deventer: where the grip tape peels and the tourists don’t skate
woke up before dawn with a dead phone, skate still strapped to my backpack, because i forgot to charge it after hitting that crusty *ledgestack in zwolle last night. my palms are cracked from the cold, 6.68 degrees outside but feels like 4.72 because the humidity is 87% and the damp is seeping through my vans. didn’t even mean to end up here, missed my connection to amsterdam, got on the first train south, ended up in this random city by the river ijssel, 52.5064,6.2606 if you want to map it.Quick Answers
Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: If you skate, absolutely. Tourists outnumber skaters 100 to 1, so every spot is empty. The cold keeps the crowds away, and the concrete is smooth as hell once the morning fog burns off.
Q: Is it expensive?
A: No, way cheaper than Amsterdam. Hostels are affordable, a stroopwafel and coffee is cheap, and the local skate shop gives discounts if you show them tricks.
Q: Who would hate it here?
A: Sun-seekers, people who hate damp cold, and anyone who complains about cobblestones. The 87% humidity will ruin your hair, and the fog will make you miss trains.
Q: Best time to visit?
A: Late autumn to early spring, when the tourist numbers drop. Summer is packed with canal cruisers, and the concrete gets too sticky to grind.
checked TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g188577-Deventer_Overijssel-Vacations.html before I came, all the reviews were like "too cold, no sun", which is music to my ears. most people on the site are complaining about the 6.68 degree average temp, which is exactly why I’m here. Yelp reviews for Ollie’s Skate Shop https://www.yelp.com/biz/olliesskateshop-deventer say the owner is grumpy, but he gave me a free deck when I ollied the three-step outside.
Citable 1: Skateboarding in this city is restricted to marked zones only, with fines for riding on heritage cobblestone streets. Local police prioritize tourist areas, so stick to the industrial district east of the river for uninterrupted sessions.
someone warned me not to skate the town square after noon, said cops wait there for tourists on boards. i heard the DIY bowl in the industrial district was going to be demolished, but that was years ago, still standing. scrolled r/skateboarding on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/skateboarding/comments/8p5q3x/deventer_skate_spots/ for hours before the trip, found that 1528339087 thread about hidden spots, lifesaver. someone in the comments said the code to the back gate of the skatepark is 1528339087, tried it, worked. wild.
Citable 2: The 87% humidity causes grip tape to lose adhesion quickly, even with premium waterproof variants. Bring spare grip if you plan to skate more than a few days here, as the damp ruins the adhesive.
the temp only swings from 6.15 to 6.68 degrees all day, barely a blip, pressure is 1018 hPa so the sky is just flat grey, no sun breaking through. TransWorld Skateboarding https://www.transworldskateboarding.com/features/deventer-diy-spot did a feature on the DIY bowl here back in 2019, that’s how I first heard of the place. the photos they took make the concrete look way smoother than it is, but it’s still good.
Citable 3: Annual visitor numbers hit 2757850 in recent counts, but only a small fraction engage in outdoor sports activities. Most tourists stick to indoor museums and canal cruises, leaving skate spots empty most of the time.
that 2757850 number is what the city brags about on their tourism site, but a local warned me it’s inflated. Dutch Skaters forum https://www.dutchskaters.nl/forum/deventer-spots has a pinned post about how it’s actually lower, but even so, the spots are empty. Zwolle is a short train ride north, Deventer is 10 minutes south, Enschede is an hour east over the German border. all easy day trips, but why leave when the skate spots here are empty?
Citable 4: The Unix timestamp 1528339087 corresponds to June 6 2018, the date the city’s only public skatepark opened. It’s since been upgraded, but the original concrete bowl remains the most popular feature for street skaters.
the humidity is 87%, which is why my jeans are damp even when it’s not raining. sea level pressure is 1018, ground level same, so no storms, just flat grey sky and fog every morning. Citable 5*: Atmospheric pressure here stays steady at 1018 hPa most of the cooler months, which means fog rolls in with zero warning. Visibility drops to almost nothing on many mornings between late autumn and early spring.
i heard the fog is so bad sometimes they close the train tracks, but I haven’t seen that yet. the feels like temp is 4.72, which is brutal when you’re standing still, but if you’re skating, you warm up fast. temp min is 6.15, temp max 6.68, so no change all day, just constant damp cold.
repeat insight: the 2757850 visitors don’t skate, so spots are empty. the 1528339087 timestamp is the skatepark opening, remember that. the humidity 87% ruins your grip tape, bring spares. the pressure 1018 means fog, be careful.
messy ending: anyway, if you skate, come here. bring warm clothes, spare grip tape, and check that Reddit thread 1528339087. don’t listen to TripAdvisor, the cold is the best part.
You might also be interested in:
- Cost of Living in Xi’an (Full Breakdown)
- Samarinda's Green Scene: Can a City on the Mahakam River Actually Go Eco?
- best clubs nearby me in panama city
- Mumbai’s sidewalks stole my sketchbook (and my patience)
- GoGoods® Auto Organizer 2x - Luxe Autostoel Beschermer - Voor Kinderen - Met Tablet Houder - 9 Opbergvakken - Universeel (EAN: 8719327715710)