By Loureen Ayyoub
At the western edge of the city, where San Francisco meets the Pacific Ocean, skateboarding is gaining new ground.
The skate park at Sunset Dunes, which opened about a year ago, has drawn enthusiasts from across the city, including longtime skater Ted Barrow.
“San Francisco has always been the site of the most intense, and in some ways, iconic images of skateboarding,” Barrow said. “It’s this incredibly beautiful, picturesque city with really steep hills and really rigid concrete and asphalt.”
For decades, skaters have used San Francisco’s streets, hills and architecture as an informal playground. Sunset Dunes now offers something rare, a space purpose-built for skateboarding.
“This isn’t the end-all of skateboarding in San Francisco,” Barrow said. “But it’s pretty epic that there is a skate park and skateable space in the last few feet of the city at the edge of the Outer Sunset here before we hit the Pacific Ocean. I think that’s awesome.”
The park comes as the city continues to adjust to changes along the Great Highway, where portions have been reimagined for recreational use.
Barrow, a prominent voice in skate culture, also hosts a series with Thrasher Magazine exploring skate spots around the world.
“You know, if San Francisco is our Rome, then Thrasher is our bible,” Barrow said. “My connection happened organically because I’ve been skating forever.”
Barrow says the sport reflects a broader sense of community.
“It cuts across generations, it cuts across nationality, it cuts across any sort of cultural divisions that most people get hung up on,” he said. “Skateboarding is a great way to connect with people.”
For Barrow, that connection is both outward and personal – a way to engage with others, and with himself.