Bangkok skateboarding: How the city’s skate scene grew from DIY roots

Twenty-odd years ago, when Swiss-born Preduce co-founder Simon Pellaux first landed in Bangkok's skate scene. To call it a scene at that time was probably an overstatement. There were no parks, no big brands and precious little backup. What there was: a lot of ingenuity.

To set the scene, it was the early 2000s. Skaters carved out their own spaces and built the scene from the ground up. There were a few shops around, sure, but no homegrown Thai skate brand and no real way to make a living from it. The shared love of the sport was what made the scene what it was (or is?).

And then Preduce happened.

'With my friends, we wanted to build the first Thai skate company, so skaters could have a way to keep skating and make a living, as a pro skater, but also working in a store or filming or, as an artist.'

Founded in 2002, Preduce became Thailand's first homegrown skate brand. Videos came first, starting with 2005's Smooth, then the Siam Square shop in 2006. It hasn't slowed down since, at home or abroad. It gave local talent a base and backed Thai skaters and artists and the rest of the world took notice. 

Today, the Siam Square store has since closed, but not for lack of interest. On the contrary, Preduce broke away from the malls and now runs its own park, Baan Preduce, in Phra Khanong.

Simon says the past five or six years have seen the scene keep growing, with more and more skate parks springing up around the city.

'It's been amazing. And I feel like  it's always been good for street skiing, but now with all these parks being built, it has become more of a destination.'

The spots themselves have come a long way, from underground DIY setups to genuinely world-class parks. The scene's size and talent now stack up against any big city's, with younger skaters forming crews, experimenting freely and pushing each other.

‘It's comparable to anywhere else in the world, really. In terms of how many skaters there are and how good they are. Skateboarding in Thailand has developed in a way that's similar to places like the States and Europe.’

Simon comes from the era of plaza skating, when a downtown meet-up spot pulled everyone together. Bangkok is a huge city with surprisingly few plaza-ish places, but there are alternatives.

'For me, I like to skate under the Rama VIII bridge. It's a real spot. Skaters have added some stuff, but the spot itself is a spot with ledges and a big open space and good ground, and, and it's a plaza.'

Only in Bangkok would a vacant stretch beneath a towering concrete bridge become a proper skate spot. It sits right on the Chao Phraya riverbank, and it captures the city's resourcefulness in one image. Most people saw a forgotten piece of infrastructure. Local skaters saw a place for sessions, community and progression.

But even in the shade of Rama VIII, there's an enemy every Bangkok skater faces daily: the heat.

'Skating in Bangkok is super tough because of the heat, and it's funny when we see skaters from abroad coming to Thailand and trying to skate and they're dying after 10 minutes.'

So why do it? Why spend hours trying to land a single trick? Simon has a simple answer.

‘I think battling a trick for like four hours, and then when you finally land it, that's what skaters are after.  There’s a feeling that's hard to describe. It sounds kind of crazy, but it's almost like a bliss moment – you black out, you roll away and it's such a good feeling.’

Skateboarding here has always leaned towards the streets, a natural fit for a city that is basically one big concrete jungle. Ignoring the potholes and uneven surfaces, Bangkok is also generally quite accepting of skateboarders – a common trope of Western cities with signage everywhere banning skateboards and scooters.

But as the scene grows locally, and on the international stage, is there a divide? Simon thinks the two worlds are drifting apart, not only because it’s making the Olympics.

‘It's almost like two separate things now, and some skaters – but they have to be immensely talented – can do both, can be in the streets and also do really well in competition.’

The culture is shifting too. Simon still cherishes:

'what I grew up with, which is skating in the streets and filming, was just being with your friends.' 

But despite the changes, he likes what he's seeing now.

‘Some of those crews have women in them too, and it's good to see younger skate crews where guys and girls skate together.’

Outsiders still tend to picture skaters as lazy troublemakers or rebels. The reality is very different. Skateboarding takes perseverance, focus and years of dedication, and those are traits that carry well beyond the park. Simon puts it best:

‘The reality is skateboarding is really, really hard, and it takes years to get good at it. So, for me, it's the opposite. If someone sticks with skateboarding long enough to get good at it, they're really perseverant and focused.’

Bangkok's skate story is still being written, from street grind to park tricks. Judging by the crews, the concrete and the four-hour battles over one trick, it's in good hands.

🛹 Roll and shop

Baan Preduce – the original Thai skate label's own park. Free to skate, with a covered street section for peak heat and a half bowl for the show-offs.

The Preduce shop (@preduceshop) is on site, and lessons run via @preduceskateschool.

10 Soi Farmwattana, Phra Khanong, Bangkok 10110. Open daily.