First Map

My First Google Map

Skiing Minnesota

When you hear "Minnesota" you often think of all the aspects of a cold snowy winter, except for skiing. However, the Twin cities area as well as northern Minnesota are home to a few gems. Skiing here is a little different. Runs are shorter, with ~400 vertical feet being the maximum elevation you'll find in the Cities, but there's a lot more opportunity to hone your technique. Lindsey Vonn even got her start on the Minnesota slopes at Buck Hill before becoming a downhill superstar.

Areas such as Afton Alps (a member of the Epic pass family) and Welch Village are vast in the sheer number of runs and varied terrain. The close proximity to the Twin Cities also means there's a lot to do when your ski day is done. If you live in town or are visiting for an extended time, you can easily drop the kids off at Hyland Hills for a few hours while you go off to dinner or shopping at the Mall of America; a short ten minutes away.

Snowboarders here also have an advantage when it comes to the terrain park. Skilled boarders don't have to unbind to hop short rope tows back to the top. They can also quickly and repeatedly work on mastering certain tricks.

For those liking longer runs it is only a few hour drive up to Spirit Mountain in Duluth and then a couple more hours to Lutsen and Giant's Ridge where the slopes have nearly 1,000 vertical feet to enjoy. A pro tip is to visit these place in the early and late season as the wind coming off lake Superior in late January can be brutally cold.

Minnesota definitely makes the best out of what it has to offer for skiing and boarding. It's definitely worth a visit.

For more information, check out the Minnesota Ski Areas Association Web Page.

Welcome

Since I first skied, I've loved looking at trail maps. Each slope was an adventure; sometimes a lame adventure, but an adventure none the less. More recently, I've had trouble finding ski areas that are most appropriate for the skill levels of the skiers I'm with. The prime example of this was a ski trip to Idaho a few years ago. My girlfriend at the time was a very novice skier. While the look of fear in her eyes was cute, I quickly realized that some of these mountains were a little beyond her level of expertise. Indeed, we learned that Sun Valley, while amazing, is not a place you want to start out your ski career.

The next time out was to Utah around a year later. Utah has so much to pick from, it really is an amazing place for all levels of skiers. Still, we had trouble picking our ski areas because the maps and information were scattered about the various websites. Simple side-by-side comparisons took a fair amount of time and spreadsheeting to narrow down the best choices. Deer Valley and Brighton were the winners on that trip, however, Brighton was still a little beyond the gf's ability level.

This site is partially for personal reference, but is also for anyone who wants to study the awesome trail maps, maybe get a snow report and perform some comparison between the various ski areas. I'm meaning to start modestly and hopefully this place will blossom into an easy to use resource for everyone from someone looking for the most vertical feet of bunny hill to the best place for the helicopter to drop you off. Enjoy!