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The Minnesota Thread

16K views 106 replies 28 participants last post by  Deacon 
#1 ·
I don't know about the rest of you but the snow showers we got last week got me amped to ride.

This will be my first season up-north so I'm pretty exited for the new(hopefully improved) riding opportunities that will bring.

What are all of your plans for the season?
 
#39 ·
Has anyone been to granite peak in WI? I just booked online lift tickets, and am heading there MLK Day Weekend... hoping everyone doesn't come back saying it sucks ( I know there are some of you holdouts that will undoubtedly say "it sucks" ha). A friend convinced me to try it instead of Lutsen this year, I am thinking I will regret this choice, but it's worth a shot. I'm not looking for a perspective on their park so much, I'm not much of a jibber.

BTW - this winter sucks. Where's the damned snow? Went to Welch last weekend, had to be careful not to slip off the groomed stuff into the grass.
 
#41 ·
This winter is so pathetic. I made it out to Buck Hill this weekend to try out my new board, and surprisingly the snow wasn't horrible. I thought it would be ice everywhere. They must be pumping out man made stuff like crazy overnight.

Gonna check out Afton Alps next weekend. Anyone been this year?
 
#44 ·
Afton is awesome in the morning before the roaches get out of school ... Love their park by the tubing area.. also love the 5 box setup on the other side... the trails are not as long as Welch, but the park is just perfect.

Heard Welch has 2 new park setups now. Havent been there this year yet but was a pass holder last year and didnt renew due to the fact that thier park last year was pretty sad...

Hyland, as always, will be roach city with awesome riders with nothing but bad manners...

Besides that.. this year just sucks... lets hope for a late winter... or atleast some dumps here and there...
 
#60 ·
That's weird that ay there was attitude. Normally everyone is pretty chill except for the few idiots but that's pretty standard. I have no problem having a laugh with randoms or having a session get goin on a certain feature. Last night it was a side hit on the new kickers while the other night it was the giant tube.
 
#52 ·
Has anyone else ever headed to Granite Peak in Wausau, WI? I went there a couple weeks ago and the conditions were great! They run like 500 snow guns so there is actual pow in the trees...manmade but nevertheless... its a fun place to visit and only a few hours from the cities. It has something like 700 vertical feet and they have lights so you can easily shred a 12 hour day. Easily the best resort in the midwest IMO!
 
#53 ·
I was at granite peak over mlk weekend. Lot of fun, but I didn't like how the top half is super steep then the bottom half flattens out. id go back for sure, but I preferred lutsen, more cruising options. But it was a cheaper weekend at granite peak, and night riding was fantastic. It was very quiet, never a line for the lifts, and they groom it well!
 
#56 ·
This year has been a let down.

I was actually at Granite over MLK weekend also. And boy they charge your ass an arm and a leg. They have this odd deal where you can go from 8-4pm for $60, or 8-9 for like $70... cmon really? I think these are the same owners as Lutsen. I will admit thier park setup is so damn smooth.. I wouldnt say its the best resort in the Midwest, but it has one of the funnest parks... the trails are so short and steep.. I can see my friends who don;t ride the park get bored after just 2-3 hours of exploring ...

Afton has been my home for this year, I still havent ventured back to Welch yet ... anyone know how thier park is setup this year? Afton has parks all over now. So you don't have to stay by the Snow Tube hill to ride the park. Thier best setup right now is the back side right under the lift. Just hit the park all the way down and right to the lift and back to the top.

I havent been out to Elm Creek this year.. Im sure its super fun like Hyland's park.. but Im getting old and these arms just cant handle the pull of the tow ropes anymore... atleast at Hyland you can catch the lift up and cut across to the park... Elm is just all tow ropes and im tired of buying new gloves every month.

Besides that... man you can either bitch about not having snow or just get your ass out there and ride. I've been hitting up Afton on the weekends and also 1 weekday when there are no kids.. get the whole park to myself and just enjoy it as much as possible until the school buses arrive then its time to go home and heal up for next weekend.

