Sparse January snow means ‘boarders and skiers won’t ride the rails at Ruby Hill Park this year, Denver Parks and Recreation announced Thursday.
The Ruby Hill Rail Yard, established in 2007, is billed by the city as the country’s only free urban terrain park, but this year there isn’t enough snow. Denver has seen temperatures as high as 66 degrees and an average daily high of nearly 50 degrees this month. The city has received 4.6 inches of snow, which is about 2.5 inches below normal. Most of it, 3.2 inches, fell Jan. 11, according to the National Weather Service.
“Though we are enjoying this mild winter, we are disappointed we can’t offer this amenity to Denver area youth,” said Lauri Dannemiller, manager of Denver Parks and Recreation.
The city department and Winter Park Resort create and manage the terrain park each year, while Christy Sports provides free snowboarding and ski equipment.
The yard usually opens in January and stays open for four to seven weeks, depending on how long the wintry weather and cold hold out. The Denver Post
