Since mid-February the skatepark has been free of snow, and skateboarders, BMXers and scooter riders have taken full advantage of the warming weather.
Moulded out of smooth concrete, the street-style park is laid out in two distinct sections that host a myriad of features, including rails of all sizes, hips, ledges, hubba ledges, a roof-top ledge and gaps.
With so many features, it is no wonder skaters from around the Shuswap, North Okanagan and Revelstoke travel to Salmon Arm to skate.
“It’s an amazing park, we have some in Vernon, but nothing as good as this,” said 16-year-old Jackson Hawthorne just after landing a massive 180 Ollie off the stairs feature.
Hawthorne and a group of six friends from Vernon made the 45-minute drive north last weekend to skate in what they say is one of the best parks in the area.
Since 2007, the park has been accommodating skating enthusiasts of all ages from as young as three to skaters in their thirties.
“The park is multi-generational, and I think that is what’s so great about it. It’s not just for teenagers; there are kids and old guys like me who are still skating,” says Salmon Arm Secondary teacher David Brosseau.
Brosseau says he knows many skaters from Revelstoke and the surrounding area who seek out Salmon Arm’s expansive park.
On any weekend he says he will meet skaters from across the Shuswap.
Skateboarders and scooter rides are not the only ones applauding the facility.
Many parents in the community are also big supporters of the park, but not in the same way as their kids.
Some kids seek solace at the park to get out of running errands with their parents.
Scooter rider Marcus Limber and his friends frequent the park and often times he says they are dropped off to skate for a few hours while his mom does grocery shopping.
Lisa Giddens says the skate park, which was funded by the Salmon Arm Central Lions Club, has become a tremendous community institution.
She says it has been a great way to keep kids out of trouble, giving them a place to be active while being outdoors.
