If you’re reading this, chances are you need a present for someone who skates (your kid, your partner, a friend) and you don’t skate yourself. You don’t need to in order to get it right. For this guide we cross-checked the gift guides of several skate shops and specialist sites, mainly Route One, Welcome Skate Store in Leeds, Cardiff Skateboard Club, SkateboardersHQ and Stoked Ride Shop, and it turns out they all agree on the same things: there’s a list of gifts that almost never miss, a list that only works if you know the right sizes, and a couple of traps that catch everyone.
One heads-up before we start: every price you’ll see here is a rough range. Prices move around depending on the shop, the country and the season, so treat them as orientation, not as the exact number you’ll pay.
The three golden rules before you buy anything
First: consumables always land. This is the advice every source repeats. Route One explains that wheels wear down fast, which is exactly what makes them a safe gift; Welcome Skate Store calls bearings a guaranteed win; SkateboardersHQ adds wax, hardware and laces to the list. The logic is simple: skateboarding destroys gear. Wheels wear out, bearings die from water and dirt, bolts go missing and shoes get holes from the ollie area. All of it needs replacing regularly, so gifting it never misses.
Second: decks, shoes and trucks only with confirmed sizes. Route One notes that most skaters ride decks between 8.0 and 8.5 inches depending on foot size and style, and recommends asking before buying, because with sizes there’s no middle ground. SkateboardersHQ is even more blunt: a deck only if you know their size and their favourite brand. Shoes have the same problem (size, fit and model all matter), and trucks are the extreme case: getting used to new trucks takes so long that SkateboardersHQ advises against them as a surprise gift altogether.
Third: the gift card is an honourable exit. Stoked Ride Shop says they’re always appreciated, and Cardiff Skateboard Club calls them the safest option when you don’t know what to buy. If it feels cold to you, SkateboardersHQ has a trick that works: pair the card with some stickers and a pair of skate socks, and there’s a proper package to open.
How to find their sizes without ruining the surprise
If you want to gift something size-dependent, there are ways to find out without asking directly.
Deck width. On many decks the size is printed on the graphic or on a sticker under the board, but not always, so don’t count on finding it there. The method that never fails is measuring the deck in secret at its widest point (Welcome Skate Store suggests this half-jokingly, but it genuinely works). Keep in mind the measurement is in inches: 1 inch is 2.54 cm, so a deck that’s 20.3 cm wide is an 8.0. Alternatively, take a discreet photo of the board and show it at the skate shop; they’ll identify it.
Wheels. Easier: the diameter (52, 54, 56…) and the hardness (99A, 101A…) are printed right on the face of the wheel. One photo and you’re done.
Trucks. The model is stamped on the truck itself. Write it down and buy the same one, or give the skate shop the deck width: truck width should match deck width, as Route One points out.
Shoes. The size is on the tongue of the pair they wear now (or on the box). It’s worth confirming the model too, because fits change a lot between brands. If you want to understand that mess, our guide to skate shoes goes through it calmly.
The ultimate shortcut: ask their crew. A session friend knows their size, their brand and, even better, what they’re missing. It’s the most reliable source there is, and the surprise stays intact.
How to use the gift explorer
Below you’ll find 28 ideas sorted by budget, from under €20 to experience gifts. You can filter them by type (consumable, tool, clothing, books and games, skateboard parts, experiences) and by tags. The most useful tag if you’re lost is no sizing needed: anything carrying it can be gifted blind. Whatever says sizing required needs the homework from the previous section.
Under €20
Skate wax
A paraffin block skaters rub on ledges and rails so the board slides better. It gets used up constantly, which puts it squarely in the consumables category that shops recommend as a safe gift.
SkateboardersHQ puts it nicely: bad wax is always better than no wax. If you want a specific name, Shorty's Curb Candy is a classic, with the large bar around $8 at US retailers.
Rough range: €4-10. No sizing and no way to miss; grab a few and you have small gifts for their whole session crew.
Spare hardware
The 8 bolts and nuts that attach the deck to the trucks, plus the axle nuts that hold the wheels on. SkateboardersHQ lists them precisely because they get lost and wear out all the time.
