Activities: skiing, snowboarding
Location: Ruby Hill Park, Denver
In 2007, the City and County of Denver and Winter Park Resort teamed up on the Ruby Hill Rail Yard, a one-of-a-kind urban snowsports terrain park in southwest Denver.
Winter Park handles snow-making and the features for skiers and snowboarders. There's no chairlift or rope tow, so skiers and riders have to hike up the 250-foot hill for their next run, but it's well worth the effort. Eight to 10 rails and boxes of varying skill levels keep things interesting. Entrance is free, and about 30 volunteers keep the project running, so be sure to thank them if you see them out on the hill.
"It's continued to grow," says Winter Park spokesperson Steven Hurlbert. "It's been extremely popular. It's such a unique thing to offer — an urban terrain park."
Every winter, the anticipation builds as the resort activates a snowcat and snowmaking gear and preps the hill. "People can't wait for it to open," says Hurlbert. The park is open daily, 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., during a season that typically runs January through February.
Activities: rugby
Location: 4599 East Tennessee Ave., Glendale
On the east side of Denver, Glendale — a.k.a. RugbyTown USA — has one of the few dedicated rugby stadiums in the United States.
"We have rugby year-round here at Infinity Park," says Kirsten Kreiling, marketing and communications manager. That includes the club-level teams who play their home games at the venue — such as the nationally recognized Colorado Raptors — as well as youth and developmental programs for beginners. "No experience necessary," says Kreiling.
The 4,000-seat stadium hosts about 20 game days a year and attracts teams from all over to its field (or "pitch" as it's known in rugby lingo).
But it doesn't begin and end with rugby: Infinity Park is at the center of a 16-acre complex that also includes parkland, an event venue, the Glendale Sports Center, summer outdoor movies and a wide range of athletic programs and fitness equipment.
Activities: curling
Location: 14100 W 7th Ave., Golden
The only dedicated curling facility between Williston, N.D., and Seattle, the Denver Curling Club's ice center opened on the west side of metro Denver in 2014 and was an instant hit.
It's slick in more ways than one, says Pam Finch, the club's president. Because the ice's 70-by-165-foot surface is hand-scraped — no Zambonis allowed — it's a much smoother and faster surface for the 44-pound stones that curlers slide and sweep towards circular targets on the other end of the ice.
"Arena ice is much slower," says Finch. "Here it just keeps going and going and going." The scraping is a painstaking process, she adds. "It's like grooming a putting green."
The Denver Curling Club's home ice had been at various partner arenas and warehouses over the organization's half-century of existence before they came up with a plan to fundraise and finance the $3.4 million facility.
The ice is in high demand, with a packed calendar of league nights, private events and even national tournaments, but there are still plenty of opportunities for newbies. "Throughout the season, we offer an introductory 'Learn to Curl' class," says Finch. "It's exciting for us to teach people." The classes are two hours and typically offered early in the season (September to November). There's also a five-week program that's typically the gateway to joining a league.
Activities: skateboarding, skiing, snowboarding, BMX, tumbling, parkour
Location: 9499 Washington St., Thornton
You'd be hard-pressed to name an extreme sport that isn't on the schedule at Progresh.
Skateboarding classes? Check. Freeride skiing? Check. BMX, snowboarding, tumbling, parkour? Check, check, check.
"It's a little bit of everything," says Dystini Herrera, general manager of the facility. "The best thing about the facility is it brings a lot of different sports together."
Located 10 miles north of downtown Denver, the facility has synthetic slopes for skiers and snowboarders, trampolines, and "a giant mega-ramp into an airbag," says Herrera. Instructors are well-versed in their sports, and there are also drop-in sessions.
A common thread that runs through all extreme sports: tumbling. "We teach you how to fall correctly," says Herrera, likening Progresh's tumbling classes to stunt training for Hollywood.
Progresh offers extreme experiences for all ages. "We cater to a lot of school-age kids, but we get adults as well," Herrera says. Formerly a snowboarding instructor at Arapahoe Basin, she adds, "I wish they had one of these when I was a kid."
The owners were inspired by the extreme sports school Woodward at Copper Mountain, but it's 80 miles west of Denver. "We wanted to bring that down to the city," says Herrera. "Not everybody can go up to the mountain."
Activities: kayaking, canoeing, tubing, paddleboarding
Location: Eben G. Fine Park, Boulder
Dating back to the early 1980s, this whitewater park was one of the first of its kind in the United States and served as a prototype for other Denver-area facilities that followed in its wake.
"It's one of the earliest ones in the country," says Eric Bader, president of the Boulder Outdoor Center, the outdoor guiding company that spearheaded its creation in Eben G. Fine Park in scenic Boulder Canyon. "It's great for local boaters to get out and splash around."
All kinds of paddlers are welcome, he adds. "It's been used for everything from tubing to kayaking to canoe racing. More recently, there have been a lot of stand-up paddleboards." But watercraft is not always required: In fall and winter, it's a popular fishing hole.
Today there are also popular whitewater parks in Denver and Golden, says Bader, but the Boulder Playpark has bragging rights as the trendsetter.
Activities: mountain biking, cyclocross
Location: 3160 Airport Rd., Boulder
After opening in 2011, Valmont Bike Park quickly earned a reputation as one of the top municipal bicycling facilities in the country. The 42-acre park includes four miles of trails and more than 30 jumps and other features that attract a wide range of cyclists.
"The park was designed to accommodate bikers of all abilities and ages," Skyler Beck, facility manager. "It's very family-friendly."
But it also attracts cyclists at the pinnacle of their sport. "We have cyclocross athletes who compete all over the world training at Valmont," says Beck.
Many of the features were designed specifically for cyclocross racing. Unlike road racing, cyclocross athletes have to navigate a varied course that includes obstacles and a variety of surfaces. At Valmont, that means two bikeable staircases, a sandpit and other challenging features.
The facility is free to use and open year-round, but heavy snow and rain can force it to close until it dries out. Rentals are not available at the park, but several businesses in Boulder rent bikes and helmets.
