Tip: Make your own slalom cones

Tons of solutions

Ikea plastic cups: Kids tableware

Wind tends to blow away the disposable plastic cups you borrowed from your mother’s cupboard. Moreover at the first mistake they smash to pieces.
What to do?
Go for a wander at Ikea in the kids tableware section: you’ll find sets of 4 hard plastic cups for 1€. Here you go! No other shop will offer you the same quality/price ratio.

Pros: They are economical and of good size, available in different colors, and have a good lifespan.
Cons: They are a little cumbersome in a bag, and don’t resist to intensive use (in clubs) and may fall in case of strong winds (on the sea side!)

Thanks to Vincent Vu Van Kha and Diouais

Tennis balls

Another solution for yellow ball lovers: Cut old tennis balls that you don’t use anymore in halves (kids, ask your parents!) It works very well too. Yet, be careful not to roll on them!

Thanks to Vinz78

A PVC tube cut in pieces

Go to your DIY store and buy a PVC tube (diameter: 5 cm / length: 2 m). Saw pieces of a dozen of centimeters, or whatever you judge fit for your ideal cone height. You can get 25 cones of 8 cm for 6€!
Moreover they are quite resistant, sober (grey), not too light and not to heavy.

Thanks to Antoine

Old skate wheels?

Xam recycles his old skate wheels as slalom cones… be careful not to stumble on them!

Thanks to Xam

Milk bottle caps

You can keep the caps of your milk bottles (‘Lactel’ type). They have a diameter of 5 cm and are available in all colors (red for whole milk, blue for semi-skimmed milk, green for skimmed milk…) It’s quite easy to collect them in large families.

Pros: They are free, in several colors, easy to get, and compact.
Cons: They are fragile and blow in the slightest breeze.

Thanks to Christophe S and Marc G

Fruit syrup bottle caps

They have all the pros of the milk bottle caps and more: they are very solid (ribbed), they don’t catch the wind (rounded and heavier), favor them without hesitation.

Thanks to Jean-Pierre

Fabric softener bottle caps

Most of the time they are blue or lavender. Same as the milk bottle caps but higher, which makes them look more like mini-cones. On the other hand, they are very light and blow at the slightest breeze. Use them on calm days.

Thanks to Jean-Pierre

Yogurt cups ‘petit-suisse’ type

They are easy to pile up and carry. The only drawback is that they crush if you skate on them. But they remain safer than the tennis ball halves or the milk bottle cups.

Thanks to eFred

Film roll boxes

The advantage of film roll boxes is that they can be weighted with sand…

Thanks to GJim

Rugby or soccer cones

If you have the luck to own a few, make a dual use of them!

Thanks to Victor

Pine cones

If you really have nothing else this might be the ultimate solution…

Thanks to Eric B.

Weighted soda cans

Some skaters use empty soda cans, filled with 1/3 of sand (for more stability) and 2/3 of expansive foam.
Cost: the foam spray and a big thirst…

Thanks to Rollairmousseaux.com

Plastic plant pots

Plastic plant pots exist in various sizes. The advantage is that you can insert them into one another which makes them easy to carry. The price is of around 0.20€ per unit.

Thanks to ‘Lara Croft’ and Diouais

Cheese strainer cups

Cheese strainer cups are handy (you can pile them up) and safe (they roll or break if you touch them). The only drawback is the wind, they are light and move easily.

Thanks to Mcrcaro03

Polystyrene egg-boxes

Another solution for slalom cones is to cut polystyrene egg-boxes: One box for six cones, it’s really cheap, not to say free. They are resilient to wind. The only drawback: they crush easily, but given the price, you can have a big stock, it can be nice if you have nothing else to hand!

Thanks to Jmaublancpiolot

You will have understand, we could quote Skali ‘Lavoisier’ the great master of slalom: ‘Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is slalomable’.

(Ball) Pool balls

I use balls from kid pools, like the ones you find at McDonald’s in the kids’ ball pool. They are easy to carry, you can roll on them without being slowed down like tennis balls, and you can even choose the colors! Enjoy your slalom.

Hubert de Fréjus

Links

Our skating tips section

By Alfathor
Translation: Chloe Seyres
Photos : Hubert and all rights reserved