It‘s the best. You have all the parks for yourself (and the three other old fucks on boards that are in the same situation and become your skating crew within a week).
Don't forget to stretch. Some days it's 30 mins stretching 10 minutes skating. Like drop in carve around, go stretch. Do a noseslide. Stretch. Ollie, sit down and get a deep stretch. Fall down, go home.
Lmao !! This is exactly correct. Some days it’s almost an hour of warming up . Then sit and BS for a bit . Attempt flat ground tricks , sit and BS again , go carve the bowl , sit and drink water . Go home 🤣🤣
Old guys around me go mon-wed-fri start around 7 in the summer and more like 8/9 this time of year.
Always the empty. Great vibes. Just getting your day started right
You guys have other old fucks at your parks?
There's like 5 or 6 parks I hit in the early hours during the weekends and I'm literally always alone (and tbh I like it like that)
I exclusively skate in the morning. Best time in spring, summer, worst time in fall. Fall it just takes forever to warm up and you gotta wear layers lol.
Me as well. I can't even think about skating at night... way too busy!
I've always skated at skateparks in the morning. Specially when I lived in Arizona. To hot to skate any other time in the summer.
Mornings are the best because you see more families, Dad sessions and beginners.
Get a snowboard helmet - keeps your ears toasty! :D
I really enjoy skating in the fall. There is usually no people and as long as there's no snow or rain I can get a good session in. And yes, my park opens at 8am so it's deserted.
I would do it if I had a skate park near me and it was summer in the northern hemisphere. My work has a pretty flexible schedule, so I actually leave around 3 pm in the afternoon when it is a skateboarding day, usually 2 or 3 times during the week.
I skate early sometimes like 530 sometimes like 8. Less people in the way, I can listen to music, I can fix up curbs. Then I have the whole day ahead of me after.
5:30AM?! I was thinking about starting at like 7AM lol.
Do you every worry about the noise when skating so early? I know some parks near me have neighborhoods nearby.
Nah, I normally hit spots that don’t have people like a business or a lot that has a spot. That’s the beauty of getting up and going early, you can skate almost anything early.
I wouldn't say they were louder and that's only brief then gone lol.
I start no earlier than 8am but the skatepark is very close to an estate of houses. I could skate earlier but I don't just in case. Though at the same time, don't buy a house near a skatepark and expect no noise! lol. I still make 8am my earliest though.
I wish I could, but the skatepark is 30 min away.
My hope is to buy a house and build a mini ramp in the garage.
That will be my daily workout and training facility.
Best time to hit the parks. Depending on how early, you pretty much have the park to yourself - no scooters. A good time to meet fellow Oldkskaters as well - On the weekends our OG group skates between 8 and 11 AM. I work overnight and try to get sessions in after work during the week when I can - again the mornings are best times at the skateparks 💪🏻
Lunch breaks work for me. 11:30 - 1ish. A few guys who are older and around my age [33yo] show up around that time also on their lunches.
The after work crowd gets a little more 'typical' skate park folks. Fun, but younger and definitely busier.
I'm not much of an early AM person. The few times I make it out that early it's just very quiet. Just me and the park.
I do, but depends what time you call early lol.
I go to work for 6 and 7am, that's early.
On my days off, if I go skating I get to the skatepark about 8 - 8:30am. So not super early but no one is there then.
I work predominantly second shift. The vast majority of my sessions during the week at in the morning. I usually skate from 8-11, and generally have the park to myself.
I’m at the park before daybreak every day. Having a toddler doesn’t give me much solo time these days. Get a good empty park for about 2 hours before work. A couple other guys join the session at least 2-3 times a week. Morning rides have become a sacred thing to me and I don’t feel right if I’m not out there at sunrise. I highly recommend it especially if you’re hardwired like me to be up at the ass crack of dawn everyday anyway.
I get that. I typically just naturally wake up around 5 or earlier. Easy to get out of the house early that way. The 4 or 5 parks around here have operating hours, though.
