Kathmandu, May 21 -- Curly hair. A casual T-shirt. Baggy pants. Tattoos running down his right arm.

On Wednesday morning, a man in his mid-20s sat on the edge of the Yama Buddha Skateboard Park, Kathmandu's first public skateboard park, which is near completion, along the banks of Dhobikhola.

His legs rested over a skateboard, the white shoes on his feet worn thin-a familiar mark of skateboarding, where constant friction slowly tears footwear apart. Holding up his phone, he filmed the unfinished park taking shape before him.

He introduced himself as 26-year-old Gajendra Bardewa, the defending champion of the National Skateboarding Championship.

"It was my third time winning the nationals in the eighth edition last year," shared Bardew...