Parker Recreation Center offering Ski and snowboard programs

Parker Recreation has teamed up with Echo Mountain Park to offer youth ski and snowboard programs this winter for kids age 10 through 17. Echo Mountain is Colorado's newest, closest and most affordable ski area, located just outside Evergreen on Squaw Pass Road. The Echo Mountain Ski Bus leaves from the Parker Recreation Center, 17301 Lincoln Ave., at the designated meeting time and brings the kids back to the Recreation Center after their time on the slopes.

The Friday Afternoon Ski and Snowboard Club picks teens up from the Parker Recreation Center at 4 p.m. for a fun night skiing or riding under the stars. The bus brings participants back at 10 p.m. Trips are scheduled Jan. 18, Feb. 22 and March 14. Cost is $65 per trip if you want rental equipment and a lesson, or $55 for a lift ticket and transportation only.

Holiday Ski and Snowboard Jam takes advantage of Martin Luther King Day and Presidents' Day, when students have Monday off from school. The Ski Bus picks up skiers and snowboarders ages 10 through 17 at 8 a.m. for a full day on the slopes. Fees are $65 with a lesson and equipment rental, or $55 for lift ticket and transportation only.

An after school Learn to Ski or Snowboard program for ages 10 to 14 offers four weeks of lessons on Wednesday nights from Jan. 9 to 30. The Ski Bus departs at 4 p.m. and returns at 9 p.m. The $250 fee covers lessons, rentals and lift tickets for four weeks; if you don't need lessons the fee is $230.

Echo Mountain capitalizes on its proximity to Denver and fills an interesting niche in the local ski industry. They are set up with lights and music throughout the mountain so that skiers and snowboarders can make an after school or after work trip and get in plenty of runs. They offer an extensive lesson program designed to introduce new participants to the sport.

For more information about Echo Mountain, visit www.echomtnpark.com. If you have questions about the youth ski and snowboard outings listed above, call Assistant Recreation Director for Programs Mary Colton at 303.805.3261 or email mcolton@parkeronline.org.