Our History
My obsession with skating began on the streets of Los Angeles in 1972, when I got my first skateboard at the age of twelve. Always pushing the limits, I soon began building makeshift skating and launching ramps, getting more than my share of bruises and broken bones. Even then, I wanted to build the perfect place to skate.
In my first municipal skatepark project, a group of friends and I lobbied the city for a skatepark in Venice. We attended countless meetings, built models and made speeches, but our park was never built.
Taking matters into my own hands, I put the biggest half-pipe in Southern California in my backyard. Soon, one half-pipe became two and three roommates became twelve. It became impossible to keep our little skate spot a secret and before long, “Spohn Ranch” was a destination for skaters from around the world.
Soon after, ESPN partnered with Spohn Ranch to design and build the X-Games competition courses for the first five years of the event. We have since provided courses for almost every major skateboard and BMX competition.
When municipalities started building skateparks in the early ‘90s, many sought our advice. Sharing our experience in design, engineering and construction, we have since produced over 450 skateparks for communities all across the world. We pride ourselves on serving every community’s youth with the same level of quality as the X-Games.
As the skatepark industry continues to grow, what truly separates us from our competitors is our level of dedication and our passion for what we do. We are a company of uniquely talented people, all with a zeal for action sports. To us, skateparks are a whole lot more than just another product to sell. I know firsthand how important they can be to kids who have nowhere to skate safely and legally.
