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Let’s ride!
Skateboarders young and old are carving it up at SK8 Charleston.
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Built for fun
SK8 Charleston offers 32,500 square feet of skateable terrain. Riders can “drop in” of the facility’s bowls and glide from one end of the park to the other.
Photo by Mic Smith
Growing up, Burt Hughes and his younger brother dreamed about California skate parks they saw on TV and otherwise made the best of parking lots and their backyard half-pipe ramp. The town of Florence didn’t have any better options for skateboarders, and neither did most of the East Coast during the ’80s and early ’90s. When life led him in other directions, Hughes put up his skateboard around age 14.
Flip from 14 to age 41 with Hughes now pushing his limits at SK8 Charleston, a premier park that reignited his skateboard passions when it opened in March 2017. He skates here at least two to three times a week, often with his 40-year-old brother, 4-year-old nephew and 7-year-old niece. While he currently lives in Charleston, a 20-minute drive away, the smile bursting from his graying red beard suggests he would travel greater distances to get here.
With the jump in activity, he lost 17 pounds, and he’s “having a ball” achieving feats on his board he didn’t expect. “I can say I’m beating the 14-year-old version of myself, which blows my mind, really.”
A welcoming community
The advocacy group Pour It Now lobbied more than a decade for a first-class skate facility in the area, and Charleston County Parks delivered, spending $4.8 million and engaging construction partners such as SGA Architecture and Team Pain Skate Parks, which designed and created the skateable elements. The American Society of Civil Engineers in South Carolina named SK8 Charleston as its Project of the Year.
During its first year, the park’s attendance surpassed 28,000, and a supportive community of regular skaters emerged, one that welcomes all ages and ability levels. “We’re definitely getting a lot of people that haven’t skated ever out here, and we’re getting a lot of people out of retirement,” says operations aide AJ Walker.
Walker, 24, learned the sport at smaller skate parks in the Charleston area, but “nothing of this caliber.” After college, he landed his dream job at SK8 Charleston. “It has been amazing ever since.”
Room to skate
Situated on the upper Charleston peninsula between elevated sections of Interstate 26 and the marshland leading to the Ashley River, the park provides 32,500 square feet of skateable terrain, mostly concrete, with bowls adorned with Tedder Stone pool coping, the gold standard for skate parks.
Noticeably clean and uncluttered, SK8 Charleston is encompassed by fencing and natural features with a single point of entry. The park provides lights for night skating plus a raised skate shop, concessions and viewing area, where parents can see all the action as well as brilliant sunsets on the Ashley River. “We got what I consider prime real estate,” says SK8 Charleston manager Josh McFadden.
Walker gladly shows off the park’s diverse mix of skating features as 25 or more skaters pop, glide and whir around, able to go faster on concrete than they would on asphalt and with less worry about nasty scrapes.
“One thing that’s really awesome about this park is that it has a lot of flow,” Walker says, “so you can start on one end and make it all the way to the other end without ever having to push, and a lot of street skaters will really enjoy that.”
Something for everyone
Skaters gravitate to different features based on ability, past skating history and personal preferences. Similar to a frozen ocean, the 200-foot elongated pool they call the Snake Run holds special appeal for surfers who cross over to skateboarding. “It’s like a continuous concrete wave,” Walker explains. Then he points out “the Tombstone,” an extension that juts above the Snake Run, offering about 3 feet of “straight vertical” aka “vert” for tricks. “If you can get a trick on that—yeah, you know what you’re doing.”
Behind the Snake Run, two bowls appeal to seasoned skaters who are used to doing tricks in drained swimming pools. The intermediate bowl, with a 7-foot deep end and 5-foot shallow end, is more forgiving, while the pro bowl has an 11.5-foot deep end with 18 inches of vert.
Running along the park’s other side, a 315-foot-long street course offers skateable art, ledges and marble elements with the feel of New York City skate plazas. Beginning skaters usually start on this side before working their way up to the bowls, but the street side also offers challenges like the “bump to bar.”
‘A real blessing to our family’
Ford Ambrite, 12, is practicing the bump to bar after clearing the element for the first time a few days before. His video of that moment includes other skaters tapping their boards afterward in applause. Skating is clearly a confidence builder for him and many others. “When you conquer your fear, that’s a really good feeling,” says Ford, a rising seventh-grader.
Ford visits SK8 Charleston frequently with his 10-year-old sister, Madeleine, and their parents, who also skate. Josh and Rhett Ambrite are happy for their kids to be outside, active and off their devices. The parents also appreciate SK8 Charleston’s emphasis on safety, though they realize the pastime is not injury-proof. In spite of her helmet, Ford’s mom, Rhett, suffered a concussion, but returned and even visits the park without the family because she enjoys it so much.
Josh says they have been inspired to visit other skate parks in the Southeast, and laughs that it's their own version of travel sports. But with annual passes at SK8 Charleston costing only $40 apiece, he says they are getting a bargain, especially considering the time they've spent together at the park. “It’s been a real blessing to our family.”
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Get There
SK8 Charleston
1549 Oceanic St., Charleston, upper peninsula (Exit Rutledge Avenue off I-26)
March through December Hours: Monday to Friday, 2–10 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
January through February Hours: Monday to Friday, 2–8 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
BMX Day: Tuesdays are limited to BMX bike riders only. Skateboarders, in-line skates and quads welcome the rest of the week.
Admission: $3 daily for skaters and BMX riders; $1 for spectators or free for spectators who are Charleston County Parks Gold Pass members or children 2 and under. SK8 Charleston annual passes available for $40.
Safety: Helmets required and available to rent for $5 with $25 refundable deposit. Full pads encouraged. Waivers required. Etiquette rules listed on website and posted at park. Children 12 and under must be supervised.
Details: (843) 795-4386, charlestoncountyparks.com/skatepark