What's the closest decent mountain to minneapolis??

[Glomstulen]

Hi, wondering if any of you could give me a hint at what would be the closest mountain/ski area of a decent size to minneapolis?

Going to a small town halfway between minneapolis and fargo in feb on a family visit and trying to figure out where I could get my first taste of North American mountains... Would only be able to take a 2-3 day break and as far as I can tell everything looks to be quite a distance away...?

Looking for a place with good possibilities for powder/off piste skiing

Appreciate any advise.

Thks & Merry Christmas to you all

[marshalolson]

lutsen mtn

[Sluff]

Honestly, Jackson Hole or Big Sky. If you are a good skier and looking for some stoke the midwest will not provide it for you. It's worth the drive out west. I lived in Houghton for four years during college and had some decent powder days but the runs are just too short. Mt Bohemia is your best bet in this area.

[Buster Highmen]

Terry Peak is a rocking place if they have snow.

http://terrypeak.com/
Ripley does rock as does Lutsen, both have places in my heart, but mountain?

Also consider Steamboat or Winter Park as well as Jackson, I think Steamboat and WP are a little closer than Jackson.

[bushman]

Red Lodge is 9-10 hours from Fargo, and its almost all interstate, Bridger is a little farther and BS/MLB one hour further. Its an easy drive. Drive all night,ski, next day ski,next day ski 1/2 day drive back.

[PowTron]

lutsen mtn

They do have double-black diamond gnar there.

If I was going to drive 5 hours to get to Lutsen, I would add another 90 minutes and drive to Mt. Bohemia, MI...of course, they would need to have snow. If they do, Bohemia is actually an incredible place to ride.

[gmerz]

Lutsen is allright but big time overpriced. Good skiing yes, gnar ?, no. Besides, we've got no fricking snow so far this year. Man-made cement only...

[nogophers]

Just as quick to hop on a 3-hour plane from MSP to SLC and a 30-minute shuttle up to LCC. Leave in the morning and ski by noon.

[marshalolson]

Just as quick to hop on a 3-hour plane from MSP to SLC and a 30-minute shuttle up to LCC. Leave in the morning and ski by noon.

you might want to add-in the travel time to an airport...

[Mustonen]

I ALWAYS have fun @ Ripley, but I would hesitate to tell somebody to drive 6 hours to ski it. 6 hours (Minneapolis to Houghton drive time) will take you a lot of places if you're willing to buy a plane ticket.

If you are going to drive, though, I'd go where there's a good chance of powder - and if you only have 2-3 days, a 14 hour drive each way doesn't sound fun. So if you're driving, I recommend the snow belt of the UP - Ripley or Marquette....

[Kim Jong-un]

Sounds like a good excuse to try kite skiing on one of the 10,000 lakes.

[AlpineZone]

Hi Glomstulen! May I suggest you consider a ski safari to the northeast instead? The conditions are actually more dependable and consistent to anything you will find in the midwest or west due to the superior snowmaking. Also the terrain is truly fabulous, the partying is unmatched anywhere(can you say "hot New Jersey Italian babes?") and the setting is Norman Rockwell-esque! Pursuing the plethora of hot NYC/NJ and Boston "chicas" in their stretch pants can be even better than the great skiing, but I must warn you they are quite feisty and outspoken, unlike the laid-back western gals. Try Killington, Vermont, and when you score your first powder day in the glades of "Anarchy", "The Throne", "Chop Chop" or "Patsy" , you will be grinning from ear to ear, I promise you! Both Smugglers Notch, Vermont or Waterville Valley, New Hampshire would be a good choices as well.
I would also like to take this opportunity to formally invite you and everyone reading this to check out our ALPINEZONE forums. We are a fun-loving but responsible bunch of skiers who know the benefits of what good moderation brings to an on-line community. I will warn you however up front that registering an ALIAS is strictly"VERBOTEN", and something we have zero-tolerance with. You will find that our seasoned moderators "keep the bar high" by maintaining a sense of order and decorum, while encouraging quality discussion about our favorite pastime. It may take a small amount of getting used to, as we do have reasonable standards as far as language and image posting that are strictly enforced. The registration is easy and painless, and the rules will be explained in detail during the process. This invitation extends to all the self-proclaimed "MAGGOTS" as well. If you are tired of the juvenile goings-on at TGR and NewSchoolers, all I can say is: "Come join the fun"!

[NatEE]

If you're half way to Fargo just keep going west IMO. Unless its storming it should be a quick easy cruise on 94/90. Granted its a longer and pretty boring drive.

