The Blaarmeersen Skatepark

The Blaarmeersen skatepark is Europe’s third biggest skatepark and the biggest in the Benelux. It is an outdoor skatepark, open to everyone at all times and is located close to the historic centre of Ghent and 15 minutes skating from the Sliding Tiger shop.

Adress: Zuiderlaan 14, 9000 Gent

Directions: With the bike or skates 11 minutes (3km) skating from Gent Sint-Pieter station which is Ghents main station. From Dampoort station (Ghents second train station) and the Sliding Tiger shop 20 minutes (6km) skating. Easily accessible by bike, skates or walking. Bus 38 and 39 go there from Dampoort station and bus 19 from Ghent St. Pieters. The skatepark is also easily accessible by car. There are parking spots for both cars and bikes next to the skatepark (so no excuse not to go).

Obstacles

The park is split into different sections that all flow into each other. The first section is the kiddy bowl. Its purpose is to be a zone for kids to have priority when the skatepark is busy and also lower obstacles for kids to learn their first skate moves. It is surrounded by mini ramps with a coping. In the middle there are two volcanoes, one with a curved and one with a flat transition. On the other end there is a flat hip which makes the kiddy bowl flow nicely. The second section is the rollerderby section in the back of the skatepark. It features a big flat space with rollerderby lines. On its one end there is a long quarter pipe which is a bit higher than in the kiddy bowl. On the right there is a curved ledge, with a longer extended curved ledge on top of it. At the front end of the rollerderby section there is also a hip, close enough to another hip on the other side to do a jump. There is also a third section non-related to skating next to the rollerderby for freerunning with nice combinations of bars and other obstacles.The fourth and main section is the skating section. There are four main areas to it. The first is the bowl shaped in an 'r shape' which features an extension on one side and a round part that is a bit deeper on the other. The next section includes a set of manual pads and ledges in the middle as well as a flat rail. The third section has a pyramid with an extended box on top. The fourth section has a mini ramp, a funbox and some ledges. In the transition between the sections you can find most other common obstacles such as a stairs, hubbas, handrails and kickers.

Verdict

This is a great skatepark for beginner to advanced skaters. Due to its big size there is space for everyone to skate without running into each other and the choice of obstacles is plenty. For inline skates in Ghent this is definitely the best skatepark as of now. Even though it is the third biggest skatepark in Europe it is not the craziest. It looks like the goal was to design a skatepark with space for all skating disciplines to roam freely and obstacles for from the most beginner to the most advanced and they have definitely succeeded in that. Visiting this skatepark is worth the trip for sure.