Midwest Minnesota 17-18 Season

[focker]

Got out to Trollhaugen last night for my first turns this year with my 12 year old son.

Pretty fun night overall. Got about 18-20 runs in, skied just over 2 hours. Place was pretty packed which was nice to see although there were no really bad lift lines. There were a Ton of racers there last night including my son and his HS team. Pretty cool to see how much he's progressing this year. talked to one guy who said it was their busiest day/night of the year thus far.

Snow was decent but some runs were scraped down to glare ice after they got done racing on them. Couple of runs not open yet but they look pretty close to being 100% open overall.

Lots of out of control snowboarders

 

[midwestfabs]

@wildmountain was fun as well this past weekend. Think they had all but couple runs open.

This weekemd we head to welch, kids and looking fwd since every year we have been out of town for the blizzard days. I havent been in over 8 years.

 

[midwestfabs]

Yeah I saw that as well fabs. The run by chair 5 is a (very) short cutoff right by the base of lift 5 that is quite steep. Likely the steepest run they have. It's so close to where the line forms for lift 5 though that it sort of scares me. The run under lift 5 is one of my favorites though and this steep section at the end will only make it more fun for advanced skiers.

The run you didn't mention is through the woods down to lift 11, which is the run that they set up the boarder cross course on. That run will connect the meadows area with lift 11,. Looks like it could be a fun run. It looks pretty narrow and likely is going to be a blue run.

The run by lift 17 used to be a run, then when vail bought afton and they changed the run under lift 17 (to put moguls on it) they closed it down and it's been closed for several years now. My kids always loved that run, way off to the side and usually had good snow left on it even several days after a storm.

With vails money I wish they would tear down lifts 13,14 and 15 and put one good 4 or 6 person lift in the highlands that went up to the top of that little peak in that area. The bottom of those runs is dangerous as all those trails converge and there are 3 lifts people are cross by each other to get to. One lift there would make it safer.

Think might of written too soon, vail announced they were inveting ~$66 million buck in lift improvements at whistler, guessing there will be no such move in the midwest market for a while.

 

[focker]

Think might of written too soon, vail announced they were inveting ~$66 million buck in lift improvements at whistler, guessing there will be no such move in the midwest market for a while.

If I had to guess I'd say the only big new improvements you'll see at Afton anytime soon is a Hotel/Waterpark somewhere on the upper part of the hill to make it more of a 'destination' resort for people from the midwest who have Epic passes and might come ski for free a few days as well as go out west. They just put $$ into the lifts by installing safety bars on every chair there.

 

[focker]

@wildmountain was fun as well this past weekend. Think they had all but couple runs open.

This weekemd we head to welch, kids and looking fwd since every year we have been out of town for the blizzard days. I havent been in over 8 years.

You're going to love Welch. It's my favorite of the Twin Cities ski areas by far. I really wish we didn't move so far away from it... I love skiing groomed steep stuff and welch has some fun steep runs I love. Wild has some decent steep stuff and Afton and Troll don't really have much at all.

We mainly ski at Troll and Wild now living on the north side of town and I prefer Wild, but Troll has great Tuesday and Thursday night deals so we'll be there a lot this year since we didn't spring for a pass anywhere.

 

[midwestfabs]

@Welchvillageskiarea was fun last weekend, though they were still working on some runs. Not all were open by sat and only had 3 lift running in the am which maid bit hectic with all os us blizzard big and small kids. In the mid afternoon i did hear someone say thet had opened the back, but seemed like everyone went there and the lines was very long. Guessing by this weekend they should have most if not all open. Dfinitely wold like to go again with better snow, (still bare spots, icy on steeper runs, and smeered out by the end of the day past sat), fun none the less.

Went to @aftonalpsskiarea #aftonalpsskiarea today. Though they had on lft 13 open last weekend, per lifties they were going to keep it closed for most of this week. They had all the guns running in the highlaands with anticipation to have most if not all of it open by xmas weekend. Snow was good, but chiily. Not sure if we will venture out and battle the real minny winter that is finally upn us.

Salud

 

[focker]

I'll be at Wild Mountain most of the day tomorrow for their HS Invitational race. My son isn't seeded high enough to ski in it but we'll be there to help out the skiers who are and get in some practice before the next race there on Jan 4th.

They are 100% open now which certainly makes things more fun.