It looks like nothing as a gift, but it's the kind that gets appreciated mid-session, when a bolt is missing and nobody has one. The standard 1-inch size fits most setups.
Rough range: €3-8. Pairs well with wax and laces to build a small gift pack.
Spare laces
Grip tape cuts through laces in any flip-trick session, so keeping spares in the backpack is close to mandatory. SkateboardersHQ includes them in its cheapest bracket.
Rough range: €3-8. No sizing needed and, like wax or hardware, they work better as part of a small pack than as the gift on their own.
Skate socks
It sounds like the clichéd Christmas sock, but the shops genuinely stand behind it. Welcome Skate Store explains that skate-brand socks are more comfortable and longer-lasting than regular ones, and Route One puts Stance multipacks in its under-£20 bracket.
Cardiff Skateboard Club recommends brands like Polar, Butter Goods or Last Resort. Sock sizing is flexible enough to gift blind.
Rough range: €8-20 per pair or pack, depending on brand.
Sticker pack
Skate-brand stickers go on the board, helmet, backpack or anything that holds still. Route One suggests multipacks and classics like the Anti Hero eagle.
On their own they're a small extra, but they do two jobs as a gift: completing a small package and, above all, dressing up a gift card so it doesn't look like a last-minute buy, a trick SkateboardersHQ proposes.
Rough range: €2-10.
Skate tool
A keyring-sized block that packs every wrench a skateboard needs: axle nuts, hardware and kingpin. Welcome Skate Store recommends the Ace AF1 because it also includes rethreaders, and points out something any skater will confirm: tools get lost, so a replacement is always welcome.
SkateboardersHQ places basic tools in its cheap bracket and mentions the Silver tool, a step up, in the $15-30 range.
Rough range: €8-15 for a basic one, up to about €30 for a brand-name tool. Even if they own one, another won't go to waste.
Bones Speed Cream lubricant
A lubricant made specifically for skateboard bearings. It goes on after cleaning them and extends their life, which is short: water and dirt kill bearings sooner than you'd think.
SkateboardersHQ includes it in its under-$10 bracket. It's the logical add-on if you're already gifting bearings, or a useful small gift on its own for someone who looks after their gear.
Rough range: €7-12.
Shoe Goo (shoe repair glue)
A thick glue applied to the ollie area of skate shoes, where grip tape tears holes, to patch and prevent damage. Shoes are one of a skater's biggest recurring costs, so extending them has real value.
According to SkateboardersHQ, applying it in time can add 20 to 40 hours of skating to a pair.
Rough range: €8-12. No sizing, no risk, and one of the most useful cheap gifts on this whole list.
€20 to €50
Bones Reds bearing set
The 8 bearings that sit inside the wheels and make them spin. Bones Reds are the reference the shops point to when someone asks for a safe gift: Route One lists them first in its bearings section and Welcome Skate Store calls them a guaranteed win.
They have two virtues as a gift: skateboard bearings come in one standard size, so there's nothing to get wrong, and they wear out with use, so a fresh set never goes to waste. In the US a set typically costs $19-25.
Rough range: €20-30. Super Reds are the slightly better version, and ceramics (€60 and up) are for proper gear nerds, as Route One puts it.
Set of wheels
Wheels wear down from riding, and Route One says that's exactly what makes them a safe gift. The brands it names are the usual ones: Spitfire Formula Four, OJ, Bones and Ricta Clouds.
The important caveat: you need to match diameter and hardness. For street and park the norm is 52-56 mm at 99A or harder; rough ground calls for softer wheels. SkateboardersHQ warns this is where gifts usually miss, and its fix is simple: a discreet photo of the current wheels, because both numbers are printed on the wheel itself.
Rough range: €30-45 for a set of 4.
Brand-name grip tape
The rough adhesive sheet covering the top of the deck. It smooths out with use and grips less over time, making it another consumable that sooner or later needs replacing; it shows up in the Stoked Ride Shop and SkateboardersHQ lists.
