AusLeisure

The air-conditioned Zoo Skatepark has opened in Dubai.

Set up by a group of skateboard enthusiasts and fitness compnay the Ignite Group, the indoor skatepark is located at a warehouse on the corner of a major junction in Al Quoz.

Explaining the creation of the attraction, Ignite Group Chief Executive Guillaume Mariole told Dubai-based media “we noticed there was a void in the market for kids to be able to do skating or extreme sports in a safe environment that was air conditioned and that they could take advantage of for 12 months of the year.”

Operational since May and set for its official opening at the end of the month, Zoo Skatepark Manager Jeremy Klynsmith adds “it’s been just a soft opening, so we haven’t been too aggressive on the marketing but we’re slowly getting the word out.”

Klynsmith, a skater for 18 years who has been living in Dubai for the past six years, said the sport was becoming more popular, explaining "(we attract) a range of people – from the beginners at five years old to the more experienced guys at 35 or 40.

“Recently I’m seeing more and more kids getting involved.

“Because we mostly have outdoor areas here, there are normally fewer people skating in the summer. That’s why I think this place will be popular.”

Zoo Skatepark also plans to attract private bookings for events such as birthday parties and corporate events, as well as seeking brand sponsors.

More than Dh500,000 (US$136,000) was invested in the Skatepark, and with user fees at Dh30 (US$8) an hour and Dh75 ($US20) a day. It offers beginner slopes and steps, quarter pipes and half pipes, a grinding box, and an intimidating slope that is known as a 'vert bowl'.

Skateboarding lessons are available for Dh195 (US$53) an hour.

Parents have to sign a legal waiver for their children even though children have to wear protective gear, such as helmets.

Klynsmith concluded “we teach them the basics and make sure they’re not throwing them down anywhere dangerous, but, at the end of the day, this is a place where kids come to try to express themselves and get creative.

“Skateboarding is really a subculture, and it’s a lifestyle. It’s not so much about getting fit as it is an art form and a form of expression.”

Click here to go to the Zoo Skatepark Facebook.

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.