Neptune Skating: Bringing Back The ’90s and Making Room for BMX Riders

Ogden’s newest attraction, Neptune Skating, aims to revitalize indoor skate rinks by bringing the rink’s design back to the “best era” in skating—the ‘90s, according to owner Kris Operhal. Neptune Skating has been in the works since April 2022 when Operhal purchased the property at 2770 Washington Blvd in Ogden with the intention to finally lay the foundation for his dream venture of opening his own skate rink.

Operhal is no stranger to the world of rollerskating, both indoor and outdoor, as he spent years as a DJ at a Classic Fun Center during the ‘90s, eventually leaving to start his own portable skating company, DJ Kris Center. Operhal supplied skates, food and fun to local schools by holding skate events in parking lots and encouraging students to explore the wonderful world of roller skating.

According to Operhal, the atmosphere of the ‘90s was what made him fall in love with skating, citing the music at the time as a big inspiration. “The ‘90s was the best era,” he says, noting that the skate scene has changed since his DJ years. “Everybody liked that era. Everybody misses that. The new skating rinks are nothing like they used to be.” He adds that many other skate rinks now have so many activities that they detract from their primary purpose and what he really wanted to be Neptune’s focus—skating. “Our focus is that people here are skating open to close, nonstop. Other places [aren’t],” he says.

“We do a lot of fun stuff to get people interested in skating and playing games and having fun.”

Operhal wants skating to be accessible to anyone feeling up to it and makes an effort to ensure everyone has a space in the rink by hosting weekly specials such as Tuesday dollar nights, where entry is only one dollar, family specials cost only $20 and each ticket includes a pair of basic skates. “We do a lot of fun stuff to get people interested in skating and playing games and having fun,” he says.

While Neptune Skating offers a large center dedicated solely to roller skating, there is another addition to Operhal’s rink that allows for a different type of rider. Neptune Skating also houses an indoor skatepark, available for BMX riders, skateboarders, scooterists and more. “As long as you wear a helmet and sign a waiver, you can ride,” says Neptune’s indoor skatepark supervisor Dalton Stone.

Neptune’s indoor skatepark is a large room with high ceilings (plenty of room to get air) split in two portions. One half consists of smaller turns, jumps and technical obstacles and the other half a series of hills and valleys creating large jumps most often used by bikers. Stone notes he has seen some brave rollerbladers take on the large jumps with style.

“As long as you wear a helmet and sign a waiver, you can ride.”

Utah-based bike shop 5050 Bike & Skate designed and constructed the park with the intention of providing a space for visitors to ride and show off their tricks and for 5050’s team of professional BMX riders to practice and hold shows. The indoor venue open to BMX riders is one of only a few currently open across the state of Utah according to Stone. “Nothing lasts out here (in Utah) … There’s been maybe three or four [indoor BMX parks] in the last seven years that have just not been able to make it,” says Stone. Though, he mentions that if anyone can keep the park open, it’s Neptune’s owner Operhal.

Neptune Skating officially opened to the public on Jan. 20, 2023 and has been largely successful since in providing northern Utah with an indoor home for classic skating, BMX riding and more. The rink will continue to welcome all riders, scooters, skateboarders, roller skaters and bikers alike! Check out Neptune Skating’s Instagram @neptuneskatingofficial to find more information and learn about upcoming events. Visit their website,neptuneskating.com, for more.

Read more on roller skating:
The Babes Are Back in Town: SLC Skate Babes
Roll On: Wasatch Roller Derby’s Crash Course