Skimboarding doesn’t require a beach to be enjoyed.
All you need is a body of water with or even without some waves and you’re good to go!
You can try skimboarding in a pool, at a lake, or even in a car park!
Here are some tips for finding the right spot to skimboard without having access to an ocean or beach.
In this post we'll cover:
What do you need to skimboard?
To skimboard, you will need a body of water, and depending on the type of skimboarding you want to do, you’ll also need waves.
But there is a flatwater type of skimboarding, usually involving lots of tricks to make it more interesting, and the good news is:
You can do it almost anywhere where there is just enough water to be able to skim on!
Why a beach is not necessary for skimboarding
If you want to skim on waves, sure, you need beach and ocean for that, but there are ways to make skimboarding a lot of fun without it!
How deep should the water be to skimboard on?
The water you want to skimboard on should be about as deep as one finger thick. A couple of millimeters is ideal for optimal accuracy and the ground needs to be flat and without stones.
That means you can skimboard almost anywhere you can get some water of a minimum depth!
Best places to skimboard without a beach
In a pool
Pools are a great place for beginner skimboarders because the water is shallow and there are no waves. It’s also a good place to practice your tricks!
At a lake
When you’re skimboarding in a lake, make sure the water is deep enough that you won’t hit the bottom. Lakes have moraine, rocks, and other obstacles, so be careful!
In a river or stream
Rivers and streams can provide good skimboarding opportunities, but be careful of the fast-moving water!
In a car park flooded during rainstorms
Believe it or not, you can also try skimboarding in a car park if there’s enough water! Just be careful not to hit any cars.
This is probably not the best place to try out skimboarding for the first time, as there are potential dangers from cars or damaging cars.
But if you’re feeling brave – or desperate – give it a go!
Just make sure the surface is flat and free of debris before you start.
On a flooded street
You can even skimboard on a flooded street during a rainstorm.
A street with a slight down-angle is perfect to get up enough speed.
With an inflatable pool track
If you don’t have easy access to a beach or lake, you can always buy an inflatable skimboard pool track!
This is a great option if you want to teach your kids how to skimboard or just want a fun place to skimboard without waves.
The pool track comes with a built-in place to hold the layer of water, and oftentimes a way to stream the water along the track so you can really get up some speed!
On grass
As long as the ground is flat and there is enough water to skim on, you can try skimboarding on grass!
Grass will slow you down a bit, but it’s still a lot of fun!
Just be careful not to hit any rocks or sticks on the ground.
On sand dunes
Skimboarding on sand dunes is a great alternative to the beach!
Sand dunes provide all the fun of waves without the ocean.
Just make sure the sand is soft enough that you don’t hurt yourself when you fall.
On snow
Believe it or not, you can also try skimboarding on snow!
If there is enough snow to catch a board on and you have some hills to ride down, give it a go!
Just be careful of your surroundings and make sure the ground is flat when you stop.
You might want to try this one out in an open area, like a park, rather than on the street.
On carpet
While it may be limiting, carpet skimming is still a great way to enjoy the sport. The lack of space and water can make for an exciting experience that you won’t get anywhere else!
It’s not as easy, but it can be done and it’s especially good to practice dropping your board, more so than practicing your balance.
How to select a spot to try skimboarding if you don’t have a beach nearby
If you want to try your hand at skimboarding without a beach, the first thing is the water.
But, as we discussed earlier, you only need about a finger deep so that could be loads of places.
The next thing is you need to have ample space for:
- running to get up some speed before you drop
- the track you’ll be skimming along on so you won’t hit anything on the way
Other than that, it should be flat and free from rocks.
Although an obstacle or two might really make it more enjoyable! Getting to skimboard on a lake where you’ve put some skate rails in or some ramps can really make this a great sport for tricks.
So, if you don’t have a beach nearby, don’t worry! There are plenty of other places where you can try your hand at skimboarding.
Pools, lakes, rivers and streams, car parks flooded during rainstorms, inflatable pool tracks, grassy areas, snow-covered hills – the possibilities are endless!
Just be sure to use common sense and beware of potential dangers when skimboarding in unfamiliar locations. And most importantly: have fun!
Also read: these are the 9 best skimboards to look at buying right now
