Skateboards

Impala Skateboards

Our mission is to help support a positive and encouraging community for beginner-intermediate level skaters that is welcoming to, and celebrates diversity in all walks of life. Impala is for everyone! Not only do we want to bring more women to skateboarding, but we want women to feel empowered to face their fears and step into their power thanks to skateboarding.

How to choose a skateboard?

Finally made your decision of skateboarding? Here are a few things which will help you choose your skate:

How to choose the size of a skateboard?

For kids, between 8 and 12 years old, prefer a board size between 7’5 and 7’75. Our baby mushroom skateboard perfectly fits.

For adults, men and women, chose a minimum size of 8’. Our different products will allow to both ride around and do tricks.

For a regular use, chose a board size 8’, 8’25 or 8’5. A larger board means more balance but less maneuverability. Prefer an 8’ or 8’25 for street practice. An 8’5 board is better for bowl and ramp. Skateboarding will require to regularly change your equipment. Deck, grip, wheels, bearings… everything can be customized!

The different parts of a skateboard

A skateboard is made of 3 parts: the tail, the nose and the concave.

The tail is the rear part of the board. It’s an important part as it helps you brake and do tricks.

The nose is the front part of the board. It is also used for tricks.

The concave is the bend in the middle of the board. It has an incidence over control.

History

Skateboard was born in California in the 50’s. At the time, when waves were flat, surfers tried to get the same sensations as surfing on the ground. At the beginning, skateboards were simplistic. In the 60’s people started making quality boards with rubber wheels. This innovation made skateboarding become more famous. Since then, people started to give more attention to skateboarding and started to learn new tricks.

The skateboard popularity

Skateboarding has known an increasing popularity throughout the years. This sport can be practiced at every age and doesn’t require too much equipment. Not only a fun sport, but skateboarding also has many benefits.

Benefits of skateboarding

Skateboarding is an excellent way to move around and have fun. It also gives you skills. It is a physical activity soliciting many muscles of the body and requiring coordination. Beyond benefits, skateboarding is a state of mind. It gives you a sensation of freedom and allows you to express your own style.

The different practices of skateboarding

There are many ways to ride a skate. We can notice 2 practices in general: park and street.

Park skateboarding is about aerial tricks and flow in a skatepark (bowl or ramp). There are competitions, often called contests, in which skateboarders are rated according to the originality, style and technicity of their tricks. It’s a spectacular practice that involves a lot of training.

Street skateboarding is about style. Street skaters do sessions in the streets and skateparks using every single piece of the environment: curbs, rails, stairs… They make combo of tricks with their own approach. This is rather a “raw” practice of skating.

Where can I skate?

Skateboarding is an outdoor sport, usually done in the streets and skateparks. There are many places where you can skate. Keep in mind you need to find a place adapted to you level and your ambitions.

The skatepark is ideal to learn and progress at skateboarding. The field is usually well-maintained. There you can find professionals who will give you some tips and even, sometimes, skate schools.

The street is a good spot for skateboarding too. You just need to watch out for pedestrians, cars, etc. It is important to respect the rules and do not disturb the traffic

Sustainability

Since we care about our planet and to follow our values, we have partnered with the National Forest Foundation (NFF) to donate to their tree-planting program - planting three trees for every one tree we harvest in the making of our skateboards.

Learn more here

About Your Skateboard

Our skateboards are made by pressing thin layers (each layer is called a ‘ply’) of wood together, using epoxy-resin glue to hold each ply together. Why do we use epoxy-resin? Using epoxy-resin glue makes a skateboard lighter (because its higher strength allows us to use less glue), stronger, and longer lasting. Epoxy-resin is also superior to the industry standard water-based glue.