Buck Hill
| Buck Hill | |
|---|---|
| Location | Burnsville, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Minneapolis |
| Coordinates | 44°43′26″N 93°16′59″W / 44.724°N 93.283°WCoordinates: 44°43′26″N 93°16′59″W / 44.724°N 93.283°W |
| Vertical | 245 ft (75 m) |
| Top elevation | 1,195 ft (364 m) |
| Base elevation | 950 ft (290 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 |
| Web site | buckhill.com |
Hill
Hill
Buck Hill is a ski hill in the north central United States, 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 in (150 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).[2]
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.[3]
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 Ms. Whittier to lease them the property, succeeding where previous wooers had failed, and the ski area began operating in 1954. Ms. Whittier left the property to St. Olaf College, in Northfield, Minnesota upon her death.
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) races in all five disciplines and is dominant in the speed events. She is among the best female ski racers in history, with four overall World Cup titles (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012) and was the gold medalist in downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics. She was also a double gold medalist in the speed events at the 2009 World Championships, taking the downhill and Super-G. As of March 2012, Vonn has 53 World Cup victories.
Both were coached by Erich Sailer, an energetic octogenarian from Austria who has been the racing coach at Buck Hill since 1969. Sailer was inducted into National Ski Hall of Fame in 2006.[4]
Winter activities
See also
- Skiing
- Ski resorts
External links
References
- ↑ "Historical Climate Data".
- ↑ by Rob Story (2008). "Believing in Buck Hill". SKInet. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
- ↑ Dakota County Historical Society (2005). "Historic Sites: Burnsville". Retrieved September 8, 2007.
- ↑ "Erich Sailer’s Contribution to Ski Coaching in the U.S.". austrianinformation.org.
