Afton Alps Ski Resort - St. Paul, Minnesota

Address:St. Paul, Minnesota
Tel: (651) 436-5245

One of the largest ski areas in the Midwest, Afton Alps is one of the Twin Cities closer ski areas to try this winter. Located in the beautiful St. Croix River Valley, 30 miles east of St. Paul, Minnesota, Afton Alps has a nice long season from November to April and showers here snow over their 280 plus acres of terrain and professional terrain park. As there tend to be more snowboarders here than skiers, this makes Afton Alps one of the more relaxed, snowboarder friendly resorts in the area.

Forty-eight trails and eighteen lifts are ready to greet visitors from 9am to 9:30pm every day. Mixing up the skill levels of their trails between beginner and advanced slopes, Afton Alps may not be the Swiss Alps but they try to come close - even if their summit tops out at only 700 feet.

Professional snowboarders Pat Milbery, Erich Drummer and their friends are the creators and maintainers of Afton Alps terrain park which features jibs, jumps, a great rail park, and fun boxes. They also crafted the halfpipe to perfection. Afton Alps is also the home base for the Mighty Midwest Camp, which brings snowboarders of all ages to Afton's slopes to perfect their skills and get competition ready.

Students at the ski school have their choice of programs according to their wants and needs. College women have their own group and there are Masters Advanced and Race clinics held daily. Learn to ski or board packages are also sold at the ski school ticket counter. Children are inducted into the Mountain Rookie and Munchkins programs which are geared towards 4 to 12 year olds. There are instructor apprentice clinics, as well as family packages for three people which include lift passes, lessons, and rentals at a competitive price.

Three rental shops are located onsite. They all have the standard ski or snowboard packages but also offer demo equipment, telemark, and snowblades in their repertoire. All day, night (4:30pm to 9:30pm), holiday, and weekend lift tickets are sold daily, as are multi-day passes and special discounts for college students. Make sure to also check out the snow tubing park, open from Thursday to Sunday, which sells 2 or 3 hour blocks of time.

Five chalets on site offer eating options, from cafeteria style lunch to a warm place to unpack your lunch from home in their special "Brown Bag Room". Within a 20 to 30 minute drive guests will find 7 hotels, from the Holiday Inn to the Hilton, which can accommodate any and all lodging desires. One can also find numerous food styles to satisfy one's palate in any of the many restaurants to be found in and around Hastings, Minnesota.

So if guests not going to the Swiss Alps are still looking for an Alp experience not too far from the city limits, they'd do well to give Afton Alps a fair shot this season.

Experience winter and acres of fun at Afton Alps! One of the largest Ski & Snowboard areas in the Midwest Located in the scenic St Croix River Valley. By far the most skiing & boarding experience for your dollar. Nearly 300 skiable acres. Best variety of terrain, from beginner to expert.