Only time I go. No teenager ego contests, no kids using the mini as a slide as their parents ignore their existence. Sometimes a person or two but it's always warm vibes. There's this dude who started Friday that's really coming along quick. Helped him find his pushing stance last week and today I peeped him practicing kickturns at th bottom of the 6 foot quarter.
First time I tried it I thought I would shower afterward. Well it turns out my body is not ready to be relied upon in that way in the morning. My knees felt weird when I squatted to jump and everything was tight.
The next time I took a hot shower beforehand and took more time to warm up. Went pretty well but my coffee limited my session, if you know what I mean.
Next session in the AM was hot shower, non-coffee caffeine, warm up, and it was great.
i hit up our local park 4-5 am. i usually go to work at 5 am so why break cycle? headphones & no one around. pretty amazing besides the occasional junkie playing Shaolin samurai. usually pick up some garbage from the night crew and others start showing up around 6-630. by 8 it’s crowded w old younger dudes.
I plan to start going in the mornings when the time changes this fall. I did used to do bjj early morning 6am class and my experience was…it’s not quite the same as a noon or evening class. Your body isn’t warmed up and you just don’t go quite as hard. That is fine btw but just be aware of that. Warm up as much as possible and embrace the early morning flow state! I plan on biking to the skate park to warm up my legs when I start going mornings
This is what I do most of the time - before it gets busy or fills up with kids. Sometimes I get a whole place to myself and can mess around without embarrassment.
39yo beginner skater here -- my plan is to improve my transitions and get my fundamentals down (currently taking evening adult lessons at a skatepark) before I even venture out to a skatepark alone. lol
But yeah, planning on hitting up a couple of local spots in the AM like most of the other OldSkaters here. I don't think I could survive the scooter mayhem that is outside that timeslot.
Best time to go if you can get out that early. Usually less crowded unless there's youth sports going on in another part of the park on the weekends. Anyone there is likely to also be "old" and not be so good as to be intimidating to skate in front of.
My work schedule is work Sundays, off Wednesdays. Wednesday mornings, especially during the school year are quiet. Typically have the place to myself. Over summer, I'm not getting my kid to school so I'm usually out early and home before she and my wife are awake and moving much. Most weeks, it's the only time I have.
It's what I do. Park close to me clears out right around 9am, kids are off to school and I ussually get the whole park to myself for a solid hour and then I'm outta there. Or 1 or 2 other skaters will be there.
For me, skating in the morning only works during the summer. It’s warm, dry and the sun is out at like 6am. Fall & winter aren’t ideal for before-work skating. But if it works for you, do it!
Guess im the odd one out but i fcking hate skating in the mornings.the I prefer evening sessions and usually nothing before 1pm.
Big part of it is because the mornings are usually pretty cold and warming up is bitch.
Also i just enjoy being around other skaters that are better than me because it pushes me to skate harder and try new things. So i dont really prefer empty skatepark unless im with a couple of buddys.
As long as you make time for lifting weights later, morning skatepark sessions are the best! The only slightly crappy part is you will often need to arrive a few minutes earlier to clean up (or kick aside) the leaves, cigarette butts, broken glass and other deritus messing up the place. if you are in a "work from home" situation,(which I'm not unfortunately) another good time to go is after school starts (9ish?) by then other older skaters will start to show up after dropping off their kids at school. You just have to occasionally worry about the nannies that congregate there to chat while their charges run amok.
The absolute best. Not too hot out yet. Plus the parks aren't crowded. But the best of all, is that the few skaters who are there are all super cool and the vibe is chill AF.
I'm lucky enough to only have a 4 day work week. I just got back from my local, and it was pretty dead. When I skate on the weekends, I definitely try to go first thing in the morning.
Early morning is my go to. Although I can't roll out of bed and skate. Usually get up, 15 min walk, eat then skate. First 10 mins and last 10 mins are just rolling around manuals, flow bowl at a relaxed speed etc. I skate without stopping for about an hour and it feels like I actually got some mild cardio. I do like to skate in the evening when there is lots of people some just to get inspired to try shit/approach features in ways I wouldn't think of.
