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Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

The World’s Largest Skateparks

Posted by Alex Turnbull, Thursday, 12th March 2009

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Shanghai is the most populous city in China, and as befits a population over 20 million, the city has been blessed with the largest skatepark in the world.

SMP Skatepark has an incredible 13,700 m2 of skateable space, much of it incorporating local stone and granite. The park has two street skating areas, multiple bowls, a full pipe (video), a 52 m long wooden vert ramp, and a 2000 m2 competition area.

The closest rival to the SMP park in sheer size is not where you might expect. Not that a skating holiday in the Cayman Islands would be anything less than totally freaking awesome of course.

The Black Pearl skatepark is a 4,800 m2 concrete park with a wide selection of bowls, transitions, and street terrain. If you get bored of all that skating, the blue area to the south is actually a surfing machine that’s capable of moving around 570,000 litres of water every minute, producing a surf wave over 3 metres tall!

All of which makes me wish I was 16 again.

For more skateboarding sights, see our posts on Marseille Skatepark, Kona Skatepark and Danny Way’s Mega Ramp.

Thanks to WebUrbanist.

Countries: China

Posted in: ,

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7 Responses to 'The World’s Largest Skateparks'

  1. john says:
    Thursday, 12th March 2009 at 3:13 pm

    In Louisville, KY is the Louisville Extreme Park, which includes 40,000 square feet (approximately 3700 square meters) of concrete skating surface, a wooden vert ramp and a 24-foot full pipe.

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

    http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=qc8j0p7vngdh&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=13943534&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

    This skate park is a public park owned by Louisville Metro Government. It is open 24 hours a day, year round, and there is no cost to users.

    Reply
  2. Adam says:
    Sunday, 15th March 2009 at 3:21 am

    Shaw millenium park in calgary alberta canada, is the largest in north america

    No one ever seems to mention it…

    http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_104_0_0_35/http%3B/content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+Hall/Business+Units/Community+and+Neighbourhood+Services/Children+and+Youth/Calgary+Skate+Parks/Shaw+Millenium+Park/About+Shaw+Millenium+Park.htm

    Reply
  3. tyler says:
    Tuesday, 29th September 2009 at 2:33 am

    i cant talk about them because ive never been to one of those skateparks.but i love to rollerblade!

    Reply

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