Having a public outdoor skatepark in the metropolitan area was once a dream that seemed unachievable, but it seems that the city of Montreal has begun to really pay attention to our situation over the past two years. On the toes of last summer’s Rosemont Park inauguration, we launch the 2019 skate season with the opening of the Mile-End aka Van Horne Skatepark. One of the best park we’ve skated for a long time!
It’s true! The new Mile End Skate park is amazing. It's easy to see that real skateboarders were involved in its design. Amongst other, Empire Skate Team member Charles Deschamps was heavily involved. And If Charles is involved, it means the park will be good, period.
The park is easily accessible by car or by public transportations. It’s 5 minutes walk from the Rosemont Metro Station and there’s plenty of parking spots around the place. Accessibility can sometimes be an obstacle for skateparks and it’s easy to think that the Saint-Laurent/Van Horne location might make the Mile-End park hard to access, but it’s not the case.
It’s the first skatepark that features a legit full bowl and skate run in Montreal. Bowls are actually very rare in the province and if you like to skate transitions, this feature alone is worth the trip to the Mile-End. The street course is also well worth the trip. It's big, visually beautiful, the obstacles are sick and disposed strategically so you can cruise from one to another. Beginner or advanced, this park is worth a visit.
For more details about the Mile-End park’s course, keep reading!
The street course
The street course of the Mile-End aka Van Horne skatepark really has all the obstacles that you need to have fun. That’s what we like the most about the place. Sometimes, too many obstacles make you wonder what you’re going to skate and too many options can become confusing. This park’s got just the right amount of everything.
Flat and down Rails, ledges of all sizes, manual pads, hips, ledge to bank, bank to ledge, hubbas and more. Promise you won’t get bored at Mile-End if you are a true street skating lover. Obstacles go from small to medium and are ideal for improving your skills and progression. Because trying a trick you just learned on something massive at a skatepark makes no sense. A park is there for you to have fun, not to scare the hell out of you. Mile-End designers definitely considered this detail.
All in all, the Mile-End park’s street course is one of the best in the area. Simple, but great! The lines are super easy to understand, and very well designed. It won’t take you too long to get used to the lines and find combinations of obstacles that will allow you to move from one to another with ease.
The transitions
Even if the park in lacks a few transitions around the street course, the bowl section totally makes up for it! No kidding, the Mile-End Skatepark’s bowls are next level! The East section of the big bowl is smaller, features a wide bank and is perfect to practice tricks before taking them to the deep end, on the west corner of the bowl. Both ends are linked by an amazing snake run, allowing you to move from the smaller section to the big one without losing speed. Right next to the big bowl/snake run, a classic peanut shaped closed bowl, like the ones we see in California Skateparks.
With its different sections and sizes, everyone can get his transition fix at Mile-End. Believe us, if you like transition skating, you will have fun there. If you’re not used to bowl skating, well, this is also a great place to start and get good at it.
The flow
The Mile-End Skatepark’s flow is probably the best out of all the skateparks we’ve visited. The reason for the success is the fact that lines are all always parallel. The obstacles are disposed so well and the lines are only going two directions, making collisions are a very rare thing.
The massive amount of flat ground also makes this park a perfect one. Usually, Flatground games of skate at the park are not common, but at Mile-End, even if there are 10 games of skate going on at the same time in the park, you’ll still be able to skate the obstacles without any problems.
The other great thing about the two-way parallel lines at the Van Horne Park is that makes the park super simple to understand. Less time to worry about not getting run over and figuring out a line, more time for shredding!
Great park, great location, great features and awesome people. This Summer will for sure be a beast one with The Mile-End park around.
HAVE A GOOD SESSION!
