Adrián Otero: the Galician skater who built the first stone ramp
Adrián Otero is Galician by birth and stonemason and sculpture teacher by professionSince he's also a skateboarder, he has everything it takes to become a pioneer: he's the person who built the world's first stone ramp, or rather, the first stone skate modules on the planet.
Galician stonemasons are internationally renowned and showcase their craft with craftsmanship and works of the highest quality: we only need to study, in a more in-depth way, the churches, stone crosses, and pazos scattered throughout Galicia. This ancient trade is kept alive in northwestern Spain thanks to stonemasons and sculptors like Adrián Otero. But he has gone a step further and has merged this art with skateboarding, giving rise to an element that is very present in every space oriented towards skating.
In recent interviews, Adrián Otero explains that he began building stone ramps as a result of his work as a sculpture teacher, in an attempt to modernize stonework. He confesses that he is passionate about this ancient art and makes no secret of the fact that merging it with his favorite hobby, skateboarding, has been one of his motivations. He indicates that There have been attempts to create approved skating modules, but he has remained on the sidelines. Since he considers that his works are not just pieces that make up skate parks, he goes further, and they are constructions that he makes for the love of art and without profit.
Adrian always thinks about the environmental impact his works will have, The entire process is carried out in a workshop, using Galician stone.…which significantly reduces transportation costs, one of the main ones.
Uses industrial cutting machines with stone blocks weighing between four and eighteen tonsStarting with a completely cubic block, the curve of the ramp is drawn with a template and the stone is roughed out until the desired shape is achieved.
Did you know Adrián Otero? Did you know that a Galician is the first to create a stone ramp for skating?
