Skate Hard Idaho opens its doors

There’s a new indoor skate park in Idaho Falls. Skate Hard Idaho welcomes skaters of all skill levels.

“You can’t figure out how to quit when you’re a skater,” said co-owner Travis Thomas.

Unlike other sports, skate boarding is a game of individuality.

“As you see in here, everyone rides differently,” said co-owner Mike Deford. “They look different and all that. Everyone can be themselves.”

Skating is all about your own personal skills.

“When you’ve been working on a trick for two or three hours and breaking yourself over and over and over again, and then you finally get that. It’s amazing,” said Thomas.

Passion is what drove DeFord and Thomas to open Skate Hard Idaho, a dream they’ve had for more than 20 years.

“It took a lot of work, a lot of money,” said DeFord. “We cashed out all our 401K’s, sold race cars, all that sort of stuff so we could do this.

Their sacrifice was made solely for their love of the sport.

“I fell in love with skate boarding when I was about 5 years old,” said Thomas. “On a little plastic banana board riding down the driveway.”
“For me personally, I wouldn’t be where I am today if skate boarding wasn’t a part of it,” said DeFord.

Permanent ramps and a vertical wall line the outer edges, while floor rails and boxes are interchangeable.

“I built all this stuff, and now everyone is here enjoying riding it, and I love seeing that,” said Thomas. “To see this dream of ours come true. It’s actually tangible, there are people here riding it right now. It’s amazing.”

“Really, we’re not treating it like a business,” said DeFord. “Clearly, we’re selling product and all that. But it’s really about supporting the local skate boarding community and building a skateboard scene here.”

The skate park is open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday – Sunday , and it’s $7 to skate.

For more information click here.