Ogden, UT has a new snowless skiing facility and it's like nothing you've ever seen before. Er, well, it's a lot like one thing we've seen before. Built on the same technology that powered the DNA Evolution Tour during the summers of 2007 and 2008, the Jib Yard uses roller conveyors (those things that they use to roll boxes from place to place in packaging facilities) to propel skiers into a wide array of jib features.
Drop in ramps made out of packing rollers. It's actually not as scary as it seems.
Skiing on metal rollers is not nearly as bad as it sounds. I tried it out with Michael Clarke and Keri Herman while they were Just Passing Thru on their way to Mount Hood and we all found that it wasn't bad at all. The, uh, roller conveyor skiing surface has gone through numerous modifications since DNA introduced it a few years ago.
The smaller one of two rail/box setups at the Jib Yard.
The roll-in ramps at the Jib Yard have soft rubber coating the bottom rollers and the takeoffs rise gradually, just like one you might see in a conventional snow terrain park. This allows for pretty good edge grip and control off the takeoff. Kids who grew up on the infamous East Coast would probably consider it better than real snow.
For kids in the area who don't have easy access to snow in the summer—which is every kid in the area—the Jib Yard offers a safe, sensible alternative to *gasp* rollerblading. And by the way some of the kids in the place were shredding, it was obvious that they've been taking full advantage of it. 270s, lip 270s, switch 270s, and hella switch-up combos. The shredding going down showed just how comfortable a guy can get after spending a little time on those metal rollers.
Michael Clarke does a record tap, or a hippy hop, or something like that.
The Jib Yard charges $10 for an hour session, $20 for a full day, and also offers a couple different season pass options. With a bunch of different rail features to rotate through, and a kicker + foam pit in the works, it's worth checking out. So do that, if you're ever in Ogden. It's either that or, um, uh....
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