Afton Alps Ski Area

Grew up skiing here, love coming here and the recent take over by Vail Resorts was sweet! Love when they have the DJ out while I’m skiing! Great vibe!

It was okay. The rental was great and all but the instructors is another story. I went there with my mom and It was my First time skiing. Once I passed the classes I went on the chair lift it was scary, very high as excepted. But, going down the level 5 hill I accidentally ran into my friend, one of the instructors it was a girl freaked out on me and told me to leave And return my stuff. I also sprained my ankle because they didn’t teach me how to stop.

The people here are SO, SO nice. But they really just don’t know their stuff.
Hint: For people who need to take lessons, make sure to go to the Main Chalet for rentals and lessons.
Following signs and not realizing there were multiple accessible chalets, we parked at Alpine Chalet and rented equipment and to take a ski lesson, only to find out after leaving the building that the building she told us to go to required us to… ski to. 20 minutes later, we get there to find out that they don’t have lessons for adults, requiring us to go to the Meadows Chalet, which required… skiing to. Once we got to Meadows, found out they didn’t have any lessons to book and that we needed to go to the Main Chalet. Luckily they were able to provide a shuttle for us at that point, but I had to hitch a ride hanging onto the hips of an Aftons customer service skiier down the hill to get these multiple chalets. After having been redirected a few times, and no one knowing where there would be lockers, it became clear that although everyone was super friendly here, they were also immensely unhelpful.
If you’ve been out west before, Afton is not going to feel very large and the crowds proved that. It’s hard to take a lesson here since it’s so crowded and you don’t exactly know how to maneuver just yet. Everything was relatively affordable considering it’s skiing and is a great place if you want to consider a place to practice without spending a LOT for a day of practice. If you’re looking for real runs (e.g. if you’re an expert), may want to try elsewhere.

Ski Runs are short and not even steep barely anything is open halfway through the season even though we have a lots of snow, food is low quality and expensive. Burgers are burnt even though I ordered is medium rare. My mac and cheese was Terrible

We love Afton Alps! Great ski area with a great value. Highlands is our favorite area.

Afton is newly remodeled and always improving on what was, and still is, the Twin Cities closest and best ski area. With three distinct skiing areas, many people miss the Meadows chalet and runs, and fewer seem to enjoy the longer runs back in the Highlands. The Highlands chalet is a hidden gem with warm food and cold beer. The ever changing terrain parks change during the ski season, allowing for a different experience on the slopes from one time to another time you visit Afton. The golf course makes this a year around destination, as does nearby Afton State Park. I used to volunteer a lot for Special Olympics MN and Afton Alps was always a great host to both alpine and Nordic Special Olympics events. A business with a heart for the community! One thing we enjoy each fall is the annual Ski Swap where you can by new and pre-​owned ski gear. It’s a GREAT sale and they often have inflatables for the kids, wagon rides, and a chair lift open to take you up the top of the hill and walk (run or roll) down the grassy slope of «The Bowl.»

Just know what you are getting into: It’s the largest, closest ski area accessible to the metro area. It’s busy and therefor It’s ALWAYS icey here, but I’ve never tried early in the morning. I wouldn’t come here on a weekend or holiday as the place is perpetually overrun with families and bratty high school kids. Maybe they get busy on weekends, but last time I was there they seemed to have overdone it on the terrain park stuff, as those runs sat empty all day. After trying Lutsen I actually appreciated this place a little bit more, as they manage their chair lifts well, and while the food prices are of course high, they are aren’t insulting both in price and quality as they are at Lutsen.

Unfortunately i have been spoiled by Whistler and all the other Colorado resorts, so when I got to Afton Alps, well, you can imagine it doesn’t quite measure up to those places. I do live in the Twin Cities and the place is close enough for a day trip and there are not many other choices around this area to go hit the slopes. This is a fun little place and is good for beginners. My girlfriend learned how to ski here — a good option if you want to keep it cheap. The vertical drop is very short — takes me about 15 seconds to get to the bottom from the top of the hill. I haven’t really gone to many other places in the TC but this is probably the best one. It was bought over by Vail Resorts so they have done a bunch of upgrades. I love the EpicMix app where you can keep track of all your runs, etc. They also give you the option to go west to Colorado and Tahoe (for more $$) but if you make the trip at least once during the season it’s worth it. We have already gone once to Breckenridge and are planning another trip next month again.

