Irrigon, Oregon
Irrigon is a park I’ve been hoping to skate for a long time. I knew of it from the Indy Northwest tour videos, but I’d been putting off the road trip. Having skated it once, I’m already planning my next trip.
The centerpiece of this park is the doorway cradle. It can look pretty intimidating from the bottom, but speed comes pretty easily here, and I was surprised to find how easy it was to get over.
From the doorway the bowl snakes around the back of the cradle, and empties into either a tight deep end with pool coping or the flow area. The flow area has another doorway, this time a bridge gap on a more mellow wall. It’s opposed by another deep pocket, with quick pool block and the back of the cradle for speed.
Finally, the last door leads through into a ditch section, with some street stuff adjacent. The ditch is small, but it’s quick and fun.
Irrigon was a highlight of the trip for sure. I’ve learned to keep my expectations in check, as some of these parks are a lot harder to skate than I anticipate, and this one was a pleasant surprise. I never found myself fighting for speed, and there were enough interesting obstacles to sustain many sessions.