Your guide to where to play table tennis in Vancouver

Cambie Bridge North Tables

A Brief Introduction…

Updated: March 20, 2022 – There are now two Tiger Ping Pong “Plaza” tables tucked in under the north end ramps of the Cambie Street Bridge with the second table arriving sometime in the early months of 2022. A second Tiger Ping Pong table was added to the south side of the bridge as well bringing the total number of weather-protected tables in the city centre to four. These tables have held up well somewhat sheltered from the elements. The tables on both sides of the bridge are in great shape with few differences in wear between the new and old tables. It looks like the community respects these installations and they aren’t marred by alternative uses like the tables at Empire Fields which are chipped from skateboarders. The absence of skateboarder-induced damage is simply because the plaza on which the tables sit is constructed from brick versus asphalt. As for playability, the Tiger Ping Pong tables possess more of a standard table bounce and speed, unlike the super-dense, super-fast, aggregate stone and concrete tables at Concord Pacific Community Park a few hundred metres northeast.

Ping Pong In Vancouver's Evaluation

The Table 100%

Like we’ve mentioned, the tables placed here are pretty, pretty, good. Not as lively as its stone sisters down the way at Concord Pacific Community Park, but crisp and responsive. The minimal design of this German-made Tiger Ping Pong “Plaza” model, 4 sold legs and a top, gives the playing surface a sense of floating, while beneath, the legs, tucked out of the way, angle futuristically. Our only complaint, and it’s minor, is the brick surface of the plaza. This pertains to the tables on the south side of the bridge as well. The uneven brick underfoot makes tracking and chasing down the ball somewhat unpredictable but, as mentioned earlier, it does prevent skateboarders from damaging the tables.

The Playing Area 63%

At first glance the playing area is perfectly fine. Both tables were dry on the rainy day we played there in mid-March. Someone’s done a pretty good job of placing the tables on the flattest section of the limited space of this plaza under the ramps of the bridge, but the brick-surfaced area does have a perceptible slope and with all the little ridges and joints, it presents a somewhat uneven playing surface. This is not a big deal given the ample space around the table for safe play. Expect the ball to travel a ways to the west and north. The south end of the table is bounded by a garden area that acts as a ball stop. The east side of the table transitions from the brick surface to an area of sparse grass which was mostly muddy on the rainy day we visited.

The Wind factor 72%

Expect your best shots to travel long or act erratically on any windy day here at the Cambie Bridge North Table. With the massive bridge structure overhead and with massive buttresses all around channelling the wind, one would expect one heck of a Bernoulli effect on a windy day.

Busy-ness 30%

Ping Pong In Vancouver editors chose a rainy day to play for the first time on the Cambie North Tables. That’s because it is only one of two public ping pong installations with protection from the rain. Both of these twin-table installations are located under the superstructure of the Cambie Street Bridge: two tables at the north end and two at the south end. Sheltered from the rain, amid a collection of bright yellow picnic tables, the Cambie Bridge North Tables sits in a busy pedestrian thoroughfare beneath the bridge adjacent to the iconic False Creek seawall, a bike route, and a recreation area featuring a basketball court and skateboard park. Surrounded by towers of condominium units, these could be a busy tables. We played for nearly two hours. Passersby smiled, gave thumbs up, and a few asked if the tables were recently installed, as if noticing the set-up for the first time now that people were playing. But there were no other players stopping by to play during our session. This is likely to change. Players seeking shelter from the rain or sun will find this location a satisfying reprieve from the elements.

PS: Which is the best place to play, Cambie North or Cambie South?
Cambie North, no question.

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