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Recent Articles
- “Underexposed” in the Public Eye: Amelia Brodka Interview
- 2012 Skateboarding Fatalities
- Replacing Modular Parks with Concrete
- The Skatepark Bid Process
- Sample RFP for a Skatepark Bid (Replacing a Modular Skatepark)
- Stand Up For Skateparks
- Just Say NO To Modular Skateparks
- An Interview with Ty Smith: Drop Into Skateboarding
- Putting Wenatchee on the Map!
- Skateparks $100K and Under
- Art of Board and I Ride I Recycle – The Bruce Boul Interview
- 2011 Skateboarding Fatalities
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Best of Washington Archive
Community for Wenatchee Valley Skateparks, Washington
Few groups have been so expedient in their first success as the group in Wenatchee, Washington. They formed in response to Parks’ consideration of demolishing Wenatchee’s only public skatepark with no commitment to having it replaced…and certainly not without a year or more with no safe, sanctioned skateboarding space anywhere in the community. Aside from the existing 15-year-old skatepark, the closest public skatepark is in Leavenworth…about...
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver sits just north of Portland, Oregon and enjoys a significant skatepark system composed of two larger skateparks and four skate spots. Tenney Creek Skate Spot Features a small taco form along a path. Pacific Park Skatepark This 10,000 square foot skatepark was designed and built by Grindline in 1998. Waterworks Park Skatepark A 12,000 square foot skatepark designed by Wormhoudt. Little Prairie Skate Spot Another...
Seattle, Washington
It was only a few short years ago that Seattle had no public skateparks. Though its citizens have access to the ocean, lakes, rivers, and mountains, they still love their parks. Nearly 12% of the City is public park land. It seems incredible that a city with 630,000 people intentionally its only skatepark without a replacement. With the help of advocacy groups like SeattleSkateparks.org, the situation...
SeattleSkateparks.org
The Seattle Skateparks group has been coordinating skatepark development efforts in Seattle for several years. They formed in response to the cataclysmic events of the mid-2000s, namely the demolition of the Ballard Bowl AND Seattle’s only other public skatepark. With their involvement, Seattle began to get back on track with their skateparks and have since opened several new parks around the City with more to follow....
Lower Woodlands, Seattle, Washington
Seattle has had its fair share of difficulties in meeting the needs of its resident skateboarders. For years the only options were a small, crowded park near the Seattle Center, a single bowl in the Ballard neighborhood, and a smattering of indoor commercial facilities. When the Seattle Center park was slated for demolition it was a rallying cry for local skateboarders. They lobbied the City and...
Scott Stamnes Memorial Skatepark, Washington
The Scott Stamnes Memorial Skatepark—aka Orcas—resides on an island in the middle of Puget Sound. It is an unlikely location for one of the nation’s most famous skatepark and has become the destination for thousands of skatepark tourists. It is one of the nation’s “must visit” skateparks, particularly if the trip includes other Pacific Northwest destinations like Lincoln City (OR) and Burnside (OR). Scott Stamnes was...
Best of Washington State
Washington State was early to provide public skateparks. Unlike other early-adopters of the modern skatepark boom, particularly California, Washington’s skateparks typically do not require helmets or pads. Many of the parks are fenced but few have gates and only a small handful are supervised. This progressive approach may have something to do with the earliest skateparks in the area providing a healthy example of what can...
Marginal Way DIY Skatepark
Marginal Way Skatepark was founded in 2004 as a response to the City of Seattle’s neglect to build more skateparks. At that time there were two small parks in town and many more needed. Rather than spend their time and money on building more skateparks they decided that both existing parks needed to be torn down and relocated. We were looking at a lengthy period of...
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma sits 30 miles south of Seattle and is at the southern tip of the Strait of Juan DeFuca. Tacoma is the third largest city in Washington State with a population of 200,000—just a bit smaller than Spokane. The space between Tacoma and Seattle is filled with suburban communities—and skateparks. Tacoma has been steadily working on its skatepark system since 2006. It has two skateparks within...
DIY Tacoma Manual Pad
Here are step-by-step instructions on how to build a manual pad for under $3,000. This project was demonstrated in Tacoma, Washington in April, 2010 and took three days of work over a two-week span. Step 1: Funding The local skatepark group approached the neighborhood council with a proposal to introduce a new skateboarding structure at an existing skatepark. Once a year the council is provided foundation...