Skateparks are some of the best place to skate. Everything there is available for you to skate without the hassle of worrying about security guards kicking you off of private property, or angry civilians. It’s also a great way to meet other skateboarders who share a passion for the sport. There are two main types of skateboarding, street skating and vert skating. Vert stands for vertical, referring to ramps. I am going to talk about five popular obstacles you will most likely find at any skatepark around the world.

Street skating obstacles usually includes stair sets, rails, ledges and pyramid boxes. Ledges and rails are specifically for grinding. There are so many variations and ways to get creative on ledges and rails. Stair sets vary from park to park but you will likely see anywhere from 4 to 10 stairs for each set. Stairs were initially incorporated into skateboarding before skateparks were invented long ago as a means for skaters to jump off of something with speed. Lastly, the pyramid box is an inclined box where you ride up, pop a trick and then roll down on another side of the box.

Vert skating obstacles can be pretty much summed up into one category; ramps. Popular vert obstacles are the quarter pipe, halfpipe and bowls, aka pools. Vert skating was invented before street skating during the old school era in the 70’s and early 80’s. Skaters used to drain people’s backyard pools and skate them. Almost all bowls and vert sections at skateparks replicate a backyard pool to this day. All of these obstacles range from size and shape at each skatepark but all share the same functionalities.

 

  • This is a pyramid box. This obstacle has countless possibilities.
  • This is a stair set with a rail. Choose to gap over it or grind down the slope.
  • This is a portion of a large bowl. This ramp alone is called a quarterpipe.
  • You will find either a “flat bar” rail or regular like this one at almost any skatepark.
  • This is a basic ledge with metal coping. Grind on it, manual on it, do whatever!