A three-day showcase and workshop at the scenic Parsik Hill will aim to promote the lesser-known extreme sport of downhill skateboarding
Skateboarders slide using gloves. PIC COURTESY/PARTH LAD
Take a walk on Parsik Hill in Belapur, and you’ll first spot the lush green grasslands that have featured in some of your favourite Bollywood movies, followed by towering trees arching over you. If you make it high enough, a panoramic view of Navi Mumbai awaits you. Where this adventure ends, a group of skateboarders will begin theirs. Rush, a three-day downhill skateboarding workshop and showcase will introduce the city to the extreme sport this weekend.
The path at Parsik Hill is surrounded by lush green cover
“Downhill skating is a specialised branch of skateboarding. Our skateboards are unlike the shorter, funkier ones you see in skateparks,” says organiser Ayaz Shaikh, who has been gliding down hills on wheels since 2015. On boards shaped for optimal aerodynamics and minimal wobble, the athletes will turn a selected pathway on the hill into a training ground. “We wear gloves with pucks under them. These help us navigate turns on the track,” Shaikh explains.
First-timers at the pilot 2024 edition. PICS COURTESY/Soham Chhajer
While the first day of the event is reserved for the community from across India to meet and bond over their shared passion, skateboarders will be in for a one-of-a-kind test drive on Day 2. Under expert guidance and emergency safety measures, an easier path will be opened to adventurous first-timers. “A lot of it involves learning the theory behind the sport and getting comfortable in gear. Gravity takes care of everything else,” Shaikh assures us. The extreme sport must not be emulated in the absence of an expert later. It is not a practice you can master in a day, the founder warns.
Ayaz Shaikh
The Hill is no stranger to adrenaline-chasing athletes. In the 1970s, rock climbers would frequent the hill to learn the ropes in large groups. Trekkers, climbers and nature enthusiasts continue to head to the Hill on weekends, we learn. “Downhill skating made its debut in Mumbai nearly 12 years ago. But our circle remains tight. Not many want to take up the sport, and there are barely any competitions in India,” Shaikh reveals.
The big showcase on the concluding day should help the sport gain momentum. American downhill skateboarder William Royce, who is a regular at the US Downhill Championships, will make his way to Navi Mumbai alongside USA-based skateboarder Jesse Fabrizio to participate in a professional downhill race. “The duo has been touring India, skateboarding in some of the most scenic locations, from the Himalayas, to the Sahyadris. We can’t wait to host them in Mumbai,” Shaikh signs off.
ON July 18 to 20
AT Parsik Hill, CBD Belapur. (Meeting point and time revealed on registration)
LOG ON TO @focused_downhill
ENTRY Day 1: Rs 1000; Day 2: Rs 300. Day 3: Rs 1000
NOTE: The stunts are performed by professionals and are not to be replicated without expert guidance
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