As a gift it has a hidden advantage: sheets come in a standard size and get trimmed during application, so there's no measurement to get right.
Rough range: €10-20 a sheet from brands like Grizzly, Jessup or MOB.
Backpack with board straps
A regular backpack with one extra that matters: external straps to carry the board hands-free on public transport, on a bike or on foot. Especially useful for anyone who skates far from home or heads to the park after school or work.
SkateboardersHQ places them between $35 and $70 depending on brand and size.
Rough range: €35-70. No sizing, though it's worth checking the board straps actually exist and it's not just any backpack.
Skateboarding books
For the skater who's into the culture as much as the riding. Three picks with solid backing: The Answer Is Never by Jocko Weyland (Grove Press, 2002), a history of skateboarding written from the inside; The Disposable Skateboard Bible by Sean Cliver, the reference book on deck graphics; and PUSH by J. Grant Brittain, 80s skate photography. The last two are recommended by Welcome Skate Store in its holiday guide.
It works well as a gift because it doesn't depend on sizes or on their setup, and it's one of the few that can surprise someone whose gear is already covered.
Rough range: €13-20 for the Weyland book; the photo and graphics books vary by edition.
Skateboarding video games
The safe pick is Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2, available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch, with THPS 3+4 added in July 2025. From there it depends on the person: Session: Skate Sim for realism, OlliOlli World as the colourful, family-friendly option, and Skate Story (December 2025) on PC, PS5 and Switch 2 as the newest release.
The only way to miss is buying for a platform they don't own, so check their console first. For Skater XL, another well-known sim, it's worth verifying which platforms it's currently available on before buying.
Rough range: €20-60 depending on title and platform.
Skate shop gift card
The official honourable exit. Stoked Ride Shop says gift cards are always appreciated and Cardiff Skateboard Club calls them the safest option when you don't know what to buy; Cardiff sells them from £5 up to £100.
It's not a lazy gift: with decks, shoes and trucks the odds of missing blind are so high that letting them choose is often the best present you can give. SkateboardersHQ suggests dressing the card up with stickers and socks so there's a package to unwrap.
Rough range: whatever you decide, from €5 upwards. Better from their regular skate shop than from a generic chain.
€50 to €100
Skate shoes
The hardest gift to get right blind, according to Route One: you need both the size and the model, because fits change from brand to brand. Among the usual picks it names the Nike SB Dunk and the New Balance Numeric 440.
The sizing trick is checking the tongue of the pair they wear now, and even then it's worth confirming the model. If you don't have both, the shops themselves advise a gift card over taking the risk.
Rough range: €60-110. Shoes are one of the things skaters burn through fastest (the ollie area tears open), so when you get this right it's a big gift.
Pair of trucks
The metal parts connecting deck and wheels. Route One cites Independent Stage 11 and Ace AF1 as the references, at €55-90 a pair.
This is the surprise gift that works worst: truck width has to match deck width, and on top of that SkateboardersHQ advises against them outright because getting used to new trucks takes a long time. Skaters grow attached to theirs.
It only makes sense if they hand you the exact model they want, or if you note down the one they ride (it's stamped on the truck itself) and buy the same.
Helmet and pad set
Helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards. Stoked Ride Shop lists it as a gift category, and it's a sensible pick for beginners and for kids, who use pads the most.
Two caveats. The helmet needs a head size, so either find it out or include the exchange receipt. And SkateboardersHQ warns that teenagers and adults often aren't thrilled to receive a helmet, so for those ages, better only if they've asked for one.
Rough range: €50-100 for the full set.
Premium deck
Just the wooden board, without trucks or wheels, which is the part skaters replace most often because it chips and loses pop. Route One names brands like Chocolate, Polar, Santa Cruz and Girl.
The golden rule applies here: confirmed size and brand only. Most skaters ride between 8.0 and 8.5 inches, but everyone has their exact size, and the width isn't always printed on the board, so it comes down to measuring their deck in secret at its widest point or asking their friends.
Rough range: €60-80. With the size nailed it's an excellent gift; without it, a gift card is the better call.