Pros:
+ friendly staff
+ easy runs for beginners
+ close to home
Cons:
+ 2 hours from arrival to slope on January 19^th
+ old, slow, kid-​unfriendly chairlifts
+ short-​short runs
Concerns:
+ lack of information on website. While waiting in our first 45 minute line waiting for lift tickets today, an Afton associate informed us that there were two other ticket offices. Too late. Info should be on website.
+ after 45 minutes to buy lift tickets and equipment rental, we moved over to the equipment rental line, only to wait another hour behind people… buying lift tickets! So we waited twice as long as we needed to.
In my 26 years skiing in Colorado and elsewhere, I’ve never waited more than an hour to hit the hill, even waiting for lift tickets and renting equipment. Afton is really inefficient and customers suffer for it. Unless you have a season pass and do not need to rent equipment, go north to Spirit mountain or Lutsen. You won’t have the aggravation at those places.
By the way, on our last visit, we waited 3 hours from arrival to slopes.

I am sick to death about seeing reviews and Facebook posts complaining about the long lines the DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS! Come on, people, if you go to Afton (or any resort, for that matter) on the busiest days of the year (i.e. holidays and weekends) there are going to be long wait times. OR you can go there on a LESS busy day, sign up for the direct to lift and NOT wait in line EVER AGAIN.
I went on all of these days, and hopped right on to the lifts without even speaking to a single person. Easy breezy. Ya, it may have taken a couple of minutes longer to sign up for the preferred program, but just imagine if all those people who are smart and have a direct to lift had to also stand in line for a ticket — it would be much worse. Trust technology friends, it’s amazing!
Minnesota has no mountains (duh) so a ski resort like this is pretty impressive for the relatively flat terrain in the area. The facilities are great, food is decent and the improvements are stellar. Every time I go I am impressed with how friendly and talkative the employees are. A big difference when compared to the other area resorts that give you an evil stare-​down every time you get on the lift. Plus where can you ride for only $ 22 bucks for a full day (non holiday weekdays on the preferred program). Unbeatable!
Thank you Afton!

Stood in line to get a lift ticket for an hour before deciding to leave because the line wasn’t moving and the rental line was two hours. The person in line told us vail purchased Afton and uses RFID lift passes and it takes longer to register them.

Afton Alps gets one star bc the runs were actually pretty decent (for MN), however, the staff is horribly rude! I just moved to MN, so I was unaware that backpacks were illegal on chairlifts. There are no signs that state this rule. I’ve skied my whole life, around the world, and I’ve never heard of such a rule. Thats fine, whatever, but the way it was «explained» to me was unacceptable. They stopped the chairlift and proceeded to yell at me about my Camelback. Couldn’t you just wait until I get off and explain in a normal, polite manner? I was definitely not expecting that! And with all that yelling, I was still not given a reason behind this no backpack rule. To hold a customer against their will and scrutinize them for something they didn’t know, is pretty absurd.
The gatekeeper lady was also incredibly rude as I wasn’t prepared to buy a lift ticket in the parking lot. Again, I’m new here and I’m used to buying them inside at a counter.
Both of these experiences could have been easily avoided, I feel their behavior was uncalled for, and their attitude was not necessary.
I’m very disappointed in Afton Alps, what happened to MN Nice?
Moral of story: don’t go there if you’re new to the state, and don’t wear backpacks!

We don’t have mountains in Minnesota. Why didn’t the glaciers help us with mountains like they did with lakes?
It’s okay though — I love that the location is close to the Twin Cities so it’s an easy drive whenever I get the urget to want to practice my terrible snowboarding skills. ie… whenever I want to be bruised, strained and aching for a couple of days. I haven’t made it too far into all the different slopes since I can’t get off the bunny one, but my experiences with everyone has been good. Everything is usually functioning right and there’s always plenty of snow to keep me happy.
It’s not a restaurant, so I can say the food sucks… but good enough for what it is. I appreciate all the services they offer and products you can buy if you need it. Pretty sure I lost my iphone here before and someone actually turned it in. Thumbs up!

For Minnesota, Afton is my favorite place to ski. Each run takes only about 15 seconds, but the place is pretty spread out and there is some decent selection of runs (especially in comparison to other ski areas around here).
There are a couple of restaurants/​bars with typical bar food. The one in the main chalet seems to have live music whenever Im there. The burger is decent. My friends seem to love the french dip since they order it every time we’re there.

