Named one of the country’s top 5 skate parks by Thrasher Magazine, MoBASH is the latest addition to Missoula’s attractions. A 15,000 square foot park, MoBASH is situated just across the Orange Street Bridge from downtown Missoula.
Missoula’s MoBASH skatepark didn’t originate on an engineer’s desk, though, or even in a meeting room at City Hall. It began under a bridge with three close friends and some wooden ramps. Chris Bacon, Andy Kemmis, and Ross Peterson built the ramps out of boredom, but also out of necessity – Missoula had no areas designated for recreational skateboarding.
Eventually the trio was kicked out of their makeshift skatepark, but their story caught the eye of Missoula Parks and Recreation Department Director Donna Gaukler. Gaukler met with the three friends to discuss the options available to create a recreational skating area in 2000. By 2003, the Missoula City Council approved plans for a skatepark.
With a plan finally approved, but plenty of work left to do, Bacon, Kemmis, and Peterson began fundraising. Over the next 3 years, the project received a large outpouring of support, both from within the Missoula community and across the country.
MoBASH received donations from the likes of Jeff Ament, bassist for Pearl Jam, and Tony Hawk, world-famous skateboarder, as well as numerous local establishments and private donors. A local Missoula family donated the final $100,000 needed to complete the skatepark and purchased the naming rights — MoBASH is an acronym using letters from the names of the family members.
The skate park was finished by September 2006, when Tony Hawk’s production company put on a free event to commemorate MoBASH’s completion. Over 10,000 people attended the event – the largest grand opening of any facility in Missoula history.
Since the completion of MoBASH, Bacon, Kemmis, and Peterson have started the Montana Skatepark Association , which aims to help other Montana communities create new skateparks and recreational opportunities.
MoBASH Skate Park
500 Cregg Lane
(406) 530-9758
