“It's like a camp with like five, six skate parks on the lake, man. This place is sick.”
Bigger than you think
Mike Boisvert skated Poland in 2026, and it was bigger than he expected: lots of cities, lots of people skating, skate camps, indoor parks everywhere and a crazy skate plaza. “A bit like Germany.” And underrated. The surprise came in Warsaw: in three or four days he skated six or seven parks with good infrastructure, and found almost no skaters.
Woodcamp
His best memory of Poland is Woodcamp, the hidden skate paradise of his video. “Actually, I invited myself.” He lived in the woods with about 140 campers, the kids recognized him, and he did fingerboard sessions and demos with them. There are contests almost every day. It was around his birthday, and he calls it a skate paradise. It's also his number one place to skate in the country.
Skaters to know
Franek Dyrda (@franek_dyrda) is Mike's homie from Kraków and his number one pick. Mike met him when Franek was younger. He grew up in India and has lived in a few countries, and it shows in his style. “There's not many guys like him.”
Maciek Stępień (@maciuskrk) is a contest skater from Kraków who can do pretty much everything. “He has a future for sure.” He is one of the leading skaters of DICE, a skate collective that makes videos and merch, runs events and is probably the biggest crew in Poland. They skate street, all the time. Mike spent his birthday with Maciek.
Where to skate
In Kraków, Kleparski Skatepark is, in Mike's words, a perfect park. In Katowice, PTG Skatepark is a perfect street plaza. And then there is Woodcamp, with its parks on the lake. The shops to know: California Skateshop and Euforia Skateboard.
If you go
Poland looks a bit like Canada, with its forests. After a session in Kraków, swim in the lake. For everything else there is Żabka, the convenience store where you can find anything. It's also Mike's answer, with a laugh, to the most underrated thing about the country.
Mike also visited Auschwitz, the day after his birthday. “You don't go there to have fun.” He saw the room full of hair and the piles of shoes. “It was super sad, but it's good to learn history.” He recommends the visit.
What Poland needs, says Mike, is more young skaters. What would help: an event.
Photos and videos: Mike Boisvert / The Skate Nomad. Part of the JACKALOPE Skate Atlas, one country at a time, with the skaters who live there. See every country on the map.