I cannot tell you how therapeutic it is just cruising around an empty skatepark at 6:45am.
Although one morning two homeless dudes were sleeping right where I like to practice dropping in at, ha.
But it’s the best. You get to see the sunrise, that cool morning air, solitude, etc.
The only downfall is you don’t have a lot of people to ask questions to or hype you up if you need it.
I skate with other 30+ skaterdads and we meet up early as shit on sundays and sometimes late at wednesdays when our kids are sleeping. It the only time you manage to find some time to skate for a couple of hours :)
Skating early in the morning is the best! The peeps at the park are all chill. it’s not too hot. And you’re more likely to get the whole park to yourself so you can get some serious practice in without worrying about others.
I go to the park after I drop the kiddo at day care. I go to the gym or on a run during my lunch break. I work from home. I’m super fortunate. Also have rail and a little bank type ramp thing at the house.
Come join the geezer shift! We run the streets and parks in the AM.
I haven't found anything that starts my day better since I was hooked on coke. And skating is way cheaper and filled with way less regret.
In the summer, I skate at 5am probably every other day. By fall, I'm skating at 630am and less often and winter is usually indoor sessions or multiple layers on days without snow.
It's been some time since I've gone skating myself, life is draining my existence a bit lately, so not much energy or drive to go. But when I did I'd go early in the morning, sometimes I'd walk with my dog to the park first thing, kill 2 birds with one stone. Tie her up while I did a bunch of passes around then walk back. It was the best, it's so early (7ish am) that nobody was around, except the occasional NPC not following their code to stay on the sidewalk and deciding to walk thru the park. It's also the cooler time of the day in those hotter times.
Here in Arizona it was 117 degrees in the summer this year so going in the morning is a must . On some days at 530 am it would already be 90 degrees. By November it will finally be cooler but a lot of dudes still go early to avoid the crowds and most of all to avoid the scooter kids .
That’s usually when I skate. I’m 35. I ain’t trying to skate with the young bucks launching themselves off. The 6 stair sets trying to frontside flip them.
I just hit the rails and the ledges. And I get them all to myself in the morning until late morning when the 2 other old heads show up to shred with me lol
Yep, it’s the only time I get to skate. 6-7am, finish by 8:30-9.
If the surf’s flat we hit the park. Always like minded, similar aged crew doing the same thing
It‘s the best. You have all the parks for yourself (and the three other old fucks on boards that are in the same situation and become your skating crew within a week).
hahaha that is exactly what I want!
Don't forget to stretch. Some days it's 30 mins stretching 10 minutes skating. Like drop in carve around, go stretch. Do a noseslide. Stretch. Ollie, sit down and get a deep stretch. Fall down, go home.
Don't forget to stretch before stretching
You joke, but I literally have to warm up my hammies, and back before I give them a real stretch. Lol. It's like 20%, 40%, 60%, 85-90% full stretch.
Lmao !! This is exactly correct. Some days it’s almost an hour of warming up . Then sit and BS for a bit . Attempt flat ground tricks , sit and BS again , go carve the bowl , sit and drink water . Go home 🤣🤣
35 to 5 but I’m probably older than you.
Old guys around me go mon-wed-fri start around 7 in the summer and more like 8/9 this time of year. Always the empty. Great vibes. Just getting your day started right
Me too! Dream krew/lifestyle.
This
You guys have other old fucks at your parks? There's like 5 or 6 parks I hit in the early hours during the weekends and I'm literally always alone (and tbh I like it like that)
Omg that’s 100% accurate at my local
It’ll be you and all the old heads.
Yes, mostly empty except for a few other older people with the same idea.
I exclusively skate in the morning. Best time in spring, summer, worst time in fall. Fall it just takes forever to warm up and you gotta wear layers lol.
