With winter in full swing, many local skate parks close due to the snow and weather. However,
a local skate-and-snowboard shop, Crossroads Skatepark and Shop, also features a large indoor skate park, offering a safe alternative for those who prefer grip tape and wheels over bindings and boots in the winter.
“It sucks in the winter time — no one can really skate anywhere — so we opened up the indoor skate park for people to skate four or five months out of the year,” said Jeff Dahlin, manager at Crossroads and a recent Weber State University graduate in graphic design and visual communications.
Since its opening in 2009, Crossroads has always been a yearlong facility that offers a heated skate park and no time limits on use of the facility.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the physical activity skateboarding entails makes it a moderately intense aerobic activity. Skaters can attain a healthy amount of physical activity each week with about 150 minutes of skating.
“A few therapists opened this place for their students to work at,” Dahlin said. “They opened up a treatment center and wanted the students to be in real-world positions where they could get treatment and also work at places and be in the real world. They figured it’d be awesome to open up a skateboard/snowboard shop so they can be excited about working as well.”
Crossroads has recently moved to a larger facility at 251 W. 12th St. in Ogden. This means a newer and bigger skate park. Dahlin said about 90 percent of the skate park is new. All-new wood and new layouts can be expected on opening day, but Crossroads does plan to keep some of its older features, like the mini ramp.
Crossroads has worked to incorporate every aspect of skateboarding in its brand-new skate park, including street, vert and a combination of the two.
The Crossroads shop is already open to the public at the new location, and a grand opening for the skate park is set for Jan. 18. With the larger facility, the shop has also grown in size to offer a wider selection of products for skaters and snowboarders in Ogden.
“Winter will go by very fast with the new skate park in,” said WSU student Caleb Balsman. “I can’t wait to skate (at) a new park, because new parks are always a really good time.”
The grand opening will feature a skateboard contest and a video premiere.
To see an interview with Crossroads assistant manager Taylor Gallegos, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rjSShoDkLY.
