Wooden Skateparks

Is wood really any good?

Who Skates believes that wood is a wonderful material for a Skatepark. As a matter of fact it may still be the best material out there. Quiet, affordable and a joy to skate, Wood Ramps can easily provide years and years of enjoyment.

I thought wood just fell apart?

Well, it did… but it wasn’t the woods fault

During the initial SkatePark boom of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, wooden parks were really the only alternative. Every skater with a little carpentry experience was an immediate Skatepark builder and Skating grew and grew. Unfortunately, not every Skatepark was built to the same standards and many, if not most, of the wooden Skateparks literally fell apart. Early ramp builders used archaic design techniques borrowed from residential home building which, as it turns out, were simply not up to the task of withstanding the elements of New England, the demands of skateboarding and the realities of maintenance.

That’s not to say that wood can’t be a GREAT material for your Skatepark. Who Skates developed, refined, tested and still promotes the use of pressure treated wooden Skateparks but all wood Skateparks are not created equally. Who Skates developed and refined a method similar to those employed in wooden Post and Beam and Commercial Steel buildings, a method which completely eliminates the use of plywood in the ramp construction. Templates for radius ramps are cut from solid pressure treated 2x12 and sheathed with solid pressure treated 2x4. Not only is this method infinitely stronger than basic Template and Rib construction from the 80’s, which relies completely on the sheer strength of nails, it allows us to fabricate more of the ramp in our facility for final assembly on site. Our Vented construction, in simple terms, allows material to do the job they were intended for. Weight is dispersed evenly across the ramps to weight bearing trusses much like the walls of your home support the second floor and roof. We have used this method for over 10 years and have never experienced a failure.

The framing of our ramps is only the beginning. By using our method, there is no closed air cavity under the ramp where moisture collects and causes a normal ramp to expand and contract which results in loose nails and screws and ultimately leads to the total failure of the ramp. At minimum, the plywood substrate will deteriorate or rot when sealed under the skating surface. Our method allows for dozens of small air passages throughout the ramp providing ample evacuation of moist air.

In short, our wood ramps will last for years, if not decades, and we’re willing to guarantee it. Call us to discuss if a Wood Skatepark can work for you.