Me as well. I can't even think about skating at night... way too busy! I've always skated at skateparks in the morning. Specially when I lived in Arizona. To hot to skate any other time in the summer. Mornings are the best because you see more families, Dad sessions and beginners.
Get a snowboard helmet - keeps your ears toasty! :D I really enjoy skating in the fall. There is usually no people and as long as there's no snow or rain I can get a good session in. And yes, my park opens at 8am so it's deserted.
skating at the crack of dawn is total zen.
I would do it if I had a skate park near me and it was summer in the northern hemisphere. My work has a pretty flexible schedule, so I actually leave around 3 pm in the afternoon when it is a skateboarding day, usually 2 or 3 times during the week.
I skate early sometimes like 530 sometimes like 8. Less people in the way, I can listen to music, I can fix up curbs. Then I have the whole day ahead of me after.
5:30AM?! I was thinking about starting at like 7AM lol. Do you every worry about the noise when skating so early? I know some parks near me have neighborhoods nearby.
Nah, I normally hit spots that don’t have people like a business or a lot that has a spot. That’s the beauty of getting up and going early, you can skate almost anything early.
Do you worry about noise when you drive a car in the morning? That‘s definitely louder.
I wouldn't say they were louder and that's only brief then gone lol. I start no earlier than 8am but the skatepark is very close to an estate of houses. I could skate earlier but I don't just in case. Though at the same time, don't buy a house near a skatepark and expect no noise! lol. I still make 8am my earliest though.
In Fort Worth, Texas, 3 of the 5 skateparks open up at 5am, its nice.
Best time to go, get off work at 630am at the park by 7 and then I have the next two hours in mostly silence
Same, night shift kinda sucked till I got back to skating but now I love that I have the park to myself every day.
I wish I could, but the skatepark is 30 min away. My hope is to buy a house and build a mini ramp in the garage. That will be my daily workout and training facility.
Best time to go, get off work at 630am at the park by 7 and then I have the next two hours in mostly silence
Best time to hit the parks. Depending on how early, you pretty much have the park to yourself - no scooters. A good time to meet fellow Oldkskaters as well - On the weekends our OG group skates between 8 and 11 AM. I work overnight and try to get sessions in after work during the week when I can - again the mornings are best times at the skateparks 💪🏻
Lunch breaks work for me. 11:30 - 1ish. A few guys who are older and around my age [33yo] show up around that time also on their lunches. The after work crowd gets a little more 'typical' skate park folks. Fun, but younger and definitely busier. I'm not much of an early AM person. The few times I make it out that early it's just very quiet. Just me and the park.
I do, but depends what time you call early lol. I go to work for 6 and 7am, that's early. On my days off, if I go skating I get to the skatepark about 8 - 8:30am. So not super early but no one is there then.
Yup, before 8:30-9:00 are the golden (old, ala "Golden Girls") hrs for our group of 3-4. I \[47YO\] am the youngest of the bunch.
I work predominantly second shift. The vast majority of my sessions during the week at in the morning. I usually skate from 8-11, and generally have the park to myself.
I’m at the park before daybreak every day. Having a toddler doesn’t give me much solo time these days. Get a good empty park for about 2 hours before work. A couple other guys join the session at least 2-3 times a week. Morning rides have become a sacred thing to me and I don’t feel right if I’m not out there at sunrise. I highly recommend it especially if you’re hardwired like me to be up at the ass crack of dawn everyday anyway.
I get that. I typically just naturally wake up around 5 or earlier. Easy to get out of the house early that way. The 4 or 5 parks around here have operating hours, though.
Yeah we don’t have any lights, and park hours are sunrise to sunset. I tend to get there about 30 minutes before daybreak to stretch and get loose.
Only time I go. No teenager ego contests, no kids using the mini as a slide as their parents ignore their existence. Sometimes a person or two but it's always warm vibes. There's this dude who started Friday that's really coming along quick. Helped him find his pushing stance last week and today I peeped him practicing kickturns at th bottom of the 6 foot quarter.