[nogophers]

Hi Glomstulen! May I suggest you consider a ski safari to the northeast instead? The conditions are actually more dependable and consistent to anything you will find in the midwest or west due to the superior snowmaking. Also the terrain is truly fabulous, the partying is unmatched anywhere(can you say "hot New Jersey Italian babes?") and the setting is Norman Rockwell-esque! Pursuing the plethora of hot NYC/NJ and Boston "chicas" in their stretch pants can be even better than the great skiing, but I must warn you they are quite feisty and outspoken, unlike the laid-back western gals. Try Killington, Vermont, and when you score your first powder day in the glades of "Anarchy", "The Throne", "Chop Chop" or "Patsy" , you will be grinning from ear to ear, I promise you! Both Smugglers Notch, Vermont or Waterville Valley, New Hampshire would be a good choices as well.
I would also like to take this opportunity to formally invite you and everyone reading this to check out our ALPINEZONE forums. We are a fun-loving but responsible bunch of skiers who know the benefits of what good moderation brings to an on-line community. I will warn you however up front that registering an ALIAS is strictly"VERBOTEN", and something we have zero-tolerance with. You will find that our seasoned moderators "keep the bar high" by maintaining a sense of order and decorum, while encouraging quality discussion about our favorite pastime. It may take a small amount of getting used to, as we do have reasonable standards as far as language and image posting that are strictly enforced. The registration is easy and painless, and the rules will be explained in detail during the process. This invitation extends to all the self-proclaimed "MAGGOTS" as well. If you are tired of the juvenile goings-on at TGR and NewSchoolers, all I can say is: "Come join the fun"!

This guy is joking, right? Does he know what NJ/NYC/Boston girls look like without makeup?

[My Pet Powder Goat]

This guy is joking, right? Does he know what NJ/NYC/Boston girls look like without makeup?

Greg likes trolls from nj

Sent from DBT's moms house using DroidX and tons of anal lube

[dos bolsas]

drive to pig sty
or fly to cham.
same time.

[Jer]

Closest to Minneapplehell? Bohemia.

Closest to Minneaplehell with snow? Wolf Creek.

[iamchappy]

I can get to Jackson in under 17 hours from Minneapolis. From Fargo, Red lodge around 9hrs, Big sky about 11 hrs, That's not to bad if you have good driving weather.
I drove to Jackson from Minneapolis last winter with good roads in 16hrs 45mn's, after a little rest i skied a few side country runs at the Village.

[Heiz1]

Hi, wondering if any of you could give me a hint at what would be the closest mountain/ski area of a decent size to minneapolis?

Going to a small town halfway between minneapolis and fargo in feb on a family visit and trying to figure out where I could get my first taste of North American mountains... Would only be able to take a 2-3 day break and as far as I can tell everything looks to be quite a distance away...?

Looking for a place with good possibilities for powder/off piste skiing

Appreciate any advise.

Thks & Merry Christmas to you all

You won't find powder or off piste in Minnesota even during a good snow year. There is no snow cover in Minnesota right now and the long range forecast isn't looking good. NWS said nothing until at least the middle of January. If you are looking for powder or some real off piste skiing, go to Denver, SLC, Jackson, or Montana.

FWIW, Lutsen is so overrated and is easily a five hour drive from the Twin Cities. It's cold, windy, horribly overpriced, and full of fake snow. Terry Peak in extreme southwestern South Dakota is better, but it's real hit or miss with snow (they have very limited snow making IIRC) and is about ten hours by car. Never been to Michigan, but I guess it's decent. Don't expect long runs or huge vertical drops though.

[TwinTipTele]

Hi Glomstulen! May I suggest you consider a ski safari to the northeast instead? The conditions are actually more dependable and consistent to anything you will find in the midwest or west due to the superior snowmaking. Also the terrain is truly fabulous, the partying is unmatched anywhere(can you say "hot New Jersey Italian babes?") and the setting is Norman Rockwell-esque! Pursuing the plethora of hot NYC/NJ and Boston "chicas" in their stretch pants can be even better than the great skiing, but I must warn you they are quite feisty and outspoken, unlike the laid-back western gals. Try Killington, Vermont, and when you score your first powder day in the glades of "Anarchy", "The Throne", "Chop Chop" or "Patsy" , you will be grinning from ear to ear, I promise you! Both Smugglers Notch, Vermont or Waterville Valley, New Hampshire would be a good choices as well.
I would also like to take this opportunity to formally invite you and everyone reading this to check out our ALPINEZONE forums. We are a fun-loving but responsible bunch of skiers who know the benefits of what good moderation brings to an on-line community. I will warn you however up front that registering an ALIAS is strictly"VERBOTEN", and something we have zero-tolerance with. You will find that our seasoned moderators "keep the bar high" by maintaining a sense of order and decorum, while encouraging quality discussion about our favorite pastime. It may take a small amount of getting used to, as we do have reasonable standards as far as language and image posting that are strictly enforced. The registration is easy and painless, and the rules will be explained in detail during the process. This invitation extends to all the self-proclaimed "MAGGOTS" as well. If you are tired of the juvenile goings-on at TGR and NewSchoolers, all I can say is: "Come join the fun"!

Weren't you the Indian in part one of "Man on a Buffalo"?

To the OP - Big Sky/Moonlight/Bridger are your best bets. And by that, I mean Big Sky/Moonlight.

-TTT

[skiJ]

dude --

halfway to Fargo : Andes Tower ! !

... for Real mountains > West , to Montana --
drive out I-94 : RedLodge, Bridger, sky ,

or

consider hopping the train To Whitefish :

a train will drop you about Midnight , and

to Return, you will Depart in the Pre-dawn ...

... I'd Rather be riding BigMountain . !


Good luck, J

.