Places To Avoid While Skating

There are a plethora of places you should avoid when skating in order to not get tickets, not get hurt, and to keep your equipment at its optimal levels.  The first thing we will talk about are places not to skate in order to avoid tickets.  Tickets and citations received by skaters can range anywhere from 75 dollars to 225 dollars.  These tickets can range anywhere from trespassing to destruction of public property depending on the mood of the officer.  I realize that the skating community enjoys finding street spots which includes stair sets, rails, and gaps but the tickets for skating these obstacles can really set you back financially.  In reality it would be better just to stay away from these public obstacles all together, but in reality this will not happen so you will want to find sets and gaps that are not well known, odds are if you know about a skate spot in a certain area that the cops know about it as well.  Another place to avoid when skating, are areas with poorly maintained roads which have large cracks or loose gravel.  Skating areas with large cracks makes you prone to getting a wheel caught and taking a nasty spill, as well as catching a loose rock and slipping out.  The elements also have a huge impact on when to skate board or when you should just call it quits.  Skate boarding in the rain or right after it rains is HORRIBLE for your skate board.  When you skate in the rain you kick up water onto you board which causes it to become water logged and extremely heavy.  When a board is water logged it makes the adhesive weak that holds the plies together and dramatically cuts down the life of your board.  Another issue which arises from skating when it’s wet is that the rain will rust out your bearings causing them to break entirely or be unable to spin.  In summary, you should only skate if you know the area is safe and that weather conditions are permitting.