Winter Park Resort and City of Denver brings snowsports experience to urban youth

WINTER PARK, COLO., January 2008 – Inspiring urban youth to try winter sports, Winter Park Resort, the City of Denver, and Denver Parks and Recreation Department will host for the second consecutive year, Ruby Hill Rail Yard, a free urban ski and ride terrain park located just outside of Downtown Denver in Ruby Hill Park. Featuring six rails of varying configurations and skill levels, Ruby Hill Rail Yard opens Saturday, January 19 from 5 a.m. – 11 p.m. with such festivities as demonstrations by Winter Park Resort Ski and Ride School and free snowboard equipment/lessons made possible through help from Burton, Never Summer, and Vans. Ruby Hill Rail Yard is located between West Florida and Jewell Avenues and between South Platte River Drive and Quivas Street. Weather permitting, Ruby Hill Rail Yard will remain open through the end of February 2008.

First established last year, Ruby Hill Rail Yard is the country’s first free urban terrain park based in a city. The experimental program attracted approximately 3,000 youth and adults and instantly became a nationwide model for numerous cities and ski resort collaborations. To raise this bar even higher, every Monday from Jan. 28 through Feb. 18, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., Snowsports Outreach Society and Thriftystick Board Shop will partner with Denver Parks and Recreation’s Outdoor Recreation team to provide “Jibbing for the Kids.” This program will provide lessons and snowboarding equipment to local teens. Additionally, Ruby Hill Rail Yard will also be home to snowskate demonstrations and free lesson by Lib Tech, GNU, & Bent Metal Trucks on opening day, on Tuesday, Jan. 29 and on Tuesday, Feb. 12.

“Ruby Hill Rail Yard brings the winter sports experience to youth that may not have the opportunity or access to visit mountain ski parks, “said Bob Holmes, youth marketing manager for Winter Park Resort. “Last year, we broke all expected attendance levels and became an impressive model for other youth city programs. For the coming season, we plan to provide an even better Ruby Hill Rail Yard where youth and parents can enjoy the snow and have fun together during the day and under the lights.”

“Ruby Hill Rail Yard represents the best of what we do, said Kim Bailey, Manager of Denver Parks and Recreation. “It combines our urban park system with our exceptional recreation department. By partnering with Winter Park Resort and their outstanding youth program, we are able to offer kids across the City unparalleled access to winter sports – not only by whetting their appetites with the Ruby Hill Rail Yard, but also through our other winter sports programs with Winter Park.”

For more information on Ruby Hill Rail Yard visit, www.skiwinterpark.com/rubyhill.htm or site www.denvergov.org/rubyhillrailyard. For more information on Winter Park Resort, visit www.winterparkresort.com