The Skateboarding Crucible

The Mystery of the "Porridge Bowl": A Lost Concrete skateboarding Relic in Sweden.

In a quiet residential suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, a ghost from the 1970s is hidden beneath the grass. You won’t find it on any modern map, and the official city archives are strangely quiet about it. But if you look at aerial photos of the Smedshagen district from 1977, a massive, winding concrete track is clearly visible, cutting through a local park known as "Grötfatet" (The Porridge Bowl).


The Discovery:

We have tracked this site back to the 1960s. Originally, it wasn't built for wheels—it was a high-speed "asphalt sledding hill" designed for winter use with plastic saucers and sleds. But something changed in the late 1970s. Right as a new wave of youth culture hit Sweden, this "saucer track" was mysteriously extended and paved over.

The Investigation:

Why would Swedish city planners build a high-speed concrete "snake run" directly under the bedroom windows of a massive residential block? The extension of this track likely sparked a neighborhood war between the local youth and the residents who lived with the constant noise of wheels on concrete.

We are going deep into the Swedish archives to find out:

• The Architect: Who actually designed this "concrete snake"?

• The Mistake: Was the extension a deliberate move to create a new type of play space, or a massive planning oversight?

• The Cover-up: Why was the physical evidence eventually buried and turned back into a simple grassy hill?

🚨 SHOULD WE MAKE THIS A SERIES?

We are hoping to create a multi-part series hunting down the original 1970s landscape blueprints, search through lost local newspaper archives, and try to find anyone who actually rode this concrete "relic" before it was removed.

We need your help:


1. Did you live in Stockholm, Sweden, in the 70s or 80s?

2. Do you remember the "asphalt sledding hill" in Smedshagen or the noise it caused?

3. Do you have any old photos or local news clippings from that era?

#UrbanArchaeology #HistoryMystery #Sweden #Stockholm #LostPlaces #Smedshagen #DocumentarySeries #Grötfatet #1970s

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8 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 7

The Skateboarding Crucible

New video release! We retrace the history of Speed World, said to be the first concrete skatepark in Oregon which is currently buried in Coos Bay.

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8 months ago | [YT] | 6

The Skateboarding Crucible

Quick update on our next episode! We will be diving into the Jurassic Park of skateparks. Located on the island of Hokkaido Japan 🇯🇵 Keep your eyes peeled for this one over the next week.

2 years ago | [YT] | 29

The Skateboarding Crucible

Located in Amsterdam’s Noorderpark lies this 70’s Snakerun. Anyone know more about its history?

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3 years ago | [YT] | 2

The Skateboarding Crucible

Then and now. The cement half pipe constructed in 1989 at the end of the Clube 12 Snakerun in Florianópolis Brazil. Learn more this amazing historic skate spot in our latest podcast! skatespotpod.buzzsprout.com/share

3 years ago | [YT] | 3

The Skateboarding Crucible

Photo from the first runs at Carlsbad, Californias first skatepark which opened in March of 1976. It was built by Jack Graham and the donor, John O’Malley and continued to operate until 1979. Riders include John O’Malley, Kingfish and Lance Smith.

3 years ago | [YT] | 8

The Skateboarding Crucible

Working progress alert 🚨 we are currently in the research phase of a new video. Let us know your favourite snakeruns still standing today. Doesn’t matter if they are active or not, as long as they still have the concrete laid, it counts. We can kick it off, photo below of the Marinha Snakerun, Porto Alegre Brazil.

3 years ago | [YT] | 14

The Skateboarding Crucible

Guajataka Ditch - Guajataka Lake, Puerto Rico. One of the birth places of skateboarding during the 70s in Puerto Rico. The image does not do justice to the size of this ditch it’s enormous.

See more at:

www.concretedisciples.com/global-skatepark-directo…

3 years ago | [YT] | 7

The Skateboarding Crucible

Chinks Peak skatepark Pocarello Idaho, opened in May of 1978 and closed during 1983. A privately built skatepark that still exists on the private land to this day. The idea of the park was born by the Waag brothers, who took an interest in the skateboarding craze and wanted a place for the kids to skate, apart from the sidewalks and main roads. A local contest was held for the opening during May of 1978. Among some of the prizes were an $80 watch, helmut and tee shirts (oh how things have changed). The skatepark was only half done at the time yet it was later completed in the summer of 1978. The park was estimated to cost around $60,000.

It is unclear why the park closed yet it probably suffered the same fate as so many parks of the era. Today the park is guarded off with a high metal fence around the perimeter. There are also rumours that thrasher approached the owners to try and get a shoot in, but their attempt was refused.

If anyone has any further information on the history of this place along with any photos / film, please reach out to us The skateboarding Crucible or share in the comments below.

Photos credit and further articles can be found here:
skateandannoy.com/features/jurassic-skatepark/
skateandannoy.com/features/jurassic-skatepark-part…

#skateboardingsavedmylife #abandonedplaces #skateboardingislife #abandoned_junkies #skatehistory #skateboardingisnotacrime #skateboardingisfun #oldskatespots #skateboarding #skateboardingday #skateboardingclips #skateboardinglife #skateboardingisforever #abandoned_places

‪@brailleskateboarding‬‪@ThrasherMag‬

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3 years ago | [YT] | 8