I made it to Edmonton this past weekend for the opening day of the newly expanded House of Wheels 2.0. This video tells the story of what I saw and was able to video.
HOW 2.0 is located across the parking lot from the old skatepark at 8834 48 Ave. NW. The entrance is toward the north end of the building, and there is a ramp to make it easier to get your bike, wheelchair, or mini-shredder’s stroller up to the park level.
There is now a large gathering area with tables and chairs where parents can hang out, or take a break between sessions on the ramps.
Features
New to HOW 2.0 is a Little Shredders area, with some small features for the real little ones go gain skill and confidence on before riding the main park.
Also new is the pump track and flow jump area. The two areas run parallel to each other with the pump track on the inside, and the flow jumps on the outside. Both have high banked corners to help riders keep their speed up.
The box jump line is not open yet because the staff couldn’t get them ready for opening day. When I arrived Saturday morning, about an hour before opening, workers were cutting wood and screwing them into place on the pump track feature. Some had worked through the night to get the park ready to open.
I will return to House of Wheels in a few weeks to take photos for a new virtual tour, once everything is in place and working properly. Until then, you can get an idea of what to expect from the slideshow and this video (which is also on the HOW page).
Edmonton is so lucky to have House of Wheels! The last two skateparks in the area didn’t survive 2 years and here is HOW expanding and growing! It may not have every feature you want, but House of Wheels offers lots of variety, and they have plans to add even more features over time. If you’re in Edmonton, pick up a pass or punch card and enjoy a session from time to time to ensure the park continues to thrive!
For years now, Skateparktour.ca has included video edits shot at individual skateparks alont with photos or a virtual tour as part of the information provided about skateparks. In the past few years, fewer and fewer people have been making these “edits”, so Skateparktour.ca is starting to make our own.
The first video in the “LocalzSKatepark Tour” video Series from the Glendale Skatepark in Red Deer AB has been published and more are on the horizon. The Glendale video features (Skateparktour.ca sponsor) Industry Skate & Snow team members Riley & Mitchell Gladue sharing their thoughts about Red Deer’s outstanding primary skatepark.
The name of the series, “Localz Skatepark Tour” intend to counter the “Locals Only” ethic that was once more common in skateparks, and promote skateparks as great places for people sho skate, bike, scooter, inline, unicycle, or WCMX to gather and have fun. Today’s skateparks are welcoming and inclusive, and this video series will provide another way to showcase what your skatepark has to offer.
Do you want to help make a Localz Skatepark Tour video for your local skatepark? Contact Skateparktour.ca to discuss how we could make it happen!
The Millennium Place skatepark in Sherwood Park was builitin 2000 and has been showing its age for a while now. Strathcona County undertook some citizen engagement then came up with a plan to repair the cracks and coping issues, and to add a bowl and seating ledge. Construction should be done in jUly, and parts of the park that have been repaired will be opened when safe to do so. For details, click here.
Seylynn Skatepark, Canada’s oldest skatepark. Virtual tour coming soon!
On a recent trip to BC, I visited 32 skateparks and took spherical virtual tour photos so that in time, you will be able to explore more Canadian skateparks with virtual tours! Since 2006, Skateparktour.ca has provided skatepark users with opportunties to find and check out skateparks where they live and travel, and this recent trip will help skateparktour.ca keep current with the most popular skateparks in bC.
As this post is written, there are 195 Canadian skateparks on Skateparktour.ca, 88 of which are in BC. This trip will see 15 BC skateparks added and 16 parks upgraded to virtual tours from slideshows. The new additions include the recently opened Victoria Park in Coquitlam and Queens Park in New Westminster, and Canada’s oldest skatepark, Seylynn.
It will take some time to create and post all 32 virtual tours because skateparktour.ca is a one person operation, but they should all be in place before summer. that is the hope anyway. Each new addition will be announced on Facebook and Instagram, so be sure to Like / Follow Skateparktour.ca so you will be kept up to date!
List of skatepark virtual tours in development
Spherical virtual tour photos taken May 2019
N = Skatepark new to Skateparktour.ca – virtual tour in production
N** = Skatepark has been expanded or replaced – new virtual tour in production
Skateparktour.ca has been busy getting the site tuned up and ready for another season in Canada’s skateparks! Some changes have been made to make the site work more efficiently for you when you look for skateparks, and big plans are in place to grow the number of skateparks on the site. Here are some of the changes made so far:
Map search results for the Okanagan
Improved Search
Improved site search box – If you know the name of the park, type it in and the link will appear right away just below the search box
Proximity – Click on the target to see what skateparks are ithinthe distance you choose, or type the name of a town and see what skateparks are near by
Map – zoomin on an area or click on clusters to explore skateparks in a geographic region
Filtered List – narrow the list down by choosing criteria for the type of skatepark you want to find
WebVR Enabled Virtual Tours
Creston BC
You can now have an immersive VR experience directly from a web page without the need for an app. Most of the current VR headsets can display WebVR content. All you need to take advantage of this feature is a compatible headset and a compatiblem browser on your device. You can find an up-to-date list of browsers at WebVR.info
HOW 2.0 is located across the parking lot from the old skatepark at 8834 48 Ave. NW. The entrance is toward the north end of the building, and there is a ramp to make it easier to get your bike, wheelchair, or mini-shredder’s stroller up to the park level.
