Skiing Afton Alps

Driving out from Minneapolis, in seemingly no time at all, one arrives at the Afton Alps Golf Course. The rolling terrain continues as you follow the signs for the ski area, but give no hint of what is to come. The first entry is for parking near the Crest Mountain Grill, the new location of the Ski Patrol and access to several lifts. Continuing on, the road dead-ends into the maintenance area, but a left turn starts your descent. A steep grade gives a hint as to what awaits you for skiing, confirmed as the first slope appears next to the road. This descent into a valley is both surprising and picturesque, giving the feel of a European resort tucked into the Midwest. Hills rise on either side, though the skiable terrain all lies to the right. A parking lot will give you access to the main base area and the Alps Chalet, but the road continues around and onward, towards the new "Landing Zone" Terrain Park Village featuring a new Terrain Park by Snow Park Technologies. The road ends at The Meadows, yet another area to rent equipment, attend ski school, buy lift tickets, or just access the slopes. In all, Afton Alps has 3 such full-service areas, definitely unique in the Midwest skiing pantheon. With nearly 300 skiable acres, 50 trails, 18 lifts and four terrain parks, there is enough terrain to challenge experts to beginners, day or night. It is almost overwhelming to check out the map and try to figure out where you want to hit first. Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Terrain is intertwined throughout the resort, allowing skiers of varying skills to get down to the same lift along different routes. Pros: family-friendly, almost endless options in terms of runs and lifts, ease of getting there, plenty of parking, varied terrain Cons: Back road and parking lots were mud and ice, several flat areas that needed traversing Read more on the blog http://www.MidwestMultisportLife.com MidwestMultisportLife.com and content across all social media © 2014 Kovas Palubinskas — All Rights Reserved. MidwestMultisportLife on Twitter: http://twitter.com/KovasP MidwestMultisportLife on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MidwestMultisportLife