuals and tyretaps on decks, manual in on ramps to 180(with brakes), big dialed tables out of nowhere, big x-ups, lots of flow, trails.

JonnyB: Massive 1ft x-ups to can-can landing on jumpbox, no footer to table with height, big can-cans, x-ups held for time, big tables over hips, sub-box manuals, abubacas on ramps, manual deck too manual in on ramps, 270 taps over hips, manual across jumpbox to nosemanual down to regular manual to 360 nosepick on following miniramp. Trails. Sony Vegas!

TobyM: Rides custom made frame which is the bollox; tail-whips, flips, 540s, does not ride very often at all but still shreds. I got told the other day Tobe was doing 360 whips!?

ChrisS: fast 360 drops, smith-feeble fakie, icepick to smith, big sprocket transfers, 540s , tables, tyre grabs to fakie, old school no handers too fakie, x-up Grinds, alley-oop grinds too fakie, leviators, nollie 360s, fakie 3's, fakie old school no hand hops, 180 to smith to fakie 540, half cab full size road cones, opposite stuff, street.

BenA: nac-nacs, 1hand 1ft, no handers, bomb drops, barspin bomb drops, feeble fakie, 360 footplants,

ChrisM: Crankflips. Feeble-barspins. 180-feeble-fakie. Lip combos. street.