Buck Hill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Buck Hill
Buck Hill Location in the United States
Location	Burnsville, Minnesota, U.S.
Nearest city	Minneapolis
Coordinates	44°43′26″N 93°16′59″W / 44.724°N 93.283°W / 44.724; -93.283
Vertical	262 ft (80 m)
Top elevation	1,211 ft (369 m)
Base elevation	949 ft (289 m)
Runs	16 total - 6 easiest - 6 more difficult - 4 most difficult
Lift system	2 quad chairlifts 1 triple chairlift 3 rope tows 2 magic carpets 1 snowtubing tow
Snowfall	60 in (150 cm)
Snowmaking	yes
Night skiing	every night
Website	buckhill.com

Buck Hill is a fun ski hill located in Burnsville, Minnesota. This town is a suburb just south of Minneapolis. It's one of three main ski areas in the Twin Cities area. The other two are Afton Alps and Hyland Ski and Snowboard Area.

Buck Hill first opened its slopes in 1954. It offers trails for skiing, snowboarding, and tubing. Even though Minnesota winters are cold, there isn't always a lot of natural snow. So, Buck Hill often uses artificial snow to keep the trails in great shape.

The ski hill faces east, looking over Interstate 35. David and Corrine "Chip" Solner own Buck Hill. You can enjoy skiing or snowboarding at night because the entire area is lit up. The hill has three chairlifts and several surface tows to get you up the slopes.

History of Buck Hill

Early settlers gave Buck Hill its name. They noticed that the top of the hill was a popular spot for Mdewakanton Dakota people. They would watch male deer (bucks) drink water at nearby Crystal Lake.

The idea for the ski area came from Chuck Stone. He loved skiing after recovering from polio as a child. When he returned to Minneapolis, he wanted to create a ski area. He looked for the best hills near the Twin Cities. Buck Hill was the tallest one.

However, the land was private and belonged to a farm owned by Grace Whittier. Chuck Stone and his girlfriend, Nancy, convinced Ms. Whittier to let them use the property. They succeeded where others had failed! The ski area officially opened in 1954. After Grace Whittier passed away, she left the property to St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.

Famous Skiers from Buck Hill

Did you know that two very famous World Cup ski racers learned to ski and race at Buck Hill? Their names are Kristina Koznick and Lindsey Vonn.

Kristina Koznick was a top slalom racer. She has now retired from international competitions.

Lindsey Vonn (whose maiden name was Kildow) is one of the best female ski racers ever! She competes in all five types of ski racing. She is especially good at the speed events. Lindsey Vonn has won four overall World Cup titles. She also won a gold medal in the downhill event at the 2010 Winter Olympics. She has 82 World Cup victories, which is the second most for any female ski racer in history.

Both Kristina and Lindsey were coached by Erich Sailer. He is an energetic coach from Austria who has been Buck Hill's racing coach since 1969. Erich Sailer was honored in the National Ski Hall of Fame in 2006.

Pro Skiing Events

Buck Hill has even hosted professional ski races! In February 1973, the pro skiing tour came to Buck Hill. It was part of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival. Skiers raced head-to-head in a special parallel format.

Famous skiers like Spider Sabich and Jean-Claude Killy competed here. Spider Sabich won the slalom race. Jean-Claude Killy, an Olympic gold medalist, won the giant slalom race.

In January 1974, Hugo Nindl from Austria won both pro events at Buck Hill. He beat Spider Sabich in the slalom final.

Winter Activities at Buck Hill

See also

• Ski areas in Minnesota