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| This mix is exactly what has happened, hidden behind closed doors in the dusty storage of one of Salt Lake Citys oldest bars Club Manhattan. Its underground and if you didn’t know what you are looking for chances are you will walk right past the staircase leading down to the bars front doors. Given the small chance that you did stumble inside you would never think there could be a skate park hidden behind closed doors. |
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| Lieutenant Dan, Tail Drop. |
| Given the small chance that you did stumble inside you would never think there could be a skate park hidden behind closed doors. The bar itself doesn’t look like it would have anything to do with skateboarding. Glass chandeliers hang from the ceiling. Crushed red velvet and leopard print booths line the dance floor. It’s more fit for drug lords and gangsters then dirty bleeding skaters. |
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| Isaiah Beh, Switch NoseGrind |
| It all started over this last winter when my friend Alex Lemons (Founder of Odeus Skateboards) hit me up saying his friend Jimi McCagno had started running the Manhattan and wanted to build something up that would draw in the skate crowd. After that phone call everything just started falling in place. Our good friend Jared “Snuggles” Smith started working behind the bar and the city was covered in snow so we had nothing better to do then clean the place up and start building. |
Smith-Switch180-5-0-Revert.gif) |
| Jared "Snuggles" Smith, Switch 180 5-0 Revert |
| The first sessions were on an old haggard bar sink, empty keg and a couple tables staked into a bank. There was more dust then air in the place and it felt like you were breathing mud. Nevertheless it was like a dream. The days froze on and everything just kept getting better. Mike Murdock and my self found an old metal desk that made a bump to and Snuggles brought down a bunch of wood building up a flat ledge and bank to ledge. |
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| Danny Martinez, Wallride fakie |
| The final icing on the cake came from Jeff King (Host of Built to Shred). Fuel TV was in town filming a built to shred episode at the Skull Candy headquarters and randomly filmer Mark White and Snuggles got in the mix. After the session was over they told King about what we had been building and he just gave us all the wood they just used for the Built To Shred episode. |
| A couple quarter pipes a wedge ramp and a bunch of perfect uncut sheets of wood. Things like that are worth more then gold. With these new additions we were able to connect the entire park together into a flowing line. Shit was on now, we started spreading the word and every Thursday was skate night. We were having massive sessions with all of our friends all while at the bar. We couldn’t have asked for anything better. |
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| Sean Hadley, Kickflip Fs Boardslide |
| As the weeks raged on the crowds grew to a 150 plus. We were starting to get wary of the wrong person showing up and leaking our skate oasis to the wrong city officials. For fear of loosing what epicenes we had created we locked the doors and kept it private. |
![Club Manhattan, Salt Lake City, Utah, Jason Giachetta](Allyoop 180 Jason "Cheese" Gianchetta.jpg) |
| Jason "Cheese" Giachetta, Allyoop 180 |
| Now there are only a few that hold the keys to the kingdom and unless you’re in the know then there is no way of getting in. Then again when the ice and snow fall again next winter and we are driven underground again. There is no telling what we will do with the spot and what epic sessions will ensue. |
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