 

[midwestfabs]

Went for a brief stit at afton again today and they had chair 13 running with one run. For giggles went back ther to see what it looked like and they have a wy to go. Sure they will have at least half of it open, but there was still bare ground throughout.

There was a bunch of racers practicing and afton race team setting up all kinds of racinf stuff, so not sure if part of invitational @focker wil be participating, but for what its worth if you end up at afton kind of what you might expect as for terrain being open.

 

[focker]

We're at Wild tomorrow fab. My son is a HS SL racer and they only ski at Troll and Wild for the regular season, unless they do that Spirit Mtn inviations (which we can't this year do to a conflicting date with our 4th sectional race). Sectionals and the state meet are at Giants Ridge in Feb.

My son made the varsity team and took 6th out of 10 on his team in the first race this last Tuesday at Troll. Conditions were brutal with many many racers falling or missing gates due to a very icy course.

All the Northern suburbs teams ski at troll and wild. Eastern suburbs at Afton, Southern Suburbs at Buck. I imagine most of the western suburbs race at Buck , Powder Ridge or [cringes] Hyland...

 

[crgildart]

Old Buck Hill photos courtesy of the Burnsville Historical Society:

LOL@ some of the photo labels.. They have a trail map listed as 1978 that looks more like 1998 or 2008... Ballroom is already changed to Olympic Dreams and has the tubing park hahaha

 

[Slim]

Spirit should have most stuff open. We got a good layer of snow Thursday.

 

[crgildart]

Head's up!!!

 

[Dwight]

I hope

 

[Doug C]

Just got home home from making some fresh tracks at Trollhaugen. We ended up with about 7 in.
It was windy and about 10 people on the hill. Rare occasion to ski fresh pow here .
Skied on my new Fischer Motive 95 that I just mounted a week ago. I see why they have gotten good reviews here .I am looking forward to getting these out to Copper my I a few weeks.

 

[focker]

Just got home home from making some fresh tracks at Trollhaugen. We ended up with about 7 in.
It was windy and about 10 people on the hill. Rare occasion to ski fresh pow here .
Skied on my new Fischer Motive 95 that I just mounted a week ago. I see why they have gotten good reviews here .I am looking forward to getting these out to Copper my I a few weeks.

I sort of figured not many people would be out there. I may venture out tonight after work, but perhaps not. Already set to ski Friday and Sunday and going to my sons race at Troll on Thursday (no skiing that night)..

They'll probably groom everything though to make this snow last as long as possible. They have pretty thin cover there actually.

 

[OldJeep]

We got a foot in the sw burbs, welch is claiming 14". Headed out to Welch tomorrow late afternoon to push all that soft stuff on Dans out of the way

 

[Gentry]

I was putzing around the East Slopes of Welch last weekend and rode up the lift with an older guy that extolled the virtues of Dan's and Dud's. Can't say he was wrong. Hoping to head back out this weekend or next. I've got an order in with Skiessentials for some K2's that I'm hoping arrives before all the new snow is packed.

 

[focker]

Plans have changed. Hitting Troll tonight to see I can still find a spec of fresh snow somewhere to smash... I have a few hidden spots I know to look for...

 

[Gentry]

So what's the deal with lifts 15, 16, 17 in the far corner at Afton? Are these ever open? When I was there last month they were closed and whenever I check the Epic Mix app they seem closed as well (not sure how accurate that is). Was hoping to check out those black diamond runs back there tomorrow.

 

[focker]

So what's the deal with lifts 15, 16, 17 in the far corner at Afton? Are these ever open? When I was there last month they were closed and whenever I check the Epic Mix app they seem closed as well (not sure how accurate that is). Was hoping to check out those black diamond runs back there tomorrow.

When I used to ski there a few years ago lift 16 was always always open. I know that area is the last they blow snow and open up but I'm not sure why they haven't opened them as much lately.

Lift 17 is one of my favorites but even back when I had a pass there it was hardly ever open. They usually open lift 16 instead. I like that lift as well because it's a quick ride That area of Afton is where I spent most of my time when there.

Lifts 12 and 13 are open less than any area there however. Good luck ever going there when lift 12 is open. Seems like they open it less than 4-5 times per year. I've been there when they were insanely crowded and they still didn't have lift 12 open. It does only serve 1 run however, which may be why they don't.