Hubba Hideout was one of the most famous skateboarding spots in history. It was located in San Francisco near the Justin Herman Plaza on the also world famous The Embarcadero. Its central features were two oversized sets of 6 stairs with large concrete hubbas on both sides. The spot is part of a pedestrian walkway but was more commonly used by the local
skateboarders and vagrants. Hubba Hideout got its handle because of the nefarious denizens that would frequent the skate spot looking for a hidden place to engage in illicit activity. The nickname was a nod to the Bay Area slang term for crack cocaine: "hubbas."
The city of San Francisco made numerous attempts over the years to ward off skateboarders from the spot, and in January 2011 city workers completely demolished its ledges and stairs. The spot would gain notoriety by appearing in numerous skateboard videos and attracting a world wide following, the Hubba Hideout eventually gained such popularity among skaters that the term "hubba" became synonymous with any type of concrete ledge that leads down a stairway for example - Black Hubba in NYC or Clipper Hubba.
The first documented trick on the ledge at Hubba Hideout was Wade Speyer's crooked grind. Hubba Hideout gained fame through skateboarding magazines and videos and it became a mecca for advanced skateboarders visiting San Francisco. Legends were made at this spot - Karl Watson - Front nose 270, Eric Koston - back noseblunt, Jamie Thomas Nosegrind revert, Brian Anderson - Front Blunt, and the list goes on and on. Getting a trick on film would likely cement your name in the world of skateboarding.
The frequency of skateboarders eventually attracted the attention of the authorities and resulted in a full-scale skate-stopper implementation (in the
late part of the nineties). The ledges were capped (or knobbed) with skate-stopping devices which rendered them impossible to grind. Skateboarders eventually managed to remove the skate-stopping devices and use of the ledges resumed.
In March 2007, local authorities had the brick landing taken out and covered it in sand. However, this did not render the spot un-skateable. A rather simple impromptu set-up of wood or other material replacing the brick landing would suffice to cushion the initial impact and allow for a clean landing across the sand.
Hubba Hideout has managed to live on through recreations of the legendary hubbas by SLS and even a full re-build for a contest hosted by non other than the legend himself Karl Watson. Check out a full history on Thrashers Youtube - This Old Ledge: Hubba Hideout.
