Don't sell Winter Park.

• Author: RUNDLES, JEFF
• Position: Winter Park skiing is a part of Denver - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

I'M NOT MUCH OF A SKIER ANYMORE, OWING TO A KNEE INJURY, but in my day I was pretty good. I learned how to ski when I was 5 years old, and honed my skills on the great Colorado ski slopes all through my 20s.

I have skied at almost every Colorado area, and they are all wonderful. But in my heart of hearts, when I am pressed by someone to make a recommendation, I always put Winter Park on the top of my list.

Is Winter Park the top skiing experience in Colorado? All things being equal, no. Vail probably is, if for no other reason than its vast size. Still, Winter Park is a great mountain filled with wonderful skiing opportunities, and it isn't as trendy, crowded or expensive as Vail.

I recommend Winter Park because I am a Denverite through-and-through, and I take great pride in the fact that Winter Park is owned by the City and County of Denver.

The origins of Winter Park and its affiliation with Denver go back to 1939.

Then-Denver Parks Commissioner George Cramner -- the man who is almost single-handedly responsible for the city's great parks system -- put the deal together with the U.S. Forest Service and got the city into the fledgling ski business. In the early 1950s, an advisory committee with such notables as Alan Phipps, who would come to own the Broncos, set up a non-profit committee to run Winter Park. Over the years, the city hasn't necessarily benefited much by owning Winter Park, but it has been a great asset for our citizens.

When you think about it, we also don't make much money off of City Park, another great asset, but we wouldn't be the city we are without it.

So the ski industry is now this Wall Street-driven, entertainment-industry Goliath. And many charge that Winter Park, under the now-dubious management of the Winter Park Recreation Association, has fallen behind the times.

Everyone involved...