Skiing and Snowboarding at Welch Village
Welch Village is the largest and tallest local ski hill, just beating Afton Alps. The vertical drop is 360 feet, and the longest run is 0.8 miles.Welch Village has 60 trails, if you count several short connectors between other runs. The main area of Welch Village has a good mix of green, blue, black and a few double black diamonds, and enough lifts to satisfy demand without too much queuing during busy times.
The Back Bowl, a new area opened in 2009, contains all black diamonds or double black runs, which start out moderate then become very steep at the bottom of the hill.
Welch Village varies the jumps, moguls and terrain park features every year, usually adding some new feature every season.
Food and Drink at Welch Village
The food is cafeteria style, and rather overpriced. They frown on you bringing your own food into the chalet. Nearby Red Wing has plenty of dining options. King's Place, on the way home to the Twin Cities on Highway 61 in Miesville, has very good burgers.Madd Jaxx, the bar at the western end of the slopes, has decent beer, but more of the same cafeteria food.
Discounted lift tickets for Welch Village
How can you get cheap lift tickets for Welch Village?
If you know where to look, you'll never have to pay the published rate for a lift ticket to Welch Village. In 2011, a regular all day adult lift ticket costs $47.
Welch Village offers several ways to get cheaper lift tickets, almost all at the same price. The general discount price in 2011 was $33.
If you know a season pass holder, they can buy you a lift ticket at the discounted rate.
If you join, or attend a gathering of a local ski and/or snowboard club, you can buy a ticket at their group rate, the same as the regular discount price.
Buying a $33 "Freeze Card" at Welch Village will give you $33 lift tickets all season.
Several ski or snowboard lesson packages Welch Village offer also come with a Freeze Card for discounted lift tickets.
Joining Welch Village's email list is a must to get notice of sales and special offers. In 2010, Welch Village sold offered $99 season passes for a few weeks in the spring. Will they repeat that price again? Get on their email list or follow them on Facebook to find out.
