Skatelab Skateboarding Hall of Fame, Museum and Skatepark - Simi Valley, California, U.S.A.

RIP - Forever Grateful for all the sessions and friends from here J.G.

(Updated 12/4/2003) Skatelab is one of the premiere pay indoor skateparks in the state of California. It contains two large warehouses and one small outdoor ramp worth of skateboarding fun. I'll try to describe the place to you but your better off going there yourself. As you walk in to the entry way you are greeted by a hallway filled with boards from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. You'll be greeted at the counter by the friendly staff who can sign you up to skate or help you pick out your next set of bearings in the fully stocked pro-shop. Once you sign in your ready to skate, but wait there is an upstairs area where the skateboarding history museum needs you to pay a visit. This area also serves as a good look out perch for parents and for video watching. Once your done with that and you get back down stairs you can buy some vending machine candy, soda, or water. Right in front of you is the gate into the first warehouse. The first warehouse is smaller than the second, but it has lots to skate for the beginner to experienced street street skater. It's mostly quarter pipes and varying height ledges with a couple of banks and a bank hip too. There's also a tight quarter pipe to wall ride. Warehouse #2 is really big and was just renovated to add more street elements and a better arena for contests. The mini ramps are now gone. Replaced by a fat grip of awesome Team Pain designed and built street stuff. There's a round ledge, and angle ledge, a freeway divider, a big slant roll in at each end. An adjustable rail sits on top of the main box. There's a couple big quarter pipes at each end one of them is vert and channeled via a doorway from the other warehouse. Street skaters are loving it! The bowl remains from the original park. It is birch layered meaning it is fast. It's about 8 1/2 feet in the deep end and 5 in the shallow. It has metal coping all the way around. The hip is blastable both directions. A really fun bowl that has been host to many an action packed party! There also a tiny miniramp zone out the back door. It's all very well maintained which means a consistently great ride. The owners and people that work there are top notch. - J. Greenwood

The above review is great, and I won't add much to it. The bowl is awesome and fast, but it lacks depth and pool coping. They removed the miniramp spine complex and replaced it with more street stuff. Pros - the skate museum; the bowl; indoors. Cons - pay to play; pads required; too many groms on the weekends. - Mark T.