Skate brand hoodie
Hoodies and jackets from skate brands show up in nearly every shop gift guide, usually between €50 and €100.
It's a medium-risk gift: clothing size is easy to find out by checking their wardrobe, but taste is another story. It works better if you know which brands they already wear, and worse if you pick the brand on instinct.
Rough range: €50-100 depending on brand and garment.
Professional fingerboard
A miniature skateboard ridden with two fingers. The professional wooden ones come from Blackriver and Berlinwood: completes hover around $150 at US retailers and individual decks around $44-50.
SkateboardersHQ adds the caveat: an expensive wooden fingerboard only makes sense for someone seriously into fingerboarding. For a casual gift or a kid starting out, a €15-30 one does the job fine.
Rough range: €15-30 for basic ones, €40-150 for the professional tier.
Thrasher subscription
The skate magazine, in print, 12 issues a year. In the US the annual subscription costs about $29 according to the magazine's official shop.
The detail almost nobody mentions: with international shipping it climbs to roughly $76 a year, so for a recipient outside the US it stops being the cheap gift it looks like. At that price it competes with a good skate book.
Rough range: ~$29/year in the US, ~$76/year with international shipping. Outside the US, weigh the alternatives first.
Over €100
Complete skateboard from a skate shop
A skateboard assembled at the factory, ready to ride. Cardiff Skateboard Club recommends it as the gift for someone starting out, from brands like Birdhouse, Krooked or Anti Hero, because it comes balanced and there are no parts to choose.
The non-negotiable condition is where it's bought: a skate shop, not a toy store. Bargain-store completes come with bearings that barely spin and grip that doesn't grip, and they frustrate any beginner. For beginners the exact width matters less than with a standalone deck, though for a kid it's worth checking sizes by age.
Rough range: €100-180 for a quality one; some shops carry slightly cheaper house-brand completes.
Action camera or phone gimbal
For the skater who already films their tricks. SkateboardersHQ suggests a stabilising phone gimbal, like the DJI OM5, in its top bracket; it turns a phone into a fairly capable clip camera. A GoPro-style action camera is the step after that.
It's an expensive gift, so the condition is clear: only if they already film. Buying it hoping they'll get into filming usually ends in a drawer.
Rough range: €100-400 depending on gimbal versus camera and the tier.
Gift card of €100 or more
If the budget is big and so are the doubts, several shop guides propose going straight to a large gift card, $100 or €100 and up, aimed at last-minute buyers.
With that amount the recipient can pick out shoes, a deck in their exact size or a whole order of consumables. In other words, it covers precisely the gifts you can't get right blind.
Rough range: €100 and up. Better from their regular skate shop.
Experiences
Skate lessons
A lesson pack with a skate school. It works especially well for beginners of any age and for kids who want to get comfortable at the skatepark with someone guiding them and taking the fear out of it.
Prices vary a lot by city, school and format (single lesson, bundle, group or private), so the practical move is checking the schools in their city. Fillow's lessons directory covers Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga, Zaragoza, Palma and Alicante for skaters in Spain.
Indoor skatepark pass
SkateboardersHQ suggests gifting skatepark tickets wherever the local park charges entry. In countries where most public parks are free, the idea works with private indoor parks, which sell single entries, session bundles or monthly passes.
It's the winter gift par excellence: when it rains for weeks, an indoor pass gets more use than almost any object on this list.
Rough range: varies by park and pass format.
Skate camp
The aspirational gift for kids and teenagers who live for skating. The world reference is Woodward in Pennsylvania: a camp for ages 7 to 17 where a full week starts at about $1,599 and a half week at about $899, according to their own site.
For most families Woodward is more of a legend than a practical purchase, between the travel and the price. The realistic version is a local summer camp with skateboarding run by nearby schools, for far less money.
Rough range: from local camp prices up to Woodward's ~$899-1,599, travel not included.
Nothing matches those filters.
