Hyland Hills Ski Area facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hyland Hills Ski Area
Overlooking Hyland Hills ski area chalet
Hyland Hills Ski Area Location in Minnesota Show map of Minnesota Hyland Hills Ski Area Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S.
Nearest city	Minneapolis
Coordinates	44°50′38″N 93°21′50″W / 44.844°N 93.364°W / 44.844; -93.364
Vertical	175 ft (53 m)
Top elevation	1,075 ft (328 m)
Base elevation	900 ft (270 m)
Runs	13 total - 3 easiest - 4 more difficult - 4 most difficult 2 Freestyle Terrain
Lift system	2 quad chairlifts 1 triple chairlift 1 rope tow 2 magic carpets
Terrain parks	2
Snowfall	60 in (150 cm)
Snowmaking	yes
Night skiing	every night
Website	[1]

Hyland Hills Ski Area is a popular place to ski and snowboard in Bloomington, Minnesota. It's located just south of Minneapolis in the United States. The Three Rivers Park District owns and operates this fun ski area.

Hyland Hills is one of three ski spots in the Twin Cities area. The other two are Afton Alps and Buck Hill. Many people visit Hyland Hills each year, about 160,000! It's a popular spot because it's close to the Mall of America.

Even though Minnesota winters are cold, Hyland Hills doesn't always get a lot of natural snow. The average snowfall is less than 60 inches. Because of this, they often use Artificial snow to keep the slopes ready for skiing and snowboarding.

In 2016, the main building, called the chalet, got a huge upgrade. It became much bigger, more than doubling its original size. The new chalet is 36,000 square feet. It has a gear shop, places to rent equipment, and a restaurant. You can also rent the chalet for private events.

The History of Hyland Hills

In the 1950s, Hyland Hills Ski Area was known by a different name: Mt. Normandale. About 48,000 skiers visited it each year. But then, there was a time with very little snow for six years. This caused the number of skiers to drop a lot.

The owners, Gordy Bowen and Oscar Strand, tried to fix this. They bought a snowmaker and a special lift called a sitzlift. They hoped this would bring more skiers back. However, their efforts didn't help much. The man-made snow became very hard. They didn't have the right tools to groom it properly.

Soon after, the Hennepin County Park Reserve District bought the ski area. They changed its name to Hyland Hills Ski Area. The new owners added modern grooming equipment. They also built new buildings and proper chairlifts. With these improvements, Hyland Hills Ski Area became popular again.

Ski and Snowboard Clubs

Hyland Hills is home to many different ski and snowboard clubs. These clubs are for various ages and skill levels. One of them is Three Rivers Racing. This is an Alpine skiing club for young people aged 6 to 21. It offers excellent coaching for skiers who want to improve. Some racers trained here have competed in national, World Cup, and even Olympic races.

Hyland also hosts both USSA freestyle skiing and racing teams. The G Team, a top snowboard club in the Midwest, also trains here. The Minneapolis Ski Club offers Nordic Ski Jumping training. They use the ski jump located at Hyland.

Winter Activities at Hyland Hills

Hyland Hills offers many fun activities during the winter season.

Summer Fun at the Park

The park is also open during the off-season for different activities.