How to Build a Superpipe
To pull off extreme stunts in extreme sports, you need to have extreme equipment. Aerial stunts like the 540 McTwist, an Indy 720, and a 360 Switch-side Heelflip Madonna need lots of speed, air, and momentum to be pulled off cleanly and safely. To get maximum air for those extreme, over-the-top stunts, you’ll need to build a superpipe.
What is a Superpipe?
Most standard vert ramps and half-pipes have 11-foot walls on both sides of the ramp. With enough passes through both walls of the vert ramp, a skater can pull off enough air to execute a difficult aerial trick. The amount of air depends on the kick of the skater, but there’s only so much air you can pull off an 11-foot vert ramp wall. For really cool-looking and sophisticated aerials, you need a halfpipe with higher walls, a larger ramp, and a wider base.
Superpipes are usually built by professional skateboarders who commission engineers and construction companies to build superpipes for them. Some superpipes may also be built out of concrete or snow. Snow superpipes are usually built on an incline or a slope to get maximum air; it’s not uncommon to see 720s, 900s, and even 1080-degree rotations on a snowboarding superpipe.
Tools and Equipment
Aside from hammers, saws, and screwdrivers, you need the following tools and equipment to build the superpipe:
Timber. Steel poles may be used in place of timber, although the frame of the whole superpipe must be built high enough for vert walls at least 16 feet high.
Vert planks and plywood. You can buy plywood cured and built for skateboarding at construction supply shops.
Screws and nails. Unless you’re building the frame, you should try to avoid using wood glue and bolts as much as possible. Make sure that you’re using embedded screws and nails to maintain a smooth surface.
Clamps and weights. Wood clamps and cinder blocks provide the necessary weight to bend timber and plywood to give the vert ramp its bend.
Steps
Plan
Unlike a regular vert ramp, you need a launcher ramp on one sidewall of the superpipe. The launcher ramp makes it easier for you to get the necessary forward momentum to travel from one side of the ramp to the other in a single run. The sidewalls of the superpipe should be at least 16 feet tall, and the base should be around the same length.
Building the Frame
Build the base of the frame by constructing a base wide enough for the skating surface as well as the sidewalls of the ramp.
Build the frame of the sidewalls by bending long timber to form a sweeping curve. You can do this by weighing down the timber pieces with clamps, and allowing the timber to cure.
Build the sidewall frames on top or beside the base. Make sure there are enough support struts to hold the weight of the wood and the skater.
Now you have the skeleton of your superpipe. Make sure that the distance from the ground to the top of the frame is at least 17 feet tall.
From one side of the sidewall, build a small tower that will fit your launcher ramp.
Constructing the Sidewalls
Starting with one side of the superpipe, bend and nail plywood sheets from the top of the frame.
Be careful not to snap the plywood; it helps to attach clamps and other weights to the wood to allow it to cure to the bend of the frame. Leave a small gap to fit the planks for the launcher ramp.
To create the launcher ramp, bend the plywood planks to sweep upward along the length of the launcher tower. Don’t worry about the launcher ramp not being flush with the rest of the ramp.
Complete the rest of the sidewalls and the riding surface and allow the wood to cure.
A superpipe may take days or even weeks to complete, but once you’ve completed it, you’ll have a super-extreme time landing tricks and aerials you can never do in a conventional half-pipe.