When Alex Fowkes couldn’t find a place to skate during COVID lockdowns, he built one himself as the vice president of the Squamish Skateboard Association (SSA), at a forgotten tennis court in Valleycliffe. Now, the SSA is taking that same drive to build something bigger: Squamish’s first indoor, year-round skatepark.
The SSA is looking to raise $50 000 dollars to build a temporary 40 by 80 foot fabric, airport hanger style, building as part of Oceanfront’s Pop-up Village. The current idea is for members to sign a waiver that comes with access to the building during set hours via key fob.
“We’re going to have banks, we’re going to have quarter pipes, potentially a half pipe, ledges, rails,” said Fowkes. “I want it to be a place where beginners can also train, but I want intermediate features as well.”
The skatepark would be the only indoor skating space in the entire Sea to Sky corridor, from North Vancouver to Pemberton, Fowkes said. Fowkes says the best part of skating is its low barrier to entry, “You need a couple hundred bucks for a setup and then you can skate anything,” he said. Fowkes added that an indoor facility was important for skateboarders across the region looking to skate during the winter.
“We get 180 days of rain out of the 365,” said Fowkes. “Skateboarding is very much a dry-only activity.”
The SSA launched the fundraising campaign in partnership with Canada Skateboard, a national non-profit, making all donations tax-deductible. Squamish Arts has also come on board with a grant to ensure art is incorporated into the space. The total project budget sits at around $120,000. The timeline is also tight, Fowkes needs to place a building order by May to account for a 16-week production lead time.
Fowkes said conversations with potential title sponsors are underway, who would hopefully cover half of the project. Local partners have already committed to the project including PNW Land Design with machinery, Van Urban Timber, and Stuntwood, a local skateshop.
Polygon Homes also donated a 40 by 50 foot fabric structure that was unused, but the structure itself needed extensive repairs, more costly to repair then to purchase a new one, it also comes with the added benefit of a larger footprint and a manufacturer’s warranty.
Fowkes said the five-year Oceanfront land agreement is just the beginning. The fabric structure carries a 15-to-20-year warranty, and the SSA hopes the District of Squamish will eventually help find a permanent home for it once the lease is up. With the Creekside Skatepark in Whistler now closed, Fowkes says the need across the region is clear.
To the SSA the project is as much a proof of concept as it is a skatepark, evidence that Squamish and Sea to Sky needs more covered, accessible recreation space, and that the community will show up to support it.
To donate to the campaign or learn more click: here.
