Upland, California - History and Culture - Skateboarding

Skateboarding

Upland is also very well known worldwide throughout the skateboarding culture as "Badlands" because of Upland's geographical location and mainly because it was the birthplace of Vertical Pool and Pipe Skateboarding.The city was home to The Pipeline Skate Park,which opened in 1977 by Stan and Jean Hoffman and was located on 1777 W. Arrow Highway. It featured a 20 foot full pipe which was inspired by Baldy Pipe and it also had many other bowls including the "Monster Bowl". A few years after its opening Pipeline added the now legendary Combi Pool,the epicenter of many legendary contests that included such skaters as the Alba brothers Steve and Mickey,Tony Hawk,Christian Hosoi,Chris Miller and many top skateboarders of the era...sadly enough due to insurance problems the Hoffmans had to close the Pipeline SkatePark in 1988. Since then Vans Skatepark in Orange County rebuilt a replica of the original Combi Pool,its been host to some of the greatest contest of the past decade.The Pipeline Skatepark also influenced the rebuild of a 20 foot full pipe in Upland's Memorial Park,It was designed by none other than Pipeline's local and most respected Steve Alba and constructed by California Skatepark and was dedicated on October 12 2002 by Mayor John Pomierski. The new skatepark pays respect to Upland Pipeline by featuring a 20ft full pipe inside a massive 12ft skate bowl.It also features the typical Southern California style street course with stairs,rails,and ledges. Upland has since been on the map,where skateboarders from all around the world come to Upland to get a taste of the Badlands. The skatepark itself has been featured in many skateboard videos,magazines and even television programing. The new Upland Skatepark also inspired many local skateboarders to skate harder and faster,plenty of talent and sponsored skateboarders can be found in Upland.