Skateparks in North East India

My thoughts about the skateparks listed below are based on my personal opinion. I’ve only seen them in pictures and videos so my descriptions may not be 100% accurate.

Pro-Life Skatepark (Meghalaya)- is one of the two skateparks located in the cloudy mountains of Shillong. It’s incredible to even think that skateboarding exists amongst the roller coaster like geographical terrain of Meghalaya. Only a few warriors are brave enough to skate in such a tough environment and it is them who built Pro-Life Skatepark. They are members of the local skate crew called Hucko. Shout out to the homie Giovani! I’d love to come shred the place with the crew one day. My good friend and killer-skater Subba helped with designing the park and it turned out looking dope! It has pretty much everything a skater could ask for: 3 drops of varying sizes with quarter pipes for dropping in and getting speed, an A-frame rail, a smooth bank to bank, a ledge and a flatbar. There’s also a hip in the corner. The skatepark looks insanely fun to skate but a few obstacles seem to be a little tall. The “A” frame rail looks pretty tall and so does the gap on the third level (it seems as though there’s not enough run up for it). Perhaps Aaron Jaws Homoki could send a trick off of it.

Google map location - Pro Life Skatepark
Pic Credits - Pro Life Skatepark

Visibility zero bmx/skatepark (Meghalaya)- is the second skatepark in Shillong. The park leans more towards BMX riders’ preference in my opinion. The obstacles are placed quite far apart from each other and there’s a wallride which is clearly not meant for skateboarding. Although, as most skaters would agree… Anything can be skated one way or the other, it just depends on how creative you’re willing to get with it. The skatepark has plenty of flatground space and it includes: 2 quarter pipes, a few hubbas and a handrail. There’s also a cool bank which is used by BMXers for doing flyouts. The place just seems like a fun zone to chill and hang out with the homies. You have the option to take it easy or do some gnarly tricks there (depending on how hyped-up you feel hahaha).

Google map location - Visibility zero skatepark
Pic Credits - Visibility zero skatepark

NFR Skatepark (Guwahati) - is a biiig one! The skatepark was built by a group of skateboarders/skatepark builders called 100 Ramps. It is located in a green patch of land called N.F. Railway Stadium which also appears to be one of Maligaon’s main sports centers/training facilities as there’s a basketball court and a scouts and guides training facility. There’s a sport hostel in the same area too. This skatepark has a variety of street obstacles including: a flatbar, an “A” frame rail, hubbas, ledges, a kicker and a manny pad. It also includes some transition obstacles such as quarter pipes, banks and bumps. This skatepark can suit skateboarders of all levels: beginner, intermediate and professional as there are plenty of obstacles to choose from and endless opportunities for doing different lines.

Google map location - NRF Skatepark Guwahati
Pic Credits - Giovani Majaw

Sikkim Terrace- the rooftop of Kanchenjunga shopping complex is one of the most common places where the Sikkim Skaters hang out. There’s a good flatground and an amazing view of the valley below. This flatground spot is like no other and you might even get altitude sickness just being there. Or you could do some cool tricks and prove how “SICK” you really are. The locals have welded their own portable flatbar and normally shred it there. They seem to keep a few other obstacles there such as a kicker and a ledge too. The people who skate there spend a lot of time practicing their flatground. They expand their bag of tricks on a daily basis so don’t get discouraged when you get your butt kicked in a game of S.K.A.T.E.

Google map location - Sikkim Terrace
Pic Credits + Feature image credits - Kunga Tashi

Benjiloma Skatepark(Arunachal Pradesh)- A fun little spot which is ideal for beginner skaters. This skatepark has almost all the essential obstacles for a solid progression but unfortunately, it lacks flow. Some people may or may not find the park a little too tight and mellow. Nevertheless, the small quarter pipes can help you learn some technical ramp tricks and build up your confidence for bigger ramps. So can the small rail and ledge/manny pad. If I were to go there, I think I’d enjoy skating the bank to bank as it is one of my favorite obstacles and it’s great for practicing tricks. For example, if you suck at scooping tricks (like me) the bank can boost you up a little higher giving you more airtime to complete the rotation.

This skatepark demands a little creativity from the people who come there to skate and progress I believe… Having a creative approach to skateboarding is what keeps it interesting because you are constantly looking for new ways of approaching certain obstacles.

Google map location - Benjiloma Skatepark
Pic credits - Benjiloma skatepark

Ziro Skatepark (Arunachal Pradesh) - This beautiful skatepark is built by Skater Nako Thomas and his friend's. This park was inaugurated on 25th Sept 2022. When asked how did they manage to pull of such a banger this is what he had to say - 'Backstory mmm, actually there's no back story. We didn't have any place to skate few days back where we skated, police chased us out so that's why we build this park to skate :)

Google Map Location - Ziro Skatepark
Pic Credits - via Boardsup skate magazine

Lungleng Skatepark(Mizoram) - This skatepark is built by the Bombay SB guys in March 2022. The mastermind behind this full project is Mr. Gideon Lalhmingthanga. He runs an adventure park in Mizoram where this skatepark is situated. It's a paid park, where the entry fee is around Rs 150-200/- for full day. This skatepark has one of the best scenic views :). They also have other adventure activities in the same park, don't forget to try them out too!

Google map location - Lungleng Park
Pic credits - Nunkima

Author - Andy Topo

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