Water Ramps

Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, in collaboration with Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation, has received approval from the Steamboat Springs City Council to move forward with construction of a new water ramp and trampoline training facility at the bottom of the Park Smalley Freestyle Complex on the mountain. See more information in the Water Ramps Presentation. The new facility will include water ramps and in-ground trampolines designed to safely train aerial skills and support year-round athlete development.

For more than 20 years, the current water ramp facility made possible by the MacArthur family has been a cornerstone of freestyle athlete development in the Rocky Mountain Division (RMD). It has contributed directly to success at the state, national, and international levels. This facility will permanently close after summer 2026 to make way for residential development.

TrampolinesSteamboat currently hosts the only water ramp facility in Colorado
  • 7 of 8 U.S. Moguls Olympians (2026) trained here
  • Water ramps are essential for safely learning flips, twists, and advanced aerial skills
  • Without it, athletes must travel out of state, adding significant cost, time, and barriers to progression
  • Without a replacement, access to high-level freestyle training in this region will be severely limited.

Thanks to a generous contribution of $400,000 from the MacArthur family and more contributions from local businesses, we are halfway to our goal.

Your donation helps ensure the future of freestyle skiing in the Rocky Mountain Region and enables athletes to continue training safely, progressing, and competing at the highest level right here in Steamboat.

Donate Now

We need your support to make it happen!

Frequently Asked Questions

The current water ramp facility, made possible by the MacArthur family, will permanently close after summer 2026 to make way for residential development. For more than 20 years, the facility has been a cornerstone of freestyle athlete development in the Rocky Mountain Division (RMD).

The Steamboat facility is currently the only water ramp and trampoline complex in Colorado and one of only three water ramp facilities in the United States. It has played a direct role in the success of athletes competing at the state, national, and international levels.

  • 7 of the 8 U.S. Moguls Olympians in 2026 trained extensively at the facility as Rocky Mountain Division athletes.
  • Jaelin Kauf and Elizabeth Lemley combined for four Olympic medals, including one gold medal, in 2026.
  • The facility has been a critical part of the athlete development pipeline for freestyle skiing in Colorado and the broader Rocky Mountain region.

Water ramps provide a safe and effective environment for athletes to learn and refine advanced aerial skills before performing them on snow.

Water ramp training helps athletes safely learn:

  • Flips
  • Twists
  • Off-axis aerial maneuvers

It also serves as the bridge between trampoline training and on-snow performance.

Compared to downslope airbags, water ramps offer:

  • Approximately 2x more jumps per session
  • Faster repetition cycles
  • About half the stair climbing
  • Increased training volume
  • Faster skill progression
  • Better summer engagement for athletes

Water ramp training also has a long-established and proven safety record.

The Utah Olympic Park (UOP) facility is too far away for Colorado clubs to consistently access the amount of training required for safe progression in the sport. Additionally, UOP is expected to close intermittently beginning in late summer 2026 and potentially into 2027.

Without a Steamboat replacement facility:

  • Athletes would need to travel out of state for training
  • Athletes may require 15–30 days of ramp training each summer
  • Families could face 4–8 trips annually depending on training structure
  • Costs and time commitments for families would increase significantly
  • Coaches would spend valuable time traveling instead of coaching
  • Regional athlete development opportunities would decline

Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (SSWSC) has executed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Steamboat Resort to build a replacement water ramp and trampoline facility within the Voodoo complex.

The new facility is modeled after the Bristol Mountain installation and is planned to include:

  • Two water ramp inruns with folding pneumatic jump tops
  • Four unique jump angles/configurations
  • Four in-ground two-string trampolines
  • Rope harness systems
  • Twisting belts for aerial training

The total project budget is $1,000,000 and includes a long-term maintenance reserve.

Yes. $500,000 has already been committed through Native Excavating and the MacArthur family for site work and other local businesses.

  • Permit applications are currently in process
  • SSWSC launched its general fundraising campaign on May 1, 2026
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