Indoor ski and snowboarding simulator opening in Downtown Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- While ski season might be coming to an end, a new business setting up shop in Downtown Colorado Springs will offer outdoor enthusiasts a chance to experience skiing and snowboarding all year long.

Lemon Lodge Ski Bar is an indoor lodge-type venue where people will be able to ski and snowboard indoors in the heart of Downtown Colorado Springs.

The owners told KRDO they saw a demand for an Olympic-caliber simulator in south Colorado Springs that could also function as a lodge-type environment equipped with food and drink, to bring the feel of the slopes to the city.

The Rocky Mountain Ski and Sport confirmed that, saying they've seen a 10-15% increase in ski and snowboard rentals in Colorado Springs this season.

"It's providing something for everybody," Lemon Lodge Ski Bar Owner Melanie Hexter said. "Think about all the people that have moved here and the tourists. We love that we're on the front edge of that, and we envision people from Castle Rock or Denver driving down for the day to take advantage of what we have. It's a hybrid of a food and eatery, we call it 'skiertainment.'"

According to the Colorado Springs Chamber, the population in Colorado Springs is growing rapidly. That includes snow sports enthusiasts, and local ski shops are taking notice.

"Traffic flow is insane and the increase in season rentals," The Ski Shop Owner Debbie Uhl said. "We had to add to our fleet to accommodate. Things that we never had to consider a few years ago are on the forefront now."

The Lemon Lodge Ski Bar's indoor simulator allows new skiers or snowboarders to try out the sport and others to keep up their skills in the off-season.

The lodge will have an instructor on-site and available with every simulation session. Each session has multiple settings to accommodate a variety of levels, courses, and terrain.

"We're trying to bring a lodge to Downtown Colorado Springs," Hexter said. "We hope to invite locals who will use it as a place to bring friends and family for dinner whether they're skiing or not. Tourists are going to love it too because they can come to Colorado, even in the middle of the summer, and say they skied."

To learn more about the Lemon Lodge Ski Bar, click here. It's set to open this spring.