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Room for boarding in heart of the city

Ski resort plans snow gun, terrain park at Ruby Hill

Joanne Kelley, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 4, 2006 at midnight

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Come on and take a free ride - in Denver.

Starting sometime in January, the closest ski and snowboard terrain park to the Mile High City will be right smack in the middle of it.

Mayor John Hickenlooper and Winter Park Ski Resort officials announced plans Friday to install terrain-park style rails in Denver's Ruby Hill Park, complete with a couple of feet of snow.

Admission will be free so that urban dwellers who've yet to strap on a snowboard or a pair of skis might be tempted to try out what has become a major draw for most of Colorado's mountain ski areas.

"Our goal here is to introduce kids to skiing and snowboarding," said Winter Park General Manager Gary DeFrange, speaking at a news conference with Hickenlooper on the steps of Denver's City and County Building.

Ruby Hill, known as one of the metro area's prime sledding spots, is located along the Platte River between West Florida and Jewell avenues.

At Friday's news conference, members of Winter Park and Copper Mountain ski resorts' free ride teams showed off some tricks. They slid down the handrails outside Hickenlooper's office, some of them narrowly missing the pavement as they landed on a skinny strip of snow hauled down from the high country.

The growing popularity of snowboarding or skiing down rails, a practice known as jibbing, prompted Winter Park Ski Resort to open an area full of replicas of handrails found all over the metro area.

Now it's bringing the action to the city.

Hickenlooper said a trip to New York City last winter inspired the decision to move forward with the terrain park idea. After the biggest snowfall in the Big Apple's history, Hickenlooper recalls that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that several urban parks would be serving free hot chocolate for those who would come out and play.

"I came back from New York and said, 'Where are we going to do this?' " Hickenlooper said after the news conference.

Hours and days of operation have yet to be determined. And they will likely be dictated by the weather, Winter Park spokesoman Matt Sugar said.

The ski area, which is part of Denver's vast park system, will supply a snow gun to create artificial snow at Ruby Hill. But warm weather could thwart its effort to keep the white stuff in place.

The park will feature terrain for riders of all levels - beginning, intermediate and advanced.

Billed as Winter Park's "extended terrain park," the site will feature temporary structures in the park's natural bowl. Ski area volunteers will staff the park.

Daniel Betts of Denver's Department of Parks and Recreation said the aim is to include "young people who would otherwise not get an opportunity" to be introduced to snow sports.

"It exposes more people," agreed Tom Gart, who runs gear stores with his brothers under the Specialty Sports Venture umbrella.

Gart, who attended the news conference, expressed interest in having his company help out with the new terrain park.

"I like the whole idea about taking it to some of the folks who can't afford it," he said.

Riding in Denver

• What: A terrain park for skiers and snowboarders, complete with rails

• Where: Ruby Hill Park, between West Florida and Jewell avenues

• How: Winter Park will use a snow gun to make the snow, and the riders can use the park's natural bowl for gravity.

• When it opens: January (exact date has not been set)

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