It’s ski season in Minnesota and Explore Minnesota Tourism is gearing up for a fantastic season.
As of now, Explore Minnesota Tourism will publish weekly reports on downhill ski and winter trail conditions. These online reports will definitely offer snow enthusiasts excellent information regarding conditions for downhill, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling, making it simple to find the very best snow conditions in the state of Minnesota!
Get Minnesota ski, snowboard & snowmobile reports
The downhill ski report, provided in partnership with the Minnesota Ski and Snowboard Association (MnSNO), contains information on 14 downhill ski areas across the state. The winter trails report covers ski and snowmobile trail information across the state as reported by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and community organizations.t
These reports are available on ExploreMinnesota.com, or travellers can sign up to receive the reports via e-mail or RSS feed. ExploreMinnesota.com also offers comprehensive information on lodging near your destination, plus ways to find other activities, attractions and events to make any vacation extra special.
An additional mobile application (m.ExploreMinnesota.com) allows travellers easy access to all of the relevant information from the extensive database that is behind Explore Minnesota Tourism’s main website. The mobile site allows users to plan a trip online and, then, save those details to a ‘trip planner.’ Everything is available from the road, so there is no longer any need to print out all of the details.
Skiing, snowboarding & snowmobiling in Minnesota
The state of Minnesota features a great deal of excellent skiing and snowboarding, with downhill areas that offer exciting terrain parks and a mixture of terrain to keep every level of skier challenged. The runs in Minnesota are as long as the ones out west, and lift tickets and accommodations may end up being a bit cheaper.
One very popular resort is Lutsen Mountains, located off of Lake Superior’s North Shore. Lutsen has three on-site properties and its own restaurant/nightclub, which contributes to the upscale winter-resort ambiance. “In a two- to three-day stay, you can explore new terrain every day. We have 72 runs total, and we just added five new tree-skiing runs this year, plus, we recently added a quarter-mile run of moguls from top to bottom,” says Jim Vick, marketing director for Lutsen.
Duluth’s Spirit Mountain offers views of Lake Superior as skiers descend the hills, and three full-service hotels provide comfortable winter lodging within a mile of the mountain. This year, Spirit Mountain will be adding more jibs and progressive jump lines to their already impressive terrain park. Be sure to also take advantage of the great restaurants and exciting nightlife available throughout Duluth.
Another option is to head to the Iron Range, where travellers can visit Giants Ridge Golf and Ski Resort in Biwabik. This resort has recently added a ski-out-the-door lodge at the base of the ski hill. Guests of the new lodge can indulge themselves with all the amenities such as a crackling fireplace and a cozy hot tub in their suites.
Those who never thought of Minnesota as a destination should be informed that tourism is an $11 billion industry in Minnesota and a key sector of the state’s economy. The leisure and hospitality industry, a major provider of tourism services, employs more than 247,000 Minnesotans.
The Minnesota ski and snowboard hills included in the downhill ski report are:
- Afton Alps (www.aftonalps.com)
- Andes Tower Hills (www.andestowerhills.com)
- Big Powderhorn Mtn (www.bigpowderhorn.net)
- Buck Hill (www.buckhill.com)
- Buena Vista (www.bvskiarea.com)
- Coffee Mill Ski Area (www.coffeemillski.com)
- Elm Creek Winter Rec. Area (www.threeriversparkdistrict.org)
- Giants Ridge (www.giantsridge.com)
- Hyland Ski & Snowboard (www.hylandski.com)
- Indianhead Mountain (www.indianheadmtn.com)
- Lutsen Mountains (www.lutsen.com)
- Mount Kato (www.mountkato.com)
- Powder Ridge (www.powderridge.com)
- Trollhaugen (www.trollhaugen.com)
- Welch Village (www.welchvillage.com)
- The Whitecap Mountains (www.skiwhitecap.com)
- Wild Mountain (www.wildmountain.com)
The two new reports on ExploreMinnesota.com are sure to be valuable new tools for all snow enthusiasts this winter. Check them out!
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