One of Montana’s Largest Skateparks Is Now Open and It’s Rad

Over the past 20 years, skateboard parks have been popping up all over Montana and another new park just opened last weekend.

Saturday, September 16, 2023, was the opening day for the skatepark in Whitefish, Montana, a project that according to skateboarding.com was 17 years in the making.

Who Built the Skatepark?

The Whitefish Skatepark (Dave Olseith Memorial Skatepark) received approximately a 7,000-square-foot expansion that brought the total square footage to 23,000. The park was built by Dreamland Skateparks, a company made up of skateboarders as well as craftspeople that got its start in 1990. They've built skateparks all over the country, and even in Hawaii and Mexico, and are working on one in Israel.

Here's a look at the process of building the skatepark in Whitefish:

Take a look at this aerial video for a view from above.

The grand opening event was also an ARob Plant a Seed Foundation event, a nonprofit dedicated to "helping underprivileged children enjoy the wind in their face and powder beneath their feet."

Jeff Ament's Skateboarding Parks in Montana

Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam is responsible for much of Montana's growth around skateboarding His nonprofit organization Montana Pool Service has "funded more than 30 skateparks for rural and native communities", many of which are located in Montana. Future Montana Pool Service skatepark projects include Clinton, Glasgow, Lame Deer, Fort Benton, Roundup, Wounded Knee, Chinook, Hingham, and Inchelium. Dreamland Skateparks in collaboration with the Montana Skatepark Association and Montana Pool Service also worked on the skatepark in Troy, Montana, which will have a third phase in 2023.

For more information about skateparks in Montana visit montanaskatepark.org.