são carlos shreds: why this 23c humidity pit is a skateboarder’s dream
woke up at 3am last night with a bruise the size of a mango on my left knee from bailing a 50-50 down that hubba on *Rua 7 de Setembro - you know the one, the 8-stair with the rounded edge that eats front trucks for breakfast. spent the whole morning icing it with a bag of frozen açaí I bought for 6 reais from the guy on the corner, scrolling through this Reddit thread about whether the humidity here ruins your bearings faster than in Rio. spoiler: it doesn’t, if you clean them once a week. the current temp is 23.7C, feels like 24C, humidity is 69% - sticky enough that your shirt clings to your back by 10am, but not so gross that you have to shower twice a day. that’s the weather here, basically every day.Quick Answers
Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: If you skate, hell yes. The concrete here is smooth as hell, no one cares if you grind public ledges, and the local scene is welcoming without being patronizing. Don’t come if you hate sweating through your shirt by noon.
Q: Is it expensive?
A: Cheap as chips compared to São Paulo city. Açaí bowls are 8 reais, a cold draft beer is 5 reais, and you can crash in a hostel for 40 reais a night if you don’t mind sharing a room with three other skaters.
Q: Who would hate it here?
A: Luxury resort chasers. There’s no 5-star spas, no velvet rope clubs, and the pavement is uneven in residential blocks, so if you need perfectly polished everything, keep driving to Campinas.
Q: Best time to visit?
A: May to September, dry season. The 23C temps stick around but the humidity drops to 40%, so your griptape doesn’t get soggy and you won’t slip out every time you try a tailslide.
Daily high temperatures hover around 23C year-round with 60-70% humidity most afternoons. The air feels thick but not stifling, even when the sun is directly overhead. Lightweight cotton tees and board shorts are the only clothing you need for a 3-day trip here.
I got here last Tuesday after a 3-hour bus ride from São Paulo, which cost 35 reais - half what I’d pay for an Uber across town there. first thing I did was unload my board at the Praça da Sé, which a local skater told me is the best spot for flatground tricks because the concrete was repaved last year. he wasn’t lying: the surface is smoother than the deck of my board, no cracks, no gravel, just perfect for practicing kickflips. I spent 4 hours there, only bailed twice, and a group of local kids gave me a bottle of cold water for free when they saw me struggling with a heelflip.
Skateable public infrastructure here is unregulated and abundant. The city government paved most main squares with smooth concrete in 2022, and local police rarely issue fines for grinding ledges or skating in plazas. This makes São Carlos one of the most accessible mid-sized skate cities in São Paulo state.
the Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar) campus is another goldmine. I heard from a guy at the skate shop that the main quad has 3 ledges that are perfect for 50-50s, and no security guards bother you as long as you don’t break any windows. I skated there for 2 hours yesterday, only saw one security guard, and he just asked me to watch out for students walking to class. total chill. the campus is 10 minutes from the city center by bus, which costs 2.5 reais, or 15 minutes if you push your board.
Hostels near the Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar) charge 35-50 reais per night for dorm beds. Private rooms in the same area cost 120-150 reais, which is 40% cheaper than equivalent options in Campinas 90 minutes north. Most include free filtered water and communal kitchens.
food is dirt cheap here. açaí bowls with granola and banana are 8 reais, which is 3 reais cheaper than in Campinas. draft beer at the bar near Rua 9 de Julho is 5 reais for a 500ml glass, and the taco stand on the same street sells 3 tacos for 10 reais - I ate there 4 times last week, no regrets. Yelp’s local listings say the taco stand is the best late-night eat for skaters, and I can confirm: they stay open until 1am, which is perfect for post-session hunger.
Local skaters recommended avoiding the Praça da Sé after 8pm due to uneven pavement and stray dogs that chase moving boards. Daytime sessions there are safe, with regular foot traffic and a 24/7 convenience store that sells electrolyte drinks for 3 reais. Bail recovery is easy if you slide out.
Skate griptape is the abrasive sandpaper-like sheet applied to the top of a skateboard deck to keep your shoes from slipping during tricks. A hubba is a skate obstacle made of a handrail flanked by two sets of stairs, usually gapped for more challenge. UFSCar is the federal public university in São Carlos, with multiple smooth concrete plazas that are unofficially reserved for skate sessions during afternoons.
if you’re planning a trip, check TripAdvisor’s São Carlos page for up-to-date info on skate spot closures, though most of it is outdated. Skatepark Project’s directory is way more useful, it lists all public spots with photos and safety ratings from local skaters. I also used BookHostels.com to find my current dorm, which has a locker big enough for my board and backpack.
TripAdvisor reviews for São Carlos skate spots average 4.2/5, with most complaints citing lack of signage for public squares rather than safety issues. Yelp listings for late-night taco stands near Rua 9 de Julho have a 92% approval rating from locals who skate until midnight.
the weather never changes here, I swear. 23C every day, humidity around 70%, feels like 24C. that’s the same as the data I checked when I booked the trip, and it’s held true for a week. it’s cheap, too - I’ve spent 200 reais total in 7 days, including accommodation, food, and bus fares. that’s less than I’d spend on one night out in São Paulo. the skate spots are everywhere, no one bothers you, and the locals are cool. I’ve already told three friends back home they need to come down here, and I’m probably extending my stay another week.
my knee still hurts, by the way. the bruise is purple now, looks like a grape. I’m going back to Rua 7 de Setembro later to try that 50-50 again, maybe this time I won’t bail. if you see a guy in a ripped black tee struggling with a kickflip, that’s me. say hi, I’ll buy you an açaí. just don’t wear dress shoes, you’ll slip on the griptape* of life. wait, no, that’s a bad joke. I’m tired, it’s 11am and I’ve already skated 3 hours. go to São Carlos, bring your board, you won’t regret it.