The days of Tech Deck are nowhere near over as far as Pendry Park City is concerned, and while already boasting one of the largest public fingerboarding skate parks in Utah, this summer they plan on doubling it.
The fingerboarding park has been a somewhat hidden gem since Pendry opened in 2022 and it was installed outside Pendry’s Compass Sports, a one-stop shop for outdoor retail, gear rental and adventure planning.
Brian Bevacqua, Compass Sports’ recreation manager, wasn’t sure at first how it would work.
“It actually stemmed from a corporate directive when we opened the property. They were looking for programming that would engage more of those teen guests and to drive more participation in our programs. It’s always been a tricky age to program for,” he said.
The idea of providing a fingerboarding park was a nod to skate culture and Southern California roots: Pendry is owned by Montage International, based in Irvine.
Fingerboards are miniaturized skateboards equipped with life-like grip tape, trucks, wheels and often artfully decorated decks that are designed to be “ridden” with fingers. Some boards are made with plastic parts, while other more professional boards can be made with premium woods.
But more than just riding, fingerboard enthusiasts have learned to do skate tricks — 360 flips, inward heel flips, kickflips; an ollie onto a concrete barrier for a smith grind, or onto rails for a 50/50 or crooked grind; dropping into half pipes — all done with fingers.
Jonathan Herrera, a Salt Lake City resident and Utah native who grew up skating and fingerboarding, said fingerboarding creates the opportunity to always carry skateboarding with him even though he may not be able to land the same tricks on his actual skateboard anymore.
“It started as a way to bring skateboarding into school,” he said. “I mean, it’s a toy, and as a kid it was fun to mess around with in class. Now, it’s wrapped in nostalgia and reminds me of my unfading love for skateboarding.”
Fingerboard skate parks are designed to mimic the urban environment of life-size skate parks, said Bevacqua, with rails, stair sets, brick slabs, concrete barriers and even a small patch of grass. Theirs, created by Blackriver, a German company that has been creating professional fingerboarding equipment since 1999, is one of the best.
Last fall 801 Fingerboarding, a fingerboarding network in northern Utah, reached out to Compass Sports about hosting a contest at their park. Of course they said yes.
“We had 75 people here, including a fingerboarder from Vegas that came up just to compete on the park,” Bevacqua said.
This year they are programming their own competition at 4 p.m. Aug. 10, welcoming boarders of all ages to participate in a bracket-style “Game of Skate.” Entry is free, and snacks and refreshments will be provided. Competitors will attempt to land one another’s tricks until a victor is crowned, and there will be a junior league for 16 and under, as well as an adult league, 17 and up. Sign up on their website at pendry.com/park-city/experiences/book-an-experience/#!/e/game-of-skate-379a54a1.
In the future, they also hope to host other events along with Blackriver.
“We’re partnering with their events team to bring fingerboard athletes, different people out here and have them sponsor events,” said Bevacqua.
In the meantime, the park is always open and Compass Sports sells fingerboards for anyone interested in trying it out or who may have left their board at home. Last July, fingerboards were their No. 1 retail seller, Bevacqua said with a laugh.
While fingerboarding is for all ages, the team at Pendry Park City sees the park as their outstretched hand to teenagers — visitors and locals alike.
“There’s so many people who come here, obviously, in the winter to ski, to snowboard; in the summer to mountain bike, to hike, etc. And I think recreation looks different for everyone,” said Olivia Glod, Pendry Park City’s PR and marketing manager. “You think of teenagers on family vacations, and it’s nice that there’s something specific for them to do, because I think a lot of times people aren’t always thinking about that smaller age range.”
The success in welcoming locals to the park comes from Pendry’s location at the heart of Park City Mountain’s Canyons base, making the otherwise luxury resort more approachable. It becomes a gathering place, a landmark for community connection.
“Local kids are talking about this and coming here because this is a place for them to hang out,” said Glod. “It’s like third places, … like when you think of coffee shops in the ’90s. It’s a third place where people are hanging out where it’s not their homes, but they’re not spending a lot of money.”
Herrera had never fingerboarded on an actual park before, and his eyes lit up when he saw the wooden structure. He pulled out his Tech Deck and soon the outdoor hallway echoed with the familiar “clack” of the wheels landing trick after trick.
“It’s fun to create lines between the different sections,” he said, navigating his board to ollie up a set of stairs, riding down the rail, dismounting with a 360 flip, then navigating up the curve of the quarter pipe, and landing a dismount. “My favorite part of the park would have to be the stair sets. It was fun to throw tricks down them and hit the handrail.”
For inquiries regarding events at the fingerboard skate park, email [email protected].
“I know there’s a lot of research that’s been coming out about teenagers feeling like lonelier than ever,” said Glod. “It’s really cool that we get to create an environment where that age group can come to connect with each other in person and form those relationships and create that community for each other.”