Besides that.. still praying for a late winter season into May! hahaha
 
#62 ·
Steeper, but like someone said in another post the first section of the runs are steep then they flatten out quite a bit. It is absolutely worth the drive. I also think its a bit better destination than Lutsen just for the night riding, but if you hit Lutsen then Giants the next day...well that would be a better weekend!
 
#61 ·
Lutsen and Granite Peak do indeed have the same owner. Chuck.

GP can definitely be expensive if you don't plan. Their website has pretty much everything you need though to order tickets, find packages, and even do lodging. I dig a site where you can do it all at one place.

If you compare GP to other places in the area, you can see why lift prices are pricey. More runs and more parks. They maintain the parks pretty good, even as bad as conditions have been this season. I myself usually only go on Wednesday and Saturday nights when it's 15 bucks from 4-9pm.

AFAIK they are done making snow for the year. I drive past the hill at 5a.m. on my to work and I haven't seen the lights on for a couple weeks now. Pretty icy up there now, camber is your friend.

Granite Peak Ski Area
 
#63 ·
Well I was at Afton this Saturday and could definitely tell that the snow has deteriorated compared to 2 weeks ago. Pretty crustified. Luckily it warmed up and melted a bit by lunch time, but we could really use some cold temps so they can make some new snow.

Any opinions on Wild Mountain? Was thinking of taking some friends there next weekend. None of them are very good so probably more of a cruiser day and practicing switch.
 
#64 ·
How is the snow out there this year?

This is my first year away from MN. Frankly, I feel underprepared for western mts after MN's black diamonds(still a good problem to have). As I was telling my buddy all it takes is turning down hill to deal with s$@%^y conditions in MN, 1-2 minutes later it is over.

I do miss the crappy, fun Troll pipe, Spirit's park and the fun of boarding in -20 conditions. Not joking either some of my favorite times boarding.
 
#65 ·
How is the snow out there this year?
Its about 99.98% man-made this year.... thats how. :( There hasn't been any good measureable snowfalls this year, it blows...

As for riding in -20 temps, not this year, I swear our avg temp this year has been 35 degrees. Its been much too warm and dry for me I love winter.

You should feel lucky to not be here this year.
 
#73 ·
Trolls "pipe" (or stunt-ditch as it's also known as) is gone this season. They plowed down the right side of it and widened that hill out. They did leave the left side, which is kind of a 1/4 pipe now. I will say, the 1/4 pipe is groomed better than the "1/2 pipe" ever was.

Some of my best and most fun days out boarding have also been when the temps are between -10 and 5 above. I love those days. The snow conditions never change and are pretty much the same in the afternoon as they are in the morning.
 
#66 ·
Yep this winter has sucked. The snow isn't THAT bad considering our total snowfall is like 10" but most days the dbag skiers have the decent man made stuff all scraped into moguls leaving icy patches. I'm looking forward to seeing what real snow looks like when I go to Mammoth & Big Sky in March and April

Do the ski racers hog all the good runs at Giants and Spirit like they do at Afton and Welch? Gets so annoying
 
#67 ·
For me the only places worth going are Granite Peak, Lutsen, Whitecap(occasionally) and Mount Bohemia. Outside of that list, unless someone asks me to go somewhere else, I don't. Granite Peak isn't all that special except for their parks, and I don't do parks. Lutsen is nice because they have some damn nice variety and for the midwest it's pretty big. Mount Bohemia is my favorite though, serious terrain(for WI, MI, MN) and usually can find some nice powder days especially when the LES machine gets crankin, timing is the key to good conditions there(I'm going this Wednesday and returning Saturday). Whitecap is only a sometimes option when I don't want crowds or can't get to Lutsen or Bohemia. Otherwise I'm looking for an excuse to go to Montana or Wyoming.
 
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