Skateboarding
Skateboarding
Ollie, Ollie, Ollie! XDubai Skatepark is Here
The real Super Bowl! 3,100-square-metre park on Dubai beach
The GCC’s biggest skatepark has finally opened at Dubai’s Kite Beach – and local and international stars are flipping over themselves to give it their approval.
Bird's Eye over the park
© XDubai
On The Rail
© XDubai
Flippin on wheels
© XDubai
Completely free for anyone from novices to pros and aged six to 60, the 3,100 square metre XDubai park has already been given the thumbs up by international skaters Ryan Decenzo, Zack Wallin and Tommy Sandoval, all of whom have been posting pictures and videos of themselves on the ramps.
And now we’re seeing park takeovers by world champ bowl skateboarder Alex Sorgente, Milton Martinez and Jan Hoffman.
The park features 29 elements for skaters of all levels, including a street course, a pro course and the XBowl for the real professionals, with a 3.2-metre drop and a 2.1m shallow end, built to world-class standards.
Who are these shredders, then?
Alex Sorgente
© Marv Watson
Italian Alessandro, or Alex, 18, is a two-time Guinness World Record holder - for 15 consecutive frontside boneless in 30 seconds and for 15 consecutive Axel Stall in 30 seconds. He’s the three-time world champion at the Quiksilver Bowlriders Grom (in 2005, 2007 and 2008) and took bronze at the 2011 World Championships in Marseille and the Rocky Mountain Rampage in 2013.
Milton Martinez
© Marcus De Simoni
Argentine skater Milton, 24, has been a pro for the last decade. He took silver at the Mexican X Games at 16 and took two spots at the Rome World Cup in both 2010 and 2011 for street and bowl.
Jan Hoffmann
© Max shatrov
Jan Hoffmann
German skateboarder Jan, who just turned 20, grew up in the UAE and has always said it’s hard to find places to skate here. He says this is “the smoothest concrete I’ve ever skated”. “As it’s so new, it’s perfect,” he told a local paper. “Bowls are usually pretty rough, but this has been done so well.”
What’s at the XDubai Skatepark – in detail
- For novices: A low-profile skate plaza with street elements. Banks, blocks and quarter-pipes create continuous skate runs, plus the Mini Bowl, 1.2m deep.
- For the seasoned skater: A central plaza with obstacles including ledges, banks, steps, a vertical wall, rails and a pole jam. And the XBowl - for advanced skaters to perform ollies, kick flips and aerial grabs.
- In all: 29 obstacles, including 11 bowled corners, three flatbanks and a crater. Two hubbas, one up-down rail, one kicker to flatbank, two kickers to hubba, one kicker to kicker and a suspended wall.
Ismaeil Al Hashmi, managing director of XDubai (the action sports company also behind Jetman), said: “We developed the XDubai Skatepark to create a dedicated, state-of-the-art facility for skateboarders in the emirate and from around the world.
We are confident the facility will become one of the most iconic and buzzing hubs in the emirate.
Jan Hoffmann at XDubai’s new skatepark
© Max Shatrov
Javad Khoramifar, the company’s marketing director, adds:
The XDubai Skatepark was born out of a need to create an exciting recreational space for Dubai’s youth. This community skatepark will give both experienced skaters and beginners a completely custom-made place where they can thrive.
XDubai Skatepark is open 10am until midnight on weekdays and from 8am until 1am on the weekends (with 8am to noon just for six- to ten-year-olds and no kids under 10 allowed in after then). Helmets must be worn by all skaters under 16 and any X Bowl skater. Hover boards and three-wheeled scooters are not allowed. Just in case you get lost, GPS Coordinates are 25.164400, 55.208900. For more information, visit www.xdubai.com/skatepark.
The real Super Bowl at the Kite beach
© Max Shatrov
