Snowboarding in Minnesota

[xtofa]

Hey all,

I'm an ex-Minnesotan and I just thought I'd throw out a quick post about my beloved former home and the awesome snowboarding that can be enjoyed there. Afton Alps, just east of St. Paul, is a great place to ride. It's small relative to the mountains of course, but with 17 lifts and runs for all levels plus a few terrain parks... AND being no more than 45 minutes away from anyone in the Twin Cities... well it's hard to beat! You can also check out Spirit Mountain up in Duluth for a quick day trip.

Cheers!

[PGCI]

Good to know! I visit my sister a lot in Lakeville, and was planning a trip up there this winter. Is there skiing there too?

[xtofa]

Of course! Be sure to stop by Paul's Pub at the bottom or the Highlands bar at the top and tell them Canada sent you (my nickname)! Or more likely, stop by the RV that's usually parked by lift 10.

[MrSqueelerz]

After I went to Big Sky, everything in MN seemed boring. I haven't hit the slopes for some time because of it. I'm more of a free rider per say. Spirit Mountain is pretty decent. I'm not sure about Lutsen but would be interested to find out. When Lutsen was open for mountain biking in the summer (is no longer), I did that. Seems to me that resort is more of a leisure slope riders haven from what I gathered but I'm not sure. Buck Hill in Burnsville is ok....kind of crowded, short runs, but decent park. Same with Powder Ridge in St. Cloud. I think Powder Ridge actually got worse over the years. Short runs. Afton, I was only there on the first day it open for the season on year. Long time ago. Only one run was open so I can't say much for that. Being I'm more into 4 feet of powder and long steep grades, I don't ride so much around here.

[sirstubbsalot]

Has anyone been to Rib Mountain? I read that it has the highest vertical in the midwest and Transworld rated thair park number 1 in the midwest. looks like its only 3 hours from TC...

[rglarson13]

+1 for Afton Alps, but if you've got the time, a trip up to Spirit Mountain, by Duluth, is definitely worth it, with their much, much bigger slopes.

But yeah, I definitely feel your pain about having been out west, and now being disappointed with the icy speed bumps we have here.

[Gridlocked]

Where is Rib Mtn?

[jakeatwood]

Afton probably has the longest runs, but they aren't too steep so get ready for a slow ride (which isn't a bad thing after a few beers in the Chalet). I'm from Colorado so I never bothered much with snowboarding in MN. In the winter, Frontier Airlines and Southwest have some smokin' ski deals to Colorado and Utah so keep your eyes open.

[Crosshair]

I've been to Mount Kato in Mankato, MN a few times. It's a good place to learn or keep things simple.

Unfortunately, it's completely flat compared to Steamboat Springs, CO.

[red00xj]

For the cities I like Afton....but its worth the trip to Lutsen