It’s ski season in Denver. No, really, right in Denver
DENVER — Ruby Hill Rail Yard opened for the 2024 winter season last week in the heart of Denver with new obstacles and features for winter athletes.
The joy of not having to sit in traffic or get up early, and to just ski on your lunch break, is out of this world, says Ben Holtzman of Lakewood, who takes the opportunity to ski in shorts in 60-degree temperatures in the middle of winter.
"I don't know of any other city that has a hill that you can go skiing on and has rails right in the middle of the city. So, it's really great, especially on a weekday. I'm supposed to be at work right now, so hopefully my boss doesn't see this, but got to enjoy the nice warm weather," Holtzman said.
A skier takes advantage of the terrain park in 60 degree weather.
Photo: Julio Sandoval, Rocky Mountain PBS
The Ruby Hill Rail Yard was created within Ruby Hill Park off Florida Avenue and the South Platte River Drive in 2007. The seasonal slope is a partnership with Winter Park to bring a unique city ski experience within the metropolitan area.
Winter Park experts supervised the rail designs and more than 25 volunteers man the slope.
"We had a vision to bring down some of the equipment from Winter Park in order to make snow here at the hill since we have enough elevation gain here in order to create a hill that is able to be ski and snowboard,” said Dan Herr, Denver Parks and Recreation senior supervisor.
It took 10 days to create the slope for the 2024 season opener, Herr said. The temperature has to be 28 degrees or lower in order to make the artificial snow, he said.
“Denver Parks and Recreation has two of their own snow producers, which were donated by Winter Park,” he said.
New features this season include a combination of rails and boxes and new snow designs on the halfpipe to make its surface frictionless.
The 2024 season features 10 new rails, boxes, and snow designs, according to city officials.
Photo: Julio Sandoval, Rocky Mountain PBS
Beginning February 2, visitors will have free equipment rental on Thursdays and Fridays from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 to 6 p.m. for the rest of the season. Depending on weather conditions, the season will last until mid or late March.
Skiing and snowboarding on the hill is free and adults need to sign a waiver and kids need an adult or guardian to sign a waiver.
Several free public events will take place at Ruby Hill Park over the season, such as the Burton Mystery Series on February 10, the SnowSkate Slamfest on February 17 and the CoreNation Tour Rail Jam on February 24.
For more information, visitors can check denvergov.org/OutdoorRec.
Julio Sandoval is a senior photojournalist at Rocky Mountain PBS. Juliosandoval@rmpbs.org.