Welch Village Ski & Snowboard Area

Nice runs, good people and not as crowded. The blacks on the east side are challenging. The back black diamonds are nice strong runs.

I went skiing today down at Welch Village. For the runs that were open, the snow was pretty good, especially given the late start to winter. Unfortunately, many of the runs weren’t open. And, worse yet, that means many chair lifts weren’t running either. So, it’s Jan 1^st, the place is packed and the lines to ride the lifts were lengthy. The only thing running at full capacity was the price of a lift ticket ($ 54) and the price of tap beers ($ 5.50). Understandably, running a ski hill likely isn’t cheap, but I wish I would have been informed that many of the runs weren’t open before forking over $ 54. In reading the snow report on the Welch Village website before going, it told me all about the chair lifts that were running, but told me nothing about what was closed. So, since I wasn’t aware of what other lifts existed, how was I to know what was closed before going? This place could be great with some small improvements. For today, the price should have been $ 30. Or, some other incentive should have been offered. And, the website needs to be more informative.

This is my favorite place to snowboard near the metro twin cities. The runs are the longest and most varied. Like other reviewers said — the «back bowls» have been an awesome addition — steep runs with fun little offshoots and kickers (only open until 4pm on that side though).
I also love the small town feel of this place. Nothing better than stopping in Jaxx (the bar at the bottom of the side runs) — a cozy little spot with a roaring fire in the middle and bartenders who joke and talk with you like they see you every weekend. The food is nothing to rave about, but check out King’s, a couple miles down the road, for unbelievably awesome burgers!

This is a great ski resort, best in Minnesota. Its new back bowl offers a whole new set of black diamond runs. The lifts are in great shape and the sixty plus runs offer a lot of variety. Parking, rental, and lift purchases are easy. Outstanding snow making combined with cold weather means that what snow is made stays.

So as a native NYer, I needed to find somewhere close to get my ski fix. Atfer speaking with locals and reading up on reviews, it seemed Welch was the closest/​best that less than 2 hours drive had to offer.
I can’t blame the mountain for the lack of altitude, but they really maximize the space they have to make it pleasurable to ski there. There were a couple of great runs, and even though they were short, a couple of awesome drop offs as well.
I realize it has recently snowed and I was there on a relatively empty Super Bowl Sunday (and it was 30 degrees) so these were nearly perfect conditions. With lines it wouldn’t have quite the same appeal, but I will try and go early to beat the crowd if I go again. Great local place though… really feels nice to be out here skiing on powder rather than the crappy blue ice in NY.

As somewhat of a disclaimer this review is relative to other ski hills in MN, since mother nature and the glaciers that do her bidding didn’t afford us Midwesterners a whole lot for elevation.
So even though you’re not going to have any 20 minute runs and all the runs will be groomed and gradually become icier throughout the day, Welch makes good use of what nature has afforded them. The lifts are spread out enough that even on busy days the waits are bearable — they’ve also recently installed/​upgraded two lifts which have helped cut down on the wait time. They have a decent variety of hills for beginners and non-​beginners (though don’t expect anything too over the top — these are hills, not mountains).
In addition, they also have a separate chalet (i.e., bar) on the East side of the hill for those in need of libations or sustenance while enjoying the slopes. It sounds like they are also planning to open another chalet on the backside of the hill as well, which will be nice since the backside tends to have the more enjoyable runs.
Daily lift tickets are a bit spendy, but Welch runs pretty good deals on season passes (college season passes are always dirt cheap for those still getting their learn on). If you can get a good deal it’s worth the few extra miles drive from the Cities — otherwise, Welch and Afton Alps are pretty equivalent in my mind, with Afton having just a bit more to offer as far as space and # of lifts go.

Went here for my first time skiing, and had a great time. The smaller hills were great for practicing and learning. Then the steeper hills were pretty good too. I went with friends who are experts in skiing, and they said the hills were in a very good shape.
The only complaint is that the whole ticketing, rental, etc. thing was very disorganized. We had to pick up season passes, then buy lift tickets, then rent equipment, and somehow ended up going to 4 or 5 different places. It would have been nice to waste less time doing all these things so we could get to the skiing. Once we got on the slopes, we were good to go and had a great time.
I had to drive quite a bit from the Twin Cities to get to this place, but it’s worth it. Got a season pass for next year, and can’t wait to use it.

I learned to ski in Northwest Iowa and occasionally my friends and I would take trips to better challenge our developing downhill skills. I remember one long drive to Aspen, but more often we would head to the Twin Cities. My Ski Patrol leader loved Trollhaugen, and other friends liked relatively treeless Buck Hill or the more crowded Afton Alps. And since the ultimate Minnesota ski area (Lutsen) was too far, Welch Village was usually our resort of choice.
Welch Village is was built in 1965 and has a vertical drop of around 360 feet (!). There are now upwards of 60 runs, with a good variety of terrain for all levels, a welcoming family atmosphere, plenty of places to get warm, and a nice compliment of chairlifts to keep the happy hordes moving. The traditional opening time is on or around the third Saturday in November.
Welch Village is indeed a classic little Midwestern ski area worth checking out. Nice web site too.

I too love skiing at Welch Village! They have a better variety of runs than anyone else in the area. It’s a great family atmosphere (not a daycare drop-​off like a couple others), and they offer great online pricing on their website. If haven’t been there lately, check out the new addition, it has a ton of great black diamond runs. The best part is that it’s only 40 minutes from the cities! A great day trip!

Looove this place. Welch has some great runs, new black diamonds opened in 08 – 09 and even little cabins at the foot of the hill to stay overnight (or the weekend).
It’s about a ½ hour south of Cottage Grove. In Hastings, follow the sign to Treasure Island Casino (361 I think) for a shortcut. After you pass the casino keep going and then turn left on 61. You turn off Highway 61 at the small blue sign (Welch Village Ski Area) and go south through the most beautiful valley in Minnesota and a tiny little town. There’s a little café there and river tubing in the summer. the ski area is directly ahead.
There’s a great classic supper club in nearby Miesville, Weiderholts, with good American fare, steaks and chops, at a fair price and live country and rock. In Red Wing, there’s the casino of course (been there about 4 times in my life an never won a nickel), plus the Sheldon Theater with some national acts plus regional theater and lots of other fun and historic-​y stuff to do (train depot, walk along Old Miss, shopping, the Pottery Place (nice outlet there for Fiesta and such and one with great spring yardage accessories), lots of antiques stores that haven’t yet gone under, etc.
But back to the ski area, it’s a classic little Midwestern ski area worth checking out. Very very nice, one of my favorites in the area. It is never as crowded as Afton, which is great in its own right because it has a lot of variety, a lot of runs, different chalets, etc. Welch has two chalets, the large one is family friendly and then there’s the «bar» which is nicely noted with lots of neon beer signs so if you don’t want to take kids in there you’ll be forewarned. Not that you couldn’t but it’s a nice touch. Great directional and access signage, with clocks, at Welch too at the bottom of the lifts.