Calgary

Giant tube park slides its way into Calgary

Calgary will soon be home to the largest tube park in western Canada, as Canada Olympic Park puts the final touches on a 10-lane varying-speed tubing area.

Opens next weekend at COP with 10 lanes and dedicated magic carpet

These kids ride down a hill on an innertube in South Dakota. Soon WinSport will be home to the largest tube park in Western Canada. (Benjamin Brayfield/Rapid City Journal/Associated Press)

Calgary will soon be home to the largest tube park in western Canada.

Scheduled to open Dec. 17 at Canada Olympic Park, the Acura Tube Park will feature 10 lanes of varying speeds and have its own dedicated magic carpet for getting to the top.

The park is located on the east side of the main hill and will be open until the end of March.

Tickets will be sold in two-, three- and four-hour increments. Those with an annual WinSport family membership will get free access on Mondays and Tuesdays.

The goal is to get more people exposed to snow sports, said John Sutherland, CEO of WinSport, which owns and operates COP.

"The tube park allows us to use our expertise in snow making and build an activity that requires no equipment or skill," Sutherland said in a release.

"We see it as a gateway to snow, where we can then progress participants to skiing and snowboarding if they haven't been introduced to them already."