Spot Checks

SPOT CHECK: Newquay Concrete Waves Skatepark

Here we are then! The most hyped skatepark build of the summer is finally complete and open to the public. Newquay Concrete Waves skatepark is a huge facility, designed and built by Maverick, serving as their flagship park to date.

Words, photos and video by Robin Pearson
Drone shots courtesy of Maverick

When you arrive at Concrete Waves, you can’t help being impressed. It’s a massive skatepark, with three distinct areas – the main bowl, the pool, and the plaza sections.

The Finish:

Not too slick! We’re a big fan of this. It’s got a slight sheen to it but it’s definitely plenty grippy, not highly polished. Good work Maverick.

The Main Bowl:

Spine mini at one end, vert ramp at the other, with some quarter to bank hips, a hipped jump box and a pump bump in the middle.

Initially this struck me and others as a kind of miniature Ruben bowl, with those steep flatbank landings and the jump box / spine mini combo. In reality it’s not really anything like Ruben’s bowl, so you’d be wise to not show up with that in mind!

What it is is big, flowy and fast. After riding it a little while, we picked out a few decent lines that worked really well. With time I’m sure a few more will get unlocked by the locals.

The deep end is pretty flawless, smooth and nicely proportioned. From there you have a pump bump that’s rather abrupt – probably better for skaters than riders. We found ourselves skimming across the edge of it or missing it altogether. The jumpbox is fun but it could do with being a bit steeper, allowing you to carry more speed. Again, skimming over the side of it, racer style, seemed to work nicely. From the box there are some nice transfer lines involving the spine (see video above). Both ways, actually.

Where the spine meets the lovely steep 6ft quarters there are some really fun hip transfers to be had, like the one that Lima does a lookback on at the start of the video.

The build quality on the bowl (and everywhere else) is excellent – perhaps not the smoothest all round, perhaps a few transitions slightly smaller than we’d like, but still very good indeed.

Matt Priest, high speed one footed table gap, spine to box.

The Pool:

Super smooth, not too steep, classic pool tiles, nice shape… This is a sweet little pool. Super popular with skaters, we saw some locals really rip it in there.

The shallow end is much more easy going than most skatepark pools I’ve ridden, but the deep end is proper. Interestingly, the waterfall goes across all the hips, which must have been a real challenge to build. It works well – there are some nice lines in the pool, no doubt.

The Plaza areas:

Around the edge of the park you have some decent street style nibs. There’s a nice flatbank hip, some interesting ledges with trannies up the side, and the odd rail and hubba.

Q&A with Maverick

What’s the back story on this project? How long has it been in the making from initial discussions to completion?

“Newquay’s Concrete Waves has been in the making for the best part of 10 years.”

How did Maverick get involved in the project?

“Maverick won a tender for the project several years ago and worked with the local riders on design ideas which evolved over time and ultimately resulted in the progressive style of park which is in the ground. We have supported the aspirations of the local riders for almost a decade. Ian Jennings, our designer has worked on site at Newquay from day 1 to ensure that the design was executed perfectly.”

Is the new park on the same site as the old Wooden Waves site?

“Yes, that’s right – the new park is in Trenance Park in the same location as the old wooden skatepark.”

How was it funded? How much was the overall build cost?

“Maverick worked with the Council to help identify where the funding could be sourced. The Council contributed the lion’s share of the funding for this from 106 funds and have been incredibly supportive of the project.

Sport England topped up the funding with a further £75K from the Community Asset Fund. The total budget for the build was £540K in the end. There is extra funding in place now to install floodlighting and CCTV, which will be happening shortly.”

Obviously a skatepark like this needs to cater to skate/BMX/scooters, etc – how does that necessity fit in the design?

“It’s a completely inclusive and accessible space – the combination of features offers something for everyone.”

How many different people worked on the build?

“We started with just two on site for the initial prep works, this grew to 10 during the concrete phase. Pretty much all the Maverick crew have done a stint at Newquay during the last 7 months. It’s been an incredible project to be involved with – pretty monumental for Maverick as a company.”

What about logistics like the amount of earth moved and amount of concrete used?

“There wasn’t a huge amount of earth moved on this one, not compared to something like Henley. Newquay involved a lot of blockwork and build up. We used 2000 blocks on the job. We used a great local concrete company – Maen Karne – for the crete. In total I believe we used something like 500 cubic meters on the job.”