Under €20: the small gifts that always work
This is stocking stuffer territory. Wax is a paraffin block skaters rub on ledges and rails to make them slide better; it costs around €4-10 and gets used up constantly. Shorty’s Curb Candy is a classic example, with the large bar going for about $8 at US retailers. SkateboardersHQ puts it nicely: bad wax is always better than no wax.
Hardware (the 8 bolts that hold deck and trucks together, plus axle nuts) runs €3-8 and goes missing all the time. Laces get cut up in any flip-trick session and cost €3-8. Skate socks aren’t the clichéd sock gift they sound like: Welcome Skate Store argues they’re more comfortable and longer-lasting than regular socks, and Route One puts Stance multipacks in its under-£20 bracket. Cardiff recommends brands like Polar, Butter Goods or Last Resort, at €8-20 per pair or pack.
Two gifts in this bracket look small and aren’t. The first is a skate tool, which packs every wrench a skateboard needs into one block: Welcome Skate Store recommends the Ace AF1 because it includes rethreaders, and SkateboardersHQ mentions the Silver tool in the $15-30 range. Tools get lost as often as bolts, so even if they own one, another won’t go to waste. The second is Shoe Goo, a repair glue for the ollie area of skate shoes that, according to SkateboardersHQ, can add 20 to 40 hours of skating to a pair, for about €8-12.
Rounding out the bracket: stickers (€2-10; Route One suggests multipacks for customising the board) and Bones Speed Cream (€7-12), the bearing lubricant skaters use after cleaning their bearings to make them last longer.
€20 to 50: the sweet spot
If you take one idea from this whole guide, make it this one: a set of Bones Reds bearings. They’re the default gift the shops point to (Route One lists them first, Welcome Skate Store calls them a guaranteed win), they cost around €20-30 for the set of 8 (typically $19-25 in the US), and they work for any skater, whatever their level or style. No sizing involved: skateboard bearings are a standard size. If you want to step it up there are Super Reds, and ceramics from €60 upwards, though Route One keeps those for proper gear nerds.
Wheels (€30-45) are the other big consumable in this bracket, with one catch: you need to match diameter and hardness. Route One names brands like Spitfire, OJ and Bones, and for street and park the usual range is 52-56 mm at 99A hardness or above. The fix is the discreet photo we mentioned earlier, because both numbers are printed on the wheel itself. We have a full guide to skateboard wheels if you want to know what those numbers mean.
Also in this range: grip tape (€10-20 a sheet from brands like Grizzly, Jessup or MOB, with no sizing issue because it gets trimmed to fit), a backpack with board straps (SkateboardersHQ puts them at $35-70), and the books-and-games corner. For books, three solid picks: The Answer Is Never by Jocko Weyland (a history of skateboarding written from the inside, €13-20), The Disposable Skateboard Bible by Sean Cliver (the reference book on deck graphics) and PUSH by J. Grant Brittain (80s skate photography), the latter two recommended by Welcome Skate Store.
For video games, the safe pick is Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, available on nearly every platform, plus THPS 3+4 since July 2025. If they’re into realism, Session: Skate Sim; for something more colourful and family-friendly, OlliOlli World; and the newest option is Skate Story, released on 8 December 2025 for PC, PS5 and Switch 2. The only real risk here is buying for a platform they don’t own, so check their console first.
And if nothing convinces you, remember the golden rule: a gift card from their skate shop. Cardiff sells them from £5 up to £100, and dressed up with a few stickers it stops looking like a last-minute buy (even if it is one).
€50 to 100: homework required
This bracket holds the gifts with the highest miss rate, because almost all of them need sizes.
Skate shoes (€60-110) are, according to Route One, the hardest thing to gift blind: you need both the size and the model, because every brand fits differently. If you have both confirmed, go ahead; Route One mentions the Nike SB Dunk and the New Balance Numeric 440 among the usual picks. If not, gift card and everyone’s happy.
Trucks (€55-90 a pair, with Independent and Ace as the reference brands at Route One) are even trickier: the width has to match the deck, and on top of that, adjusting to new trucks takes long enough that SkateboardersHQ rules them out as a surprise. Only with the exact model in hand.
