If you can see Mt. Baker, you are part of The Experience

If you build it they will skate

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Screen Shot 2015-05-29 at 1.29.50 PM Photo by Ryan Davis

By Ian Ferguson

A skate park in Glacier has been a longtime dream of the tight-knit mountain community. Dedicated readers may remember a 2013 MBE article entitled “The Coal Pad: Building the Glacier Skate Park,” written by Jeremy Miller. The article chronicled the progress and support for the project, which made creative use of a concrete coal pad and piles of coal on private land. Red tape and lack of funds put the project on a two-year hiatus, but a recent party – one of the best Glacier has had in years – has put the spotlight back on the dream of a legitimate, fully-permitted destination skate park in Glacier, and sponsors are lining up to throw their support behind what has been a phenomenal community effort.

Ryan Davis, a northwest rep for LibTech, helped organize the fundraising party, which was to be held in tandem with the Legendary Banked Slalom. With the lack of snow, the LBS was rescheduled and then canceled, and momentum for the fundraiser was in question until Jamie Lynn, legendary snowboarder and artist, threw his support behind it. The party was on, and when the dust settled, $21,500 had been raised from art sales, donations and brand sponsorship.

LibTech, Chair 9, Asymbol Gallery, Vans, Evo, Frequency TSJ, Volcom, Die Cut Stickers – the list of brand sponsors supporting the project is impressive. Local businesses helping out include Mt. Baker Ski Area, Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop, Washington Wind Sports and Hidden Wave, and GrindLine has agreed to offer design assistance. The end goal is a fully permitted, fully featured skate bowl with restrooms that will be a favorite hangout for local riders, a showpiece for the community and a destination in its own right. With so much support, both from locals and big-name sponsors, the goal is well on its way to fruition.

“This is one of the coolest projects I’ve been a part of, and to watch the community come together to bring this from the coal pad to a legitimate, destination skate bowl has been amazing,” Davis said. “Just about the entire community of Glacier has come out in support, and I’m extremely proud to be a part of it.”

The land is privately owned by Joe King, who has generously agreed to the park as long as it is fully permitted with restrooms. Permits for the project have been submitted and project managers are waiting for Whatcom County officials to sign off. One thing’s for sure – if and when the Glacier Skate Park is finished, plenty of people will be lined up to skate the freshly cured concrete. x