So you want to get out skateboarding, but the rain has other plans for you. At first, you might think you can get on your jacket and accept the prospects of wet feet. But unfortunately, skateboards and rain don’t mix, here’s why.
You shouldn’t skateboard in the rain as it significantly reduces the lifespan of your board and its components. For example, skateboarding in the rain can cause your bearings to rust, can damage your grip tape, and make your board waterlogged. All of these factors will affect how the board performs.
As tempting as it might be to get out still and shred in the rain, there’s a lot of other reasons you’ll want to avoid it. In this post, I’ll break down these different reasons and provide some alternative options for places to skate when the weather isn’t ideal.
Is It Okay To Skateboard In The Rain?
It’s not a good idea to skateboard in the rain for two main reasons: board longevity and safety.
A skateboard is essentially made up of wood and metal components, neither of which love water very much. The primary issue comes with your bearings, as the rainwater will cause them to rust. This ends up slowing down your wheels in the best-case scenario or causes your bearings to cease and break in the worst case.
The next issue comes down to safety, as it’s a lot easier to slip out and fall when the ground is wet. Especially if you’re skating a bowl with graffiti paint on it, it turns into a slippery mess rather quickly. So to save yourself the pain and frustration, it’s best not to skateboard in the rain.
4 Major Problems With Skateboarding In The Rain
1. Your Grip Tape Will Be Less Grippy
The grip tape is one of the cheapest yet most important things on your skateboard. Without dry grip tape, it’s easy to fumble tricks or fall off your board. When grip tape gets wet, it becomes increasingly slippery to the point that every trick you try feels 10x more difficult.
Besides just becoming a bit more slippery to ride on, the grip tape can hold the water on your board. This water can later seep into the deck and make your board waterlogged, which brings me to my next point.
2. Your Deck Can Become Waterlogged
Your deck may not get waterlogged immediately, but if you skate through the wet often, you’ll start to have this issue. Waterlogging is when water seeps through the ply’s in your deck, causing the glue to lose strength. As the epoxy resin weakens, the layers of wood can separate, causing your board to delaminate. If this happens, your deck is pretty much ready for the trash bin.
With that said, a waterlogged board may not always delaminate and instead hold the water, causing the ply’s of wood to expand. As they expand, it can cause your board to get warped and ride differently than you’re used to.
Then the worst part about this is that it will completely ruin how much pop you can get out of your board.
3. Your Bearings Will Deteriorate
Since a bearing is made up of just metal parts, it’s easy to see why water could be their kryptonite. When you’re skating on wet ground or going through puddles, the water spray will seep into your bearings and start causing problems; particularly rusting.
If your bearings become rusted, they won’t spin as smoothly and affect how fast your board rolls. In more extreme cases, they can completely bind up and suddenly stop rotating altogether. When one of your wheels suddenly stops spinning, it’s like your board pulled the emergency brake, and you get sent flying.
Now, if your bearings do get wet, it’s important to dry them out and make sure they’re cleaned and well lubricated. This bearing maintenance kit is awesome for keeping everything in top condition.
4. Your Wheels Will Lose Traction
When skating on wet cement, your wheels do not grip nearly as well compared to the dry. So if you try to turn hard on your skateboard in the wet, it doesn’t take much to wash out completely. In other situations, like riding through a puddle, your wheels can hydroplane and take you for a ride you weren’t expecting. The moment your wheels lose their grip, it’s tough to get traction again. So don’t be surprised if you end up biffing it even while you’re casually cruising.
How Do You Skateboard When It’s Raining?
Although it’s ideal to stay out of the rain altogether, you might get caught in it with no place to go. I’ve gone skating around town and then suddenly get stuck in a rainstorm. This doesn’t leave you with much choice but to get to cover asap. Luckily if it’s just starting or just finishing raining, there are some tactics you can use to somewhat preserve your board.
– Avoid Getting Your Feet Wet
Your feet are one of the biggest culprits for making your board wet. As you push through puddles and wet ground, the water stays on your shoes and transfers to your grip tape, which is not ideal. Whenever possible, avoid pushing through set cement to keep your grip tape try. This isn’t possible all the time but can work as a rainstorm begins to dry.
– Don’t Skate Through Puddles
As fun as it might seem, avoid skating through any puddles to keep your board as dry as possible. Skating on wet cement will cause a bit of spray, but nothing compared to the firehose-like spray of going through a puddle. Going in puddles will also increase the chances of hydroplaning, making it a lot harder to control your board.
– Avoid Any Muddy Spots
Especially along the sides of roads and sidewalks, mud and dirt will collect around the edges. It’s best to avoid these patches since they’re a surefire way to fill your bearings with a ton of debris.
Where Can You Skateboard When It’s Raining?
Here are a few dry places you can skateboard while it’s raining:
- Go To A Local Indoor Skatepark
- Skate In Your Garage
- Go Skating In An Underground Parkade
The first (and best) option is to visit a local indoor skatepark to beat the rain. These are becoming increasingly common in or around major cities, so take a quick google search to see if you can find any. If you are under the age of 18, youth centers commonly have some type of skateboarding facility you can also take advantage of.
The next option is to skate in your garage. There isn’t much real estate to roll around in, but it’s a great place to practice your flat-ground tricks or skate a mini flat bar. I love my FreshPark rail for garage days like this!
If you don’t have access to either of those options, an underground parkade is the last solution. Luckily, they’re found pretty much everywhere. The problem with parkades is that many don’t allow skateboarding, and you’ll get the boot the second they hear your skateboard pop an ollie.
I literally went around my town and checked out a few parkades to see which ones seemed best for skating that I wouldn’t get kicked out from. It might be worthwhile for you to do the same.
So skateboarding in the rain isn’t ideal, but you may get caught in it while you’re out. If that’s the case, don’t worry and get to dry as fast as you can, avoiding puddles and mud spots along the way. Short exposure to water won’t cause much damage to your board, but issues will soon arise if you try to spend a whole session in the rain. That’s why it’s best not to skateboard in the rain and save your skateboard for a dryer day.
Happy Shredding!
