Same goes for cyclists, snowboarders and Rollerbladers who seek haven at homemade half-pipes across the Salt Lake Valley.
On Aug. 7, a government board banned such "sporting ramps" from private yards in a quiet move designed to ratchet up the county's outdated noise regulations.
The Salt Lake Valley Health Department's board added the anti-ramp rule after a resident complained about neighborhood half-pipes in a June public hearing.
"I was blown away," said Nick Hale, a 30-year-old skateboard industry regular who launched a petition through slcminiramp.com to combat the ban. "People can run power tools all day long but I cannot ride my skate ramp for an hour or two?"
Hale, who says he has been contacted by ESPN about the controversy, spent $5,000 on his Millcreek Township mini-ramp. In recent weeks, he received house calls from a sheriff's deputy and a host of building bureaucrats.
The crackdown came as more than 25,000 fans flocked downtown this month to support the pro boarders on display at the Dew Tour.
"It's so ridiculous," said Jennifer Braunersrither, who is pushing West Valley City for a municipal skate park. "Ban swimming pools or trampolines. It seems like everyone who is against skate ramps are older people. They have their little golf tournaments. It's just silly."
But calmer heads may prevail. Skateboarders looking to "drop in" got a reprieve Tuesday as Gary Edwards, the Health Department's executive director, vowed to ask the health board next week to hold the ramp ban in abeyance.
"We want to look at this further," said Edwards, noting Salt Lake City has received hundreds of e-mails in complaint. "The arguments that they put forward are things we need to consider."
Edwards concedes that "perhaps" his board didn't get enough input from skateboarders and acknowledges the venue may have caused confusion.
"Most people don't think of the Board of Health as the regulation-making body," he said. "But throughout the country, it's pretty common practice for boards to have local health-making authority."
Until the recent review - 30 updated restrictions have been pondered over the past two years - Edwards says the county's noise regulations had not been amended since 1981.
Pam Davenport, Health Department spokeswoman, says common gripes range from basketball games and ice-cream trucks to downtown street sweepers - and now skateboarders. "Many of our complaints have talked about continuous noise level from kids who like to ramp - you know, past midnight."
But skaters say that is absurd since few yards have adequate light. It is equally noisy at barbecues, they argue, or on backyard basketball courts.
"It's soft wood," West Valley City's Josh Scheuerman insisted about skate ramps. "You're rolling on urethane wheels. "Utah has a very young demographic. To ban sports that are actually getting people active . . . it seems like you would want to champion that."
It is difficult to pinpoint how many people the prohibition has affected. Regular skaters estimate at least 20 quality backyard mini-ramps across the Salt Lake Valley.
"We've never disturbed our neighbors," shrugged William Bishop, who has skated on his Taylorsville ramp for more than a year. "We've never had one complaint."
djensen@sltrib.com