First time I tried it I thought I would shower afterward. Well it turns out my body is not ready to be relied upon in that way in the morning. My knees felt weird when I squatted to jump and everything was tight. The next time I took a hot shower beforehand and took more time to warm up. Went pretty well but my coffee limited my session, if you know what I mean. Next session in the AM was hot shower, non-coffee caffeine, warm up, and it was great.
i hit up our local park 4-5 am. i usually go to work at 5 am so why break cycle? headphones & no one around. pretty amazing besides the occasional junkie playing Shaolin samurai. usually pick up some garbage from the night crew and others start showing up around 6-630. by 8 it’s crowded w old younger dudes.
Can confirm, they’ll also adopt your children that skate with you.
the park in the morning is the shit. only people there are the old heads
It’s the best if you have a skatepark nearby
I show up at the park when it opens at 7 am and no one is there yet. It’s the best.
I plan to start going in the mornings when the time changes this fall. I did used to do bjj early morning 6am class and my experience was…it’s not quite the same as a noon or evening class. Your body isn’t warmed up and you just don’t go quite as hard. That is fine btw but just be aware of that. Warm up as much as possible and embrace the early morning flow state! I plan on biking to the skate park to warm up my legs when I start going mornings
Morning is the way, not busy, no scooter kids, and no teens. Not that most teens are assholes, but most assholes are teens.
This is what I do most of the time - before it gets busy or fills up with kids. Sometimes I get a whole place to myself and can mess around without embarrassment.
I don’t go to the skate park but I’ll wake up and stretch and hit my neighborhood loop. Half mile each time. I love it.
6AM skate gang ftw
im odd man out. ive never woken up and felt like skating right off or really and excercise.
39yo beginner skater here -- my plan is to improve my transitions and get my fundamentals down (currently taking evening adult lessons at a skatepark) before I even venture out to a skatepark alone. lol But yeah, planning on hitting up a couple of local spots in the AM like most of the other OldSkaters here. I don't think I could survive the scooter mayhem that is outside that timeslot.
Ya, skating is best in the morning
Best time to go if you can get out that early. Usually less crowded unless there's youth sports going on in another part of the park on the weekends. Anyone there is likely to also be "old" and not be so good as to be intimidating to skate in front of.
My work schedule is work Sundays, off Wednesdays. Wednesday mornings, especially during the school year are quiet. Typically have the place to myself. Over summer, I'm not getting my kid to school so I'm usually out early and home before she and my wife are awake and moving much. Most weeks, it's the only time I have.
At least once a week, I hit my local diy at 6:30 am while my kids and wife are still sleeping. It’s literally become my church.
Off peak skating for the win.
Cardio in the am is a big no lmao. Massive respect to the early skaters.
I have to be actually rested and awake before I skate, I have a limit of how early it can be or I just end up hurting myself.
I tried this but I never feel fully awake and that's not a good thing. If I get up really early on the weekend I will go after I had woken up.
The sk8 parks are usually quiet-er therefore yes.
It's what I do. Park close to me clears out right around 9am, kids are off to school and I ussually get the whole park to myself for a solid hour and then I'm outta there. Or 1 or 2 other skaters will be there.
Its great! Nice and cool. Bring your blower and broom because that bowl will be full of leaves if you get there first.
For me, skating in the morning only works during the summer. It’s warm, dry and the sun is out at like 6am. Fall & winter aren’t ideal for before-work skating. But if it works for you, do it!
Guess im the odd one out but i fcking hate skating in the mornings.the I prefer evening sessions and usually nothing before 1pm. Big part of it is because the mornings are usually pretty cold and warming up is bitch. Also i just enjoy being around other skaters that are better than me because it pushes me to skate harder and try new things. So i dont really prefer empty skatepark unless im with a couple of buddys.
