Sandlifers: The collective shaping Saudi Arabia’s skateboarding subculture

This is Sandlifers, a multimedia skateboarding collective that has carved the path for Saudi’s emerging skateboarding scene. What began as a tight-knit group of friends pushing each other to land tricks has evolved into a movement—now based in Riyadh—that aims to put Saudi skateboarding on the global map. The rise of Sandlifers is an expression against the invisibility that has often clouded Saudi urban culture. Through its content, this collective is capturing the beauty, grit and struggle of a rapidly changing country through its videos and photography. With every trick and turn in Riyadh’s streets, Sandlifers is inspiring a whole new generation of Saudi skaters. 

Sandlifers was born from the simple idea of wanting a place to skate. Back in May 2020, after the country lifted its lockdown restrictions, one of the collective’s founders, Waleed, decided to post some of the footage they had filmed while skating together. Just like that, Sandlifers was born: a digital archive of the group’s street sessions and creative expression that quickly unfolded into something far more impactful. The group now has 11 members spanning from Saudi, Sudan, Eritrea and Yemen. 

“Sandlifers came out of a question of ‘Why don’t we have this here?’” the founders explain to Dazed MENA. “The moment the first park opened in 2020 was when Sandlifers was created, and after hanging out with each other so much, we began getting into skate videos and were inspired to tell our own stories, making sure to do it in our own authentic way.”

Across the globe, a city’s skate scene has always been an indicator of its urban life, with skaters spearheading street art, fashion and culture on the ground. Scrolling through Sandlifers’ Instagram feed, the collective reflects this convergence of culture in its content. Its posts – an amalgamation of tricks, short films and moments of candid reflection—reveal a vision that goes beyond the board. The videos it releases are as slick and energetic as tricks performed, peeling back the blinds on a thriving subculture brimming with fashion and art. “The streets are our main fuel,” the group explains. “We draw most of our inspiration from the street culture here in Saudi Arabia. We grew up in Riyadh, and we feel the city has diverse aspects and stories waiting to be told. It is from this wellspring that we primarily draw our inspiration.”

Skateboarding itself has always blurred and expanded the frameworks of sport, art and lifestyle. It’s as much about freedom of expression as it is physical skill, and this is what lies at the heart of the collective’s work. In documenting their skate sessions, they are also peripherally documenting the broader culture of Saudi youth—capturing moments of defiance, creativity and experimentation. The group’s work is providing a new lens through which the world can view the country’s urban life. 

“We always aim to tell stories that are relevant to us, and this feels like a breath of fresh air,” the group says. “Many stories are left untold and we feel it is our responsibility to share them in our own way. Most of these stories are driven by street culture, and we’ve learned from our friends in the MENA region that we are not as different as one might think.”

The hunger for a dedicated space where skaters could thrive in Saudi had clearly been building for years, and Sandlifers’ organising is only facilitating the movement’s growth. The group hosted Go SkateBoarding Day 2023 last year at Al-Nakheel Skatepark, where it distributed prizes to the winners of its challenges. The day gleaned what the Saudi skate scene could become—lively, diverse and inclusive. “For us, Go Skateboarding Day 2023 was a defining moment, as it gave us a glimpse of our impact on the skateboarding scene in Saudi Arabia,” the collective tells Dazed. “We had over 80 skateboarders attend the event, and over 100 people who were generally interested in skateboarding.”

As much as Sandlifers brings joy and creativity to their community, its journey hasn’t been without its hurdles. With Saudi’s skate scene still in its infancy, public perception is still catching up. Particularly in the Middle East, skaters are often misunderstood, and finding dedicated spaces to skate remains a significant challenge. While the Riyad’s sprawling urban environment offers plenty of visual inspiration, the reality of being moved from place to place—often because public spaces aren’t equipped or welcoming for skaters—tacks on an element of frustration and exclusion. The group hopes to rectify this through gradual exposure. 

“We hope to achieve two goals,” Sandlifers shares with Dazed. “Firstly, to develop the skating scene and community by speaking with influential people to increase the number of skateparks in Saudi Arabia and inspire more people to take up skateboarding. Secondly, to shed light on the urban lifestyle in Saudi Arabia, as it is often overlooked in creative works.”

This need for dedicated skateparks and safe spaces to practice is a drum Sandlifers has been beating since its inception. The collective dreams of a future where the Saudi skate scene is fully embraced by the public, where the sport is recognised as both an art form and a legitimate physical discipline: “We would like for people to start seeing skateboarding not only as a sport, but as a way of artistic expression,” the collective explains.

Looking ahead, Sandlifers’ future is as expansive as the streets its members skate. The collective is currently working on a full-length skate video and a line of merchandise, aiming to further solidify its presence, not just as a skate crew but as a brand that represents the energy and creativity of Saudi’s youth. The group is also working on securing more skateparks, more sanctuaries through which friendships are formed, boards are flipped and art is made. With Sandlifers on the scene, the future of Saudi skateboarding is just getting started.

“We are already seeing a resurgence in the region, especially in the creative realm,” Sandlifers observes. “We hope that more outlets like this one will start casting a well-deserved spotlight on the creatives in our region.”