Challenging bowls and ramps, a good location and few children has made for one of the best kept secrets among Utah's skaters — Fairmont Skate Park.
"There was nowhere to skate for east-side kids," said John Vigil, 20, a Salt Lake resident and an aggressive in-line skater. "But Fairmont is really convenient. There are not as many kids at Fairmont as most skate parks . . . and (the skaters) are mostly high school and college-aged and some junior high."
In many areas, skateboarding is becoming as big as Little League, and most skate parks are packed during peak, after-school hours. But at Fairmont, it's the lack of skaters that draws experienced Utahns. Many will commute from other cities just to skate at Fairmont.
"It's further away, but I'd rather drive here," said Bryan Holbrook, 20, a North Salt Lake resident and a skateboarder for six years. "Not a lot of people can skate it."
Salt Lake City Parks Division Director Val Pope agrees.
"A lot of these kids travel (to Fairmont)," he said. "It's an activity that needs a facility to accommodate the activity."
Although the Jordan Skate Park opened in spring 2002 for Salt Lake skaters, Pope said a strong desire for another prompted the city to approve the Fairmont Skate Park that same year. The parks are not just for skateboarders and in-line skaters — the park was made for bikes and scooters as well.
"There are lots of different sports fields," he said. "And between Roller-blades and skateboards and BMX bikes, there are a lot of kids that skate."
Owners at snow and skate chain Blindside pushed the park's creation and started a petition among local skaters in favor of a skate park at Fairmont.
"The community itself was a big supporter of this," Pope said. "They think it's great. It legitimizes an activity and . . . it gives them a designated area."
The park has been unofficially open since fall 2004, and the Salt Lake Parks and Recreation has planned a grand opening on June 18, when the weather will be warmer.
Fairmont regulars say the skate park is a needed and appreciated public resource.
"Most kids can come to sober up," said Patrick Ferrin, 18, a Salt Lake resident who has been skateboarding on and off for four years. "You can't be doing drugs or alcohol when skateboarding."
Vigil, who recently started in-line skating, said before the skate park, a lot of skaters would go to the shopping center, the Commons in Sugar House, to skate. Most would be asked to leave because customers and shop owners would complain. The new skate park gives Sugar House skaters a better place to skate.
"It keeps kids out of trouble," Vigil said.
Skating at the skate park has become an after-school activity for many skating students. "I meet new friends all the time," said Ricky Tucker, 14, a Salt Lake resident who has been skateboarding for a year and a half.
The only drawback — no lights.
"It's hard at night, we have nowhere to go and it can get dangerous," Tucker said.
But good news for other Salt Lake skaters — Pope said the city is discussing opening two more skate parks in the city.
"We can see a need, and what we've done so far is we've covered the southwest and southeast corner of the city and now we're looking at the northeast and northwest," he said.
The grand opening of the skate park will be on June 18 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. More than 60 skaters will compete in a concrete rodeo skateboarding competition in the morning and pause for a news conference from 1-1:30 p.m., where Mayor Rocky Anderson and Council Member Dale Lambert will speak, as well as a community skate board representative.
Fairmont Skate Park is located at 2200 S. 900 East at Fairmont Park in Sugar House.