A pad set (helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards, €50-100) is a sensible gift for beginners and kids. The caveat is the helmet: it needs a head size, and teenagers and adults often aren’t excited to receive one, so keep the exchange receipt. Our guide to skateboard helmets and pads explains how sizing works.
A deck (€60-80 for brands like Chocolate, Polar, Santa Cruz or Girl) follows the golden rule: confirmed size and brand only. And hoodies and jackets from skate brands (€50-100 according to shop guides) are the medium-risk option: clothing size is easy to find out, taste less so.
Two less obvious ideas in this range. A professional fingerboard from Blackriver or Berlinwood (completes hover around $150 at US retailers) for someone seriously into fingerboarding; for a casual gift, SkateboardersHQ warns that a €15-30 one does the job fine. And a Thrasher subscription, the skate magazine: in the US it costs about $29 a year, but international shipping pushes it to roughly $76 a year, so outside the US it stops being the cheap gift it looks like. At that price, a good skate book is worth considering instead.
Over €100: going big
The star gift in this bracket is a quality complete skateboard for someone starting out. Cardiff Skateboard Club recommends them because they come assembled from the factory, from brands like Birdhouse, Krooked or Anti Hero, usually in the €100-180 range. The non-negotiable condition: it comes from a skate shop, not a toy store. Our guide to affordable skateboard decks explains what separates a decent setup from a toy, and if the gift is for a kid, we have a dedicated guide to skateboards for kids by age.
For the skater who already films their tricks, SkateboardersHQ suggests a phone gimbal (like the DJI OM5) in its top bracket, and an action camera is the step after that, at €100-400. It’s an expensive gift, so it only makes sense if they already film clips, not as a way to get them started.
What if they have everything? The shops have an answer for that too: a big gift card, €100 or more. Not poetic, but it works.
Experience gifts: lessons, passes and camps
Not everything has to be an object. Skate lessons work especially well for beginners of any age and for kids who want to get comfortable at the park with someone guiding them. If they’re in Spain, our skate lessons directory lists schools in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and other cities; elsewhere, local skate schools and camps run the same formats.
Indoor skatepark passes make sense in winter. SkateboardersHQ suggests skatepark tickets wherever the local park charges entry; in countries where public parks are free, the idea works with private indoor parks, which sell day passes, session bundles or monthly passes.
And then there’s the aspirational one: a skate camp. The world reference is Woodward in Pennsylvania, a camp for ages 7 to 17 where a full week starts at about $1,599 and a half week at about $899, according to their own site. For most families it’s more of a legend than a practical buy, but local summer camps with skateboarding play the same card for far less.
What not to gift a skateboarder
This list saves disappointment, and it comes straight from the sources:
- A toy-store or supermarket complete. Mistake number one. They come with bearings that barely spin and grip that doesn’t grip, and they frustrate beginners. Shops only recommend completes from real brands.
- A random deck. Without confirmed size and brand, no (Route One and SkateboardersHQ agree).
- Surprise trucks. SkateboardersHQ advises against them explicitly: adapting to new trucks takes a long time.
- Shoes without confirming size and model. The hardest thing to get right blind, per Route One.
- Wheels without checking the current ones. They usually fail on diameter or hardness.
- A helmet for a teenager who didn’t ask for one. For kids, yes; for teens and adults, only if they want it, and with an exchange receipt.
- Generic “skateboard accessories” from marketplaces. LED truck lights, trick-training aids, odd covers. Of skater trainers, SkateboardersHQ says flatly that no skater needs them.
- A scooter. SkateboardersHQ jokes that gifting a scooter to a skateboarder is the fastest way to never hear from them again. They’re different sports: if they ride a skateboard, a scooter is no use to them.
If you’re still unsure after all this, go back to the start: consumables or a gift card. It’s what skate shops have been telling people who walk in saying “I don’t skate” for years.
Keep exploring
- Best skate shoes: vulc vs cupsole
- Skateboard helmets and pads: sizing guide
- Affordable skateboard decks buying guide
- Best skateboard wheels
- Best skateboards for kids by age
- Skate lessons directory
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