Skate Alliance of Montana continues the fight for more safe skate places

In 1999, after months of negotiation between the Bozeman City Commission and the Skatepark Planning Committee, the Bozeman Skatepark was built. Since then, the population of Bozeman has nearly tripled, and community members have emphasized the need for more safe skate places. The Skate Alliance of Montana (SAM), a local nonprofit, is leading the charge.

SAM is a grassroots organization dedicated to expanding access to skateboarding across Montana, according to its website. On Oct. 3, SAM hosted its third annual fall skate event, Shredtober, at Kirk Park to raise money for the new Bozeman skatepark fund.

SAM President Jason Singler said this year’s event was the best yet. “It’s gotten bigger and bigger every year,” he said. “More people show up [and] we raise more money.” 

Singler said he has been obsessed with skateboarding since he was a kid. “I’ve been skateboarding for longer than I haven’t,” he said. After graduating from the Art Institute of Seattle, Singler noticed many of his friends left skateboarding behind. To make sure he always carried that part of his life with him, Singler tattooed “Skate today, Skate tomorrow” on his wrists.

In 2025, the same year the Big Sky Youth Empowerment (BYEP) skatepark was demolished, Singler took over as president of SAM. Since then, he has been organizing events and fundraisers to support the construction of a new skatepark in Bozeman. “[I’m] doing my best to help build skateboarding community and infrastructure in the city of Bozeman,” Singler said.

Shredtober, which started as Shredtember in 2024, is one way SAM is funding the future park. In 2024, the event raised around $1,000 to support the fund. Last year, it raised around $5,000 and this year — thanks to the support of a matching donor — Shredtober raised $34,671.

The event itself featured skateboarding competitions, live music, free food and over a dozen booths from various local sponsors. “Free food is always a staple at these events,” Singler said. “That’s just such a primal human thing is to feed people and let them know that we care about them.”

An estimated 350 people were in attendance throughout the day. The stage, donated by Rocky Mountain Rigging, featured live music from Brian Kassay, Scavenger and Timmy & The Transient Sounds. Local and national sponsors such as Vans, Powell Peralta, Sector 9 and Colombo’s Pizza donated thousands of dollars of product for prizes and raffles. “It was great to see the love from the community,” Singler said. 

He said events like Shredtober are important because they help raise money and show the City of Bozeman that it needs more safe skate places. All the money raised at Shredtober will go directly toward the new skatepark fund, supporting a project that has been years in the making. SAM is currently working on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to submit to the City Council. Once the MoU is on record, SAM can apply for larger grants and take further steps toward funding the project, according to Singler. The estimated cost of the 20,000 square-foot skatepark is $1.7 to $2.2 million, depending on builders and design, among other variables.

In addition to the planned skatepark, SAM is also working on a 10-year citywide plan to build small skateparks around Bozeman. “These would be about the size of BYEP, just to strengthen geographic accessibility and provide safe skate spaces for anyone that wants to participate,” Singler said. 

According to him, the current plan is to design these skateparks with themes that celebrate the history of Bozeman. For example, a skatepark dedicated to First Peoples, one to honor the Chinese railroad workers, another based on watersheds and one for the Montana gold rush. 

While the 10-year plan shows the long-term goals of SAM, Singler said their initial focus is on the new skatepark. 

In addition to benefits like crime reduction and economic growth, Singler said skateboarding also has a positive impact on mental health and mentorship. 

“One cool thing about skateboarding is that no matter who you are, no matter how old you are, you’re accepted into this community,” he said. “Everybody supports each other, which is beautiful to see.”

At Shredtober, Singler said this community was especially evident. “You had six-year-olds who drop in after 50-year-olds, and everybody’s cheering them on,” he said. 

SAM often partners with mental health organizations at its events, including Bridger Care and Green Flag Counseling, which were in attendance at Shredtober. 

This sense of community will be emphasized in the design of the new skatepark, which aims to bring together all ages, levels and wheels, according to Singler. “Before anything gets built, it’ll go through [SAM] as well as the community to make sure that whatever we build, it’ll be the best version of itself,” he said. 

SAM will continue to hold community events for the park this year to work toward its fundraising goal. These will include a Montana Grind movie premiere — for which dates will be announced soon — winter skate nights and an art show hosted in conjunction with Bozeman High School and MSU.

In the end, the project is about growing and supporting the skateboarding community in Montana. “The common ground isn’t just skateboarding, but it’s the falling,” Singler said. “Just like, ‘Ah that guy falls a lot, I also fall a lot.’ It’s just falling together.”

Singler said SAM is always looking to collaborate with the community and to involve as many people as possible. “If somebody wants to help, no matter what they do, we’ll have a home for them. We’ll have a space for them,” he said. 

To stay up to date with SAM events, follow its Instagram @skatealliancemt or visit its website at https://www.skatealliancemt.org/.