Buck Hill
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Buck Hill is a ski hill in the city of Burnsville, Minnesota, a suburb south of Minneapolis. It is one of three ski areas located within the Twin Cities metropolitan area, the others are Afton Alps and Hyland Ski and Snowboard Area. Buck Hill opened in 1954 and offers ski, snowboard, and tubing trails. Artificial snow is often utilized for maintaining the slopes, because while Minnesota's winters are cold, the snowfall is relatively low for a ski area, averaging less than 60 inches (152 cm) per year. [1]
Buck Hill faces east, overlooking the adjacent Interstate 35. The ski area is lighted for night skiing, and operates three chairlifts (2 quads, 1 triple) and multiple surface tows (trail map). The base area consists of a parking lot and a short strip of lodges. The ski runs use the east face of the physical hill, with the other sides occupied by residential housing, with a municipal water tower sharing the summit. The vertical drop of the ski area is a modest 310 feet (94 m).[1]
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[edit] History
Buck Hill was named by early settlers, who noticed its summit was a gathering spot for Mdewakanton Dakota to watch male deer (bucks) drink at Crystal Lake.[2]
The ski area was started by Chuck Stone, who discovered the sport as a child recovering from polio, and had worked as a lift attendant at Suicide Six in Vermont. Returning to Minneapolis, he wanted to start a ski area, and went to the public library to search out viable topography. The present ski area of Buck Hill was the tallest hill close to the Twin Cities, but was on private land, part of a remote farm owned by Grace Whittier. Stone (and his fiancée Nancy) convinced Mrs. Whittier to sell them the property, succeeding where previous wooers had failed, and the ski area began operating in 1954.
[edit] World Cup racers
World Cup ski racers Kristina Koznick and Lindsey Vonn learned to ski and race at Buck Hill. Koznick, now retired from international competition, was a top slalom racer. Vonn (née Kildow) is currently among the best female ski racers in the world; she won the overall World Cup title in 2008.
They were coached by Erich Sailer, an energetic octagenarian from Austria who has been the racing coach at Buck Hill since 1969. Sailer was inducted into National Ski Hall of Fame in 2006. [2]
[edit] Winter activities
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Buck Hill.com - official site
- Buck Hill Ski Racing Team.com - staff
- Buck Hill Ski Patrol.org
- Ski Racing.com - Buck Hill recognized for cranking out winners - 17-May-2008
[edit] References
- ^ by Rob Story (2008). "Believing in Buck Hill". SKInet. http://www.skinet.com/general/2004-12/believing-buck-hill. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
- ^ Dakota County Historical Society (2005). "Historic Sites: Burnsville". http://www.dakotahistory.org/county/burnsville.asp. Retrieved September 8 2007.
{Coordinates: 44°43′23″N 93°17′00″W / 44.72306°N 93.2833333°W
