Midwest Minnesota 17-18 Season

[focker]

Hoping to see some familiar faces from the old site over here with this topic. How's everyone doing?

So what's new this year? What's the news? What's changed? Where is everyone skiing?

 

[focker]

Great start to the season thus far. Both Trollhaugen and Wild are opening their first chairs with a full blue run today. Nissebakken at Troll and Expressway at Wild.

Not sure I remember a year in the last 9-10 years where they had full blue runs with a chair feeding them open this early. More cold weather in the forecast as well.

 

[focker]

More resorts opening up this week. Afton Alps opening on friday (lifts 4 &10) and welch getting close now as well. Lutsen plans to open next weekend I believe and have had a pretty good snow year already.

Pumped. Might head out this Saturday or Sunday to trollhaugen or wild. Looks like Wild will have the most runs open at this point.

 

[focker]

WIld and Troll now each with several runs open this weekend. Hopefully next week's warm weather doesn't mess things up too much.

 

[Doug C]

I was out at Troll tonight .for the third time .a few more runs open and they were blowing snow on more runs.
The runs open skied very good I am sure tomorrow they will have a few more ready and it will be busy.

 

[midwestfabs]

Was about to post and inquire if any folks had migrated from epic forums. Glad did a search. Looking fwd to chatting with old andnew folks. Cheers

 

[midwestfabs]

These wild mood swings in the weather are making difficult to get n the skiing mode...

 

[Dwight]

These wild mood swings in the weather are making difficult to get n the skiing mode...

Don't like 50 degrees? Really tough to make snow too.

 

[focker]

Hey fab. Glad you are here! My son was out last night for the first time with the ski team. I think it was 42 degrees out there but the snow looked good from the coaches training video's I watched. He goes again tonight as well and it's much colder obviously.

We're looking at heading out Friday night and possibly again Saturday or Sunday. Wild and Troll looking to have more runs open by this weekend which will be nice.

 

[midwestfabs]

we start blizzard next week at troll, hoping the temps dip more than they are suggesting. @focker if you end up going before sat

 

[Dave Petersen]

These wild mood swings in the weather are making difficult to get n the skiing mode...

Here in Omaha it was in the 20s on Wednesday -- 2 days later it is 70 degrees.

 

[focker]

Looking like all the major twin cities resorts will get a couple inches of fresh snow tonight. Giants Ridge may get 6" or more up north... Finally.

 

[Tom K.]

Looking like all the major twin cities resorts will get a couple inches of fresh snow tonight. Giants Ridge may get 6" or more up north... Finally.

Giant's Ridge FTW. Where I grew up skiing as a kid LONG ago.

Still wear this hat walking the dog when it's cold out here in the PNW!

Hope you guys have a great season.

 

[Slim]

We were at Spirit last Sunday. It started out as nice man made granular snow and turned to nice mush by the afternoon. Two runs open, but with the cold and snow this week they should have quite at bit more open this weekend. Also spoke to a patroller who skied Lutsen on Saturday, in the sun, he had great time.

If you are in the cities and just want to skis for a (part of) a day, I highly recommend the drive to Spirit Mountain. It’s around two hours and so much better than the stuff around the metro area.

 

[focker]

I'm skiing Spirit at least two days this year. For sure all day on Thursday, Feb 1st as my son has a SL race their that day and I'll skipping work to watch and ski all day.

I love skiing anywhere that has a high speed quad... Giants ridge could use one to be honest... The metro hills don't need HS lifts as they are so little and already so crowded. I used to want Afton to install them but then I realized it would just make it that much more crowded and unpleasant.

 

[midwestfabs]

I'm skiing Spirit at least two days this year. For sure all day on Thursday, Feb 1st as my son has a SL race their that day and I'll skipping work to watch and ski all day.

I love skiing anywhere that has a high speed quad... Giants ridge could use one to be honest... The metro hills don't need HS lifts as they are so little and already so crowded. I used to want Afton to install them but then I realized it would just make it that much more crowded and unpleasant.

Got an email few weeks ago announcing how they had made few extra runs, one is cut through under chair 5, one by chair 17, and cant remember the 3rd. Looks like they have made chair 1 & 2 desiganted racing permantly (though it always was). Will be interesting to read there vails annual report and see if any new improvements are being thought of for afton, wilmot, and new brighton. When i talk to instructor, etc. out there they always say chair type of improvements are discussed within the ranks of mgmt, especially since over the last few years they have put money in sprucing it up and snow making at all three hills.

 

[focker]

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.

 

[Nathanvg]

Giants ridge could use one to be honest...

Doesn't giant's ridge have a new high speed quad this year?

 

[focker]

Doesn't giant's ridge have a new high speed quad this year?

I knew nothing about it until now but yes, they did just install one. They also replaced an old riblet double with a new fixed grip quad as well. I'm reading it's a 5.7 million dollar investment overall.

This does a lot to help them complete with Spirit and Lutsen who have both just put in new high speed lifts as well in the last 3-4 years.

 

[Dwight]

Pretty much all places in the Upper Midwest should be fully open starting this weekend. Great week of snow making. I'm heading to Florida so you all can get new snow. Just doing my part to help out.