Getting Vertical
Big Sky Skate Park Gets Major Addition
By Brian Hurlbut
The Big Sky Sun
If you build it, they will come. If it sounds like a line from a movie, it is, but it also applies to the large halfpipe currently under construction in the Big Sky Community Park. Those spearheading the effort say that the new ramp will be the first step in putting the town on the skateboarding map.
"We weren't happy with the old park," said Chris Mountjoy, a Big Sky resident who has put up with the often-dilapidated conditions at the current park for five years. "I'm happy that the Big Sky Owners Association (BSOA) had the faith in us to let us do this."
The halfpipe used to be located at the house of local skateboarder Chris Schwalbe. A group of about ten local skateboarders chipped in and purchased the for $500, then got permission from the BSOA to relocate it to the park and rebuild it nearly twice as big. When finished, the ramp will be 38 feet long and 32 feet wide, with five and six-foot walls.
Mountjoy and Chad Peterson have been instrumental in bringing the skate park addition to fruition. Both are avid skateboarders who represent the local skateboard community by volunteering their time on the Big Sky Park Committee.
"They are both dedicated people who support the park and are working hard toward seeing a professional skate park being developed in Big Sky," said BSOA Executive Director Mary Jane McGarity. "Hopefully this is a prelude to what we are hoping to see over there."
The preliminary master plan for the new Big Sky Community Park land, which is in the final stages of being purchased, calls for a large, concrete skate park that will rival not only the best in the state but some of the best in the Northwest.
"It will be easier to build support and raise money when people see how many people use the new halfpipe," Mountjoy said. "There has been a lot of interest so far."
According to Mountjoy, the support from the community has been overwhelming. Several construction companies - including Cascade Ridge, Double L and Moss Construction - donated wood and other materials, while a dozen or so individuals have volunteered their time to help move and rebuild the ramp. Work was at a standstill last week until local builder Jim Holmes persuaded Kenyon Noble Hardware to donate the rest of the materials, including more than 100 pieces of plywood and Masonite.
McGarity also said people have stopped into the BSOA office and donated money for the skate park project.
"There has been a lot of interest from locals and visitors," she said. "They are very excited to see something like this in Big Sky."
The new ramp will draw skaters from other parts of the state, said Peterson, who has logged thousands of miles traveling to skate parks around the country each year. Once the new park gets completed in a few years, Big Sky will be poised to become a major destination for skateboarders from all over.
"Skate parks bring people and business," said McGarity. "It's like going to a ski area."
While the halfpipe will benefit not just the skateboarding community, Mountjoy and the other volunteers hope that doing their part for the Community Park will also help to give skateboarders a better reputation in a place where many of them own property and live here year round.
"It will make us more a part of the town," he said. "We just want to be able to come down with our friends and enjoy the park."