I don’t understand how this place has the rating it does. I’m guessing people that frequent Alton Alps haven’t been anywhere else and have no frame of reference to what good ski/​snowboarding conditions are. It could also be because I’m an avid California snowboarder so I’m used to a certain standard of runs and park.
Simple put, Afton Alps did not do it for me at all.
Snow was supposed to be made and machine groomed with a large base. I can tell you, it’s not more than a 3 inch base in 80%-90% of all areas.
The park was –good– the first couple hours of the day. As traffic increased and more people used it, the drop in at the start was almost destroyed (by around 4pm, almost 25% of the top was gone) and the boxes/​rails needed some serious attention; it literally became dangerous a couple hours in (I saw several people get injured, 2 of them seriously injured).
If you want people to come to your «resort» then take care of your features.
I’ll never come back here again.

Afton Alps is quite possibly the best ski/​snowboarding location closest to the cities and your best bet to get some quality shred time. The hills can get really busy during the weekends but are relatively quit during the weekdays and nights. Lift tickets are purchased before you park and can run anywhere from $ 29 to $ 42 depending on when you go. My friends and I like to go on Sunday nights after 4:30PM when lift tickets are $ 29 and the weekend crowd has mostly left. If you have your college ID, you can also get another $ 3 off your lift ticket on Sunday nights.
The food served at all three of their chalets is pretty standard bar fare, although the bar at the alps chalet has the most variety to choose from. The main alps and highland chalet also serve beer/​alcohol if you’re looking to kick back and relax.

I can really only find two faults with Afton Alps… and one of them is not its fault. Mother nature did not bless Minnesota with anything resembling elevation (screw you glaciers), but what Afton lacks in elevation they more than make up for with their layout. They have approx. 15 lifts spread out across the park which usually keeps things moving along pretty well even during the busiest of times. And seeing how it’s the only hill worth a lick near the Twin Cities, it gets busy (especially on the weekend mornings/​afternoons). That said, you can usually find a few underutilized lifts, especially on the Highlands side, that will make the crowds a bit less noticeable.
The other grievance is the price tag. I’ve elected to go with the season pass the last couple of years, but still get sticker shock every time I drive up and see the daily prices listed. Expect to drop around $ 40 for a full day of skiing. At least they’re setup well for taking your money — you buy your lift tickets from your car when driving in instead of running to the chalet which lets you hop right on the hill from your car once you’ve found a spot to park.
There are also 3 chalets setup throughout the park for whenever a pit stop is needed. 2 of them contain bars that serve up some decent grub and pour a decent drink.

Acres of Fun
Afton Alps sits along the rolling hills of the scenic St Croix River Valley and is surrounded by Afton State Park. The ski area is spread out along a wedge-​shaped ridge overlooking the river valley, and is pretty extensive for a Midwest ski area. Afton Alps offers 48 trails, four terrain parks, 18 chairlifts, and a 350 foot vertical drop. The longest run is 3000 feet.
It almost seems that Afton Alps has as many chair lifts as they do slopes and it can get crowded. I have skied here a few times and didn’t find my experience to be particularly inspired. Personally I would ski here over Buck Hill, but only after I had spent some serious time at Welch Village.

As good as it gets… In the Twin Cities. Compared to any other location in the 30 – 45 minute area from Minneapolis, there is no question that Afton Alps is the best. I ski here around 3 times a year and always have a great time. They have many runs and loads of chair lifts to get the people up the hills. Face it, Skiing is spendy, but Afton is worth it when you consider it is only about 5 bucks more than grossly inferior ski areas in the twin cities like Buck Hill or Highlands.
When it is busy (weekends) I would recommend hanging out in the Highlands area of the ski area, as it usually is less busy than by the main chalet’s.
**On another note, Afton Alps works great for wedding receptions. I would know, as mine took place there. The staff was really friendly and went out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed for our special day. It was also very affordable, compared to many of the locations we investigated.

It’s super hot today and I’m thinking of snow. Cool cool white stuff and my skiis. After a virtual skiing hiatus of more than a decade (why? I ask myself, and answer, well grad school and a baby’ll do that to ya) I’m back into it with a vengeance before I have to have a knee or hip or something else replaced in my middle-​aged years. Simply smitten again with the schussing.
Okay so I’m biased since I’ve been skiing here on and off since a youngster. We always pack a lunch (tho I agree with the other Unilocaler, sandwiches in the bar are good) and yep, skiing is expensive no matter where you go. The mountains it ain’t. But I love Afton Alps because it is so close to home and it’s a pretty solid upper midwestern ski hill and it is just what it is.
And there is a variety of runs and chalets to choose from and it’s pretty well staffed, old yet clean, and they have a great swap meet/​sale/​family event in the fall.
I’m sad that I will never ever get to try snowboarding, because there’s too much getting up and down w/​it and I’m pretty good at meeting the goal now to stay upright the entire time.
So I’m beating the heat thinking of the slopes today.