Today we're visiting Oslo; a city whose relationship to skateboarding was born out of gritty determination in the face of prohibition. Who deserves more skate cred than a city that forged a culture despite facing an eleven-year skateboarding ban?
In 1978, Norway declared that skateboarding would be illegal with the exception of one skatepark in Oslo which would require skaters to own a club pass to access.
While this exclusivity formed a tight-knit community among the Oslo skaters, those outside of the city created their own special bonds over self-made skate spots hidden from the eye of the law. While Norway experienced a drought of all things skateboarding during these years, the rest of the world pushed boundaries with their boards and continued to evolve the culture.
When the ban lifted in 1989, it inspired the rise of skate shops and parks all over Norway that quickly made up for lost time. Ironically enough, the skater-friendly architecture of City Hall made it such a hot spot that we chose this as the opening location for the Oslo level.
Oslo’s history has helped establish a passion and appreciation for the sport within the city that’s earned it a spot in the hearts of skaters— including members of the team from Agens (of the Skate City team), who call this city home.
Thanks for joining us for the second stop of the Skate City world tour.
Have you ever skated the streets of Oslo? What would you do in the face of a nation-wide skateboarding ban? ???? Head to the #skate-city channel of our Discord server and let us know: discord.gg/snowman.
We'll be back soon with the final destination of our journey.
Until then!
- the Skate City team