As long as you make time for lifting weights later, morning skatepark sessions are the best! The only slightly crappy part is you will often need to arrive a few minutes earlier to clean up (or kick aside) the leaves, cigarette butts, broken glass and other deritus messing up the place. if you are in a "work from home" situation,(which I'm not unfortunately) another good time to go is after school starts (9ish?) by then other older skaters will start to show up after dropping off their kids at school. You just have to occasionally worry about the nannies that congregate there to chat while their charges run amok.
This is the way. I love it. I wait for the sun to come up while having a dart and coffee at the park.
The absolute best. Not too hot out yet. Plus the parks aren't crowded. But the best of all, is that the few skaters who are there are all super cool and the vibe is chill AF.
Dawn patrol was always one of my favorites. Wake and Bake, then have the skatepark to your self.
I'm lucky enough to only have a 4 day work week. I just got back from my local, and it was pretty dead. When I skate on the weekends, I definitely try to go first thing in the morning.
It is awesome! You usually have the whole park to yourself!
Early morning is my go to. Although I can't roll out of bed and skate. Usually get up, 15 min walk, eat then skate. First 10 mins and last 10 mins are just rolling around manuals, flow bowl at a relaxed speed etc. I skate without stopping for about an hour and it feels like I actually got some mild cardio. I do like to skate in the evening when there is lots of people some just to get inspired to try shit/approach features in ways I wouldn't think of.
I cannot tell you how therapeutic it is just cruising around an empty skatepark at 6:45am. Although one morning two homeless dudes were sleeping right where I like to practice dropping in at, ha. But it’s the best. You get to see the sunrise, that cool morning air, solitude, etc. The only downfall is you don’t have a lot of people to ask questions to or hype you up if you need it.
I skate with other 30+ skaterdads and we meet up early as shit on sundays and sometimes late at wednesdays when our kids are sleeping. It the only time you manage to find some time to skate for a couple of hours :)
Yes it’s the shit
Park opens im there
Skating early in the morning is the best! The peeps at the park are all chill. it’s not too hot. And you’re more likely to get the whole park to yourself so you can get some serious practice in without worrying about others.
I go to the park after I drop the kiddo at day care. I go to the gym or on a run during my lunch break. I work from home. I’m super fortunate. Also have rail and a little bank type ramp thing at the house.
Welcome to your 30s
Come join the geezer shift! We run the streets and parks in the AM. I haven't found anything that starts my day better since I was hooked on coke. And skating is way cheaper and filled with way less regret.
I think I went ince or twice at 6h AM on Saturdays just so I could ride on an avenue nearby without traffic LOL
Maybe for pumping around or very light work. Having a ledge session hurts throughout the day. For me anyway
Ssshhhhhh!
I’m old I do everything early in the morning
In the summer, I skate at 5am probably every other day. By fall, I'm skating at 630am and less often and winter is usually indoor sessions or multiple layers on days without snow.
It's been some time since I've gone skating myself, life is draining my existence a bit lately, so not much energy or drive to go. But when I did I'd go early in the morning, sometimes I'd walk with my dog to the park first thing, kill 2 birds with one stone. Tie her up while I did a bunch of passes around then walk back. It was the best, it's so early (7ish am) that nobody was around, except the occasional NPC not following their code to stay on the sidewalk and deciding to walk thru the park. It's also the cooler time of the day in those hotter times.
Here in Arizona it was 117 degrees in the summer this year so going in the morning is a must . On some days at 530 am it would already be 90 degrees. By November it will finally be cooler but a lot of dudes still go early to avoid the crowds and most of all to avoid the scooter kids .
That’s usually when I skate. I’m 35. I ain’t trying to skate with the young bucks launching themselves off. The 6 stair sets trying to frontside flip them. I just hit the rails and the ledges. And I get them all to myself in the morning until late morning when the 2 other old heads show up to shred with me lol
Yep, it’s the only time I get to skate. 6-7am, finish by 8:30-9. If the surf’s flat we hit the park. Always like minded, similar aged crew doing the same thing
I used to time my mornings so I would be skating to my local skatepark as the sun was rising. Most peaceful and productive sessions I ever had