Backyard Oasis: Private Parks of the Rich and Sometimes Famous

PHOTO GALLERY  Check out pictures of backyard bowls in the photo gallery.  View Gallery>  Related Stories: Lean and Green: Bob Burnquist

Arguably one of the most famous (and possibly most expensive, weighing in around $100k) backyard ramps, Bob Burnquist commissioned the legendary Team Pain (of the Hunt for Animal Chin ramp fame) to build a giant bowl in the backyard of his Southern California home. The ramp included the first wooden cradle ever built, and was definitely a step up in the progression of skateboarding. The ramp is one of the favorite spots for the local So Cal pros to session and is no stranger to skaters like Colin McKay, Tony Hawk, Bucky Lasek and Lincoln Ueda. Of course, the people who live in the house, Burnquist and Jen O’Brien are regulars as well.

While this one is technically a front yard and not so much a bowl as a BMX paradise, it includes a full loop as well as track with some of the gnarliest dirt jumps ever built. It belongs to English dirt jumper Stephen Murray. The loop was built by Nate Wessel and after six months in existence, finally saw some action in the form of a session with Kevin Robinson,  Anthony Napolitan, TJ Ellis, Luke Parslow, and of course, Murray himself. Murray’s house is not for the faint of heart, it makes even the top pros nervous. Even Murray is planning to relocate soon to live “a life without trails in his yard.”

Charleston, South Carolina

No one famous lives at the house next to the intimidating 12 foot vert bowl known at the Hanger. But it’s been made famous throughout the east coast thanks to its annual Halloween Jams, a huge party that everyone is invited to. The Hanger in its current incarnation has been in Hank Beiring’s backyard since 2000, but he’s had a bowl there since 1993, when the original Hanger, a skatepark, closed down and he inherited the ramps. Since 2000 the bowl has enjoyed additions of Skatelite (which was gotten for the cost of a truck rental and a tank of gas from the X Trials), and pool coping in the deep end. A lot of people helped to make it possible either with labor or money, like local skater Nicole Clifton, who worked a second job and raised nearly $4000 to help out.

Wanchese consists of one store that sells groceries, gas and hardware and is also a restaurant. There’s also a church, and a giant vert bowl. The bowl is courtesy of local skater Marc Corbett who did things a little bit backwards. He built it on a random piece of land. After it took almost two years to complete and was finished in 2002, the people in the closest house were threatening to tear it down. So Corbett stepped up and bought the land, which he intends to eventually build a house on, finally making Wanchese a true backyard bowl. The bowl is 9 feet in the shallow end and 10 feet with a foot of vert in the deep end. There’s an over vert pocket and a deathbox, and the bowl is covered in worn Skatelite. With no escape hatch, it’s somewhat of a commitment to drop into. And with vert walls all around, it’s a project to climb out of too.

Trey Winslow isn’t a pro skateboarder, just a highly talented enthusiast. So when he decided to move home from California to Virginia to marry his high school sweetheart, he didn’t leave skateboarding behind. It wasn’t long before he began construction on his bowl. It took years to complete, mostly because it wasn’t cheap. After numerous (unsuccessful) fund raisers, Winslow’s wife finally had to take out a $10,000 loan to complete the ramp. Calling Winslow’s a ramp or a bowl or any other skateboard term is kind of an insult. It really is a work of art. The bowl has a 6 foot end that has 7 foot extensions and then waterfalls to a 10 foot vert pocket. It’s all pool coping and a super smooth Skatelite surface. Oh yeah, and the end is capped off with a 16 foot tall cradle.

Encintas, CA

As if Tony Hawk’s son Riley’s skate skills weren’t enviable enough, check out what he gets to skate on. (Watch Video Clip) The Hawk residence in Encinitas, CA is home to a full on concrete skatepark, complete with a small cradle, rail and pyramid. The park was built by Site Design, who is responsible for many of the best concrete parks in the United States, including the impeccable parks throughout the Phoenix, AZ area. And when you are the Birdman, you can just invite a company like that to build a multi-thousand dollar facility at your house. Not too shabby. (Watch Video Clip)