A visit at Pura Pura Skatepark in Boliva

Words by: Samantha Robison

Nestled inside a Eucalyptus forest and about 3,600 meters in the sky, sits Pura Pura Skatepark. This park is the largest that Make Life Skate Life has ever built. Suffice it to say, it's very DIY. The skatepark's loaner program had been struggling with supplies and most of the instructors were giving their own personal boards to teach the kids. We had been trying for a couple months to get boards into the country, but with delays in shipments, customs and supply chain slow downs, it was tough.

I had a few days free between a project in Mozambique and Miami. Apparently, Miami is one of the cheapest places to fly from to Bolivia. Thus, it seemed like the right move to zip down with some boards to ensure they arrived. We asked Steve Douglas of Rolling Thunder if he could get some supply in a hurry, and at his usual lightning speed he had the boards delivered to Miami in a matter of days.

A couple friends and I disassembled the boards and packed as much as we could in the 46 kilos I was allotted. I was off, after about 14 hours in transit, I had to explain to some customs officials that the boards were for kids and not for retail. Thankfully, they let me pass without any issues or payments. Pedro picked me up at the airport and the next day we arrived at the park.

The real keen beans were at the park early and they helped us assemble the majority of the decks. Eventually, about 20 little shredders and their parents showed up as part of a weekly program being run at the park. Everyone did warm ups, stretched and practiced tricks. After the session the kids met up at the skatehouse and learned about all the pieces and parts of a skateboard and then took turns assembling the boards.

The hospitality was second to none and the skate scene was inspirational. Who needs castles in the sky when you have a skatepark in La Paz?