With the official completion of the West Kelowna skatepark and the approval to throw events again, we teamed up with the city to host a bit of a summer kick off celebration. Here's a recap of what went down.

          When we heard of the proposal to demolish and move the existing skate park in West Kelowna to a new location we obviously questioned the city's commitment to the project. The park had only just been built in 2016 and If it ain't broke, don't fix it! However, the old park had some hitches. Although the park had some proper bowls, the other features didn't flow well. It didn't promote progression, and there wasn't a huge variety of obstacles. To say we're incredibly stoked on the new park would be an understatement. There is a greater selection of features ranging from street to transition skating. It's a huge upgrade from the old setup. To celebrate the completion of the new park we threw a bit of a jam on May 28th. We had live music, food trucks, and an art gallery showcasing some local artists. All the riders that came out were absolutely throwing down. Hugo Ligers, Harmony Jones, Jeremy Viejou, and Jackson Ivans to name a few.

Hugo Ligers - Photos:  @ECSPhoto

 

          Everyone is hyped to have skate events happening again. It was the most stoked we've seen these kids in a long time. Being able to gather and enjoy skateboarding together is a great way to kick off the season and having a DJ play live music really set the tone and got everyone skating as hard as they could. It was great to see just as many spectators as riders enjoying the event as well.

          It wouldn't be a true skate event if we didn't have a product toss in the bowl to cap off the day. Everyone was going nuts to get their sticky little fingers on some gear, it was both hilarious and awesome.

Local Art and Product Toss

          We'd like to give a huge shout out to Evan (@ECSPhoto) for capturing the day behind the lens. A big thanks to the city of West Kelowna for being so chill and working with us on an event like this. Thank you to our brands for providing gear and prizing (Vans, Volcom, Dickies, Supra Distribution (Girl, Spitfire, Thrasher), Ultimate Distribution (Bones, Enjoi, Mob Grip, Madness), Time Bomb Trading (Etnies, Emerica, Stance). Lastly, thanks to everyone that showed up and skated! We're looking forward to Go Skate Day on June 21 where we'll be hosting a similar event at both the Penticton and West Kelowna skate parks. Follow us on instagram for more info about that event!

Freeride Staff Jamieson Yee and Cole Orban - Photos:  @ECSPhoto

The new West Kelowna Memorial Skate Park is located at  3737 Old Okanagan Highway. If you're in the area and you haven't skated this park, you've got to check it out.