The Skate Trip

[theskatetrip]

Treasure Island, San Francisco, CA

[theskatetrip]

San Rafael, CA

[theskatetrip]

Potrero del Sol, San Francisco, CA

[theskatetrip]

Undisclosed Location

Setting up the area and testing the layout a bit for a little ramp. Proper forms and eventually concrete to follow.

[theskatetrip]

[theskatetrip]

Hood River, Oregon

[theskatetrip]

Madras, Oregon

[theskatetrip]

Redmond, Oregon

[theskatetrip]

Kelso, Washington

[theskatetrip]

Longview, Washington

[theskatetrip]

Lower Woodland (Seattle), Washington

[theskatetrip]

Ballard Skatepark, Seattle, Washington

[theskatetrip]

Beacon Hill Skatepark, Seattle, Washington

[theskatetrip]

Florence, Oregon

[theskatetrip]

Reedsport, Oregon

After a somewhat rough night of coastal camping, I caught an early-morning session at Reedsport. Reedsport is one of the older concrete parks in Oregon, though I would say it’s aged a little better than some of its counterparts.

Reedsport is famously home of the funnel full-pipe, designed specifically to be loop-able. The speed is there, and the pipe is tight enough to kick you around, but it’s definitely still one of the gnarlier things I’ve seen in a park.

For those of us who won’t be attempting the loop any time soon, the rest of the bowl is really fun. The outside of the funnel forms a really fast roll-in or bank, and the bowl flows really well. The big extension is one of those really fun walls, where you get to stay on the wall for a long way up and down. The hips work really well, and the rusty steel coping grinds fast.

The flow area of the park was kind of hit or miss for me. A lot of what looks like transition in the pictures is really steep banks with coping on top---not terrible, just not the kind of thing I usually like to skate. The punk wall is something like giant jersey barrier, but the kink and the steepness of the bank make it really tricky. My favorite part of this area was the pool-style corner, with quick transitions, big poured-in-place coping, and a proper deathbox.

Reedsport was a really fun park, definitely worthy as a destination for a full day or a stop on a trip along the coast. There’s enough standard and creative features here to keep me busy for a long time, and the big walls mean just riding around and getting some grinds is super satisfying.

[theskatetrip]

Pendleton, Oregon

Pendleton was the last stop on my trip through Eastern Oregon, and my only regret was being too tired to skate it properly. Pendleton is a fast, smooth, concrete park spanning a full block, with a big bowl, a flow area, and street features.

The flow area of the park is sort of a half bowl shape, with some transition and banks mixed in. Some of the highlights here were the brick-textured jersey barrier wall, a transfer from the bowl, and a very skateable hip.

The street features were some of my favorites I’ve seen. There are rocks here that are shaped perfectly for skating, formed into the concrete. There are pole-jam features, including a mini elbow shaped thing, that definitely keep the curious skater occupied.

The bowl is a really fun amoeba with a slightly more open shape, which allows for a lot of leeway in getting lines. The deep end has loud and fast pool coping, and the shallow end is mellow and relaxing. It’s an easy bowl to get speed in, and even the tombstone is pretty accessible.

Pendleton was a great way to end the trip---a way better park than I was anticipating, with lots of speed and creative design. I can’t wait to get back, and next time with fresh legs.

[theskatetrip]

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.