Skimboarding is widely-known in California for chucking a board down right as the last wave hits the shore. In Washington however, a subculture of skimboarding exists in the lakes, creeks and anywhere one can find a nice sandy stretch of beach with a good low tide. Even a glorified puddle is worth shredding sometimes.
I grew up devotedly participating in the latter form of this sport every summer at a few specific locations around WA, using gear from a Tacoma-based company. I felt this scene is worth sharing to further share the true “Washington experience.”
The most notable spots that “flatland skimboarding” takes place during the summer are Chambers Creek in Tacoma, and Dash Point in Federal Way. Both these locations run a tournament every summer, The Throwdown at Chambers, and the Dash Point Skim Comp (run by the company I will later delve in to), which one can find ample Youtube footage of either, which I recommend. Some other great areas to skim include Port Orchard, Discovery Park in Seattle, and Locust Beach in Bellingham.
Skimboarding Dash Point Competition
As you can see in the vid, building rails out of PVC pipe and plywood and 2×4’s is a crucial part of this skim culture, and in my opinion the most fun aspect. It’s one thing to get good at doing a couple shove-its and hopping over tires, but once you can hit an up, flat, or kink rail, skimboarding takes on a whole new nature.
In that regard, a company based out of Tacoma named Dashboard Skimboards (named after Dash Point), has been occupying this obscure sports niche tough as hell for over ten years, and continues to create quality products and even offers a skimboarding camp for kids every summer to help spread the culture.
Maybe you should drop a bill or two on a solid board and hit the beach and start enjoying your summer outside a little bit more?
