Skateboarding in Buenos Aires
I find skating in a big city like Buenos Aires can sometimes be a bit daunting with the amount of cars and not knowing quite how the streets can match up in order to get to where you need to go. Buenos Aires thankfully has bike lanes which make their way across most of the city. Skate parks are popping up more and more around the city and with lots of features that the city itself provides it´s hard not to find somewhere to skate.
Getting around Buenos Aires is a bit of a guessing game with one street turning into cobblestone that is terrible to roll on so you decide to take the sidewalk which is in such disrepair you will be slaloming through potholes and dog poo in your first few meters. Big wheels help! I find many of the slates on the sidewalks are engraved with patterns that make it annoying for a good roll and most of the slates do not match up making for ramps or indents to make your journey a bit more interesting. Cars are usually pretty good here as always stay aware but mostly if u stay on the side of the road, like a bike, they should see ya. But, that is not to say they will give you a lot of room.
Bike lanes make travelling over distance a bit nicer as most of them are not on cobblestone roads. Most bike lanes connect up with another one making it easier to get where you´re going without rolling in to thick of traffic. But bike lanes have there own obstacles of joy. First thing I´ve noticed about bike paths is that some have gutters running across them for water drainage, your wheels will get stuck in these and you will eat pavement if you are not paying attention. There is not a lot of these but enough that you will encounter them if you skateboard around. Being on the edge of the road you get to deal with gutters and puddles not too hard to avoid but annoying if you have to stay in your lane to let others pass. Some gutters are quite uneven which can make our wheels skid in the rain so keep a sharp wit. Being in the bike lane you get to ride with bikes (obviously), most bikers are pretty good about staying in their lane, but you will encounter the occasional drunk or distracted biker that is weaving into your lane looking for a good jousting match.
Skate Parks are in a lot of parks around buenos aires and a quick google search will point you in a place that will fit your style of skating. From good half pipes and mini ramps to flowing transitions and ledges there is a plethora of skate parks and it is well worth the mission to try to visit as many as you can. Parque Centenario is a giant park with a skatepark on the southern tip. It is pretty busy when school is out but early mid week is usually pretty quiet and a nice park with plenty of grassy areas to chill out. Plaza Houssay is more urban with lots of benches for grinding and manuals. It also sells some skate supplies on Saturdays for people in need.
The city is mostly flat which can be good to get around without wasting too much time walking up hills. But if you are into going downhill there is only a handful of places to head. República del Líbano is where a lot of the downhill community will skate. Hang out here for a few hours and you are bound to catch someone to skate with. Other than that there is a lot of flatground scenic areas to do your flatland tricks and if you want to go really fast I would suggest traveling outside the city.
The city is pretty skate friendly just keep your wits about you and keep an eye out for poo and cracks and you will be touring this city by board in no time.
The city is pretty skate friendly just keep your wits about you and keep an eye out for poo and cracks and you will be touring this city by board in no time.
