I'm rating this 5 Stars for what this is: a Midwestern ski resort. If you come in expecting Colorado or Vermont, you will be disappointed. But for someone who is just starting out or needs to scratch an itch, then this will do. Prices are about right for what you get. Equipment is in useable condition, though not top of the line. There's enough runs to keep you entertained for a day. Plus there is great people watching.
The office is not helpful - I'd even go as far as to say rude. The prices are insane for what it is.
Even after 70 degrees it was still all snowy and stuff. Pretty good
I would give this place an easy 5 stars were it not for the excessive wait to get on the tube ride. A 3 hour pass will only allow you about 3 rides down the hill due to the long wait. It appears they have room to make more snow and more lanes and they have 2 conveyors to get more up the hill. Wondering why they don't maximize their opportunity on the tube ride
A great place to go ski or snowboard. They also have a dedicated Hill for tubing! They have a bunny slope, a few easy to medium trails, a couple black diamond trails, and a couple freestyle trails. $80 gets you a ski lift ticket and equipment rental. (skis or a snowboard and ski or snowboard boots) a helmet is $10 extra. Most people I ran into were very nice. Good crew.
A little piece of paradise dnow was great today. Got to go out
Check it out . so much fun
Lots of fun for newbies and experts. Lots of beginner hills and black diamond hills.
Only reason for not 5 was weather made the slopes difficult for beginner skiers. Great experience.
This was our first time going and we all had a blast.
Prices to ski at Hidden Valley are very high. Now you tell me a senior can get a lift ticket for 5.00 but we pay almost 50 does that make since? They are in the lift just as long as us.
Great spot near St. Louis to get practice and learn snowboarding/skiing. Conditions here aren't optimal so if you can shred these slopes you're skilled enough to make a trip out West to Colorado/Utah or Jackson Hole.
Nice small hill for a quick weekend snow experience. Facilities could be cleaner. I know everyone is coming in wet and hungry but bathrooms were a little messy and tables were definitely dirty. (You can clean up after yourselves too! Leave it better than you found it.) The lift lines were 3-5 min long. Very mellow vibe on the runs. The only bummer is all the rules on the tubing. Also, it's a far walk to the magic carpet. $26 for 3 hours is pricy considering you wont be going as much as you think since the walk is so far.
We normally take a ski trip to Colorado every year, but this year we bought new boots and I wanted to ski locally at Hidden Valley so we could break them in before our big trip. As a result I ended up spending $770 more for EPIC Local passes as opposed to EPIC 4 day passes.
Hidden Valley refused to let us use our own boots which are new model Salomon's with standard ISO 5355. We then went ahead and rented their boots and skis but the equipment is so old and in such poor condition that we stopped after 90 minutes. I honestly wonder if it is out of spec with current day binding standards and that's why they refused.
Note that I've been renting skis at various locations in CO for nearly 30 years and have never been refused a ski only rental with my boots.
Absolutely horrible experience.
Considering we're not in ski country, this place is great. Well maintained, good shops, slopes and equipment. Great staff. Good food and cold . Super fun venue.
Lots of fun! Too bad the weather isn't cooperating so all runs could be open
What a fantastic place for skiing and snowboarding in St louis! Rental and lift passes were cheap. Food and drinks available! Will definently be back soon
The polar plunge is fun, but get there early. The line gets long quick.
Love it here... Staff are super friendly and passionate about snow sports!
Had a great time skiing today! We were pleasantly surprised at how well the snow held up after several days of warm weather.
Good service and great slopes for this part of the US. Gotta come at a good time like we did, it's highly worth the price.
Went on opening day, lines were acceptable, staff was friendly and well trained for the first day. Conditions were great. I was pleasantly surprised!
Great instructors and fun place to build good memories with family.
This was our first time ever snow tubing and we had a very pleasant experience with the staffs. The conveyor belt was tricky for my toddler and even more for me carrying the tubes and I felt a lil dumb figuring things out, but the staff was so patient and nice giving us directions. Upon reaching down the slope, my kid went in front of the other lane by mistake and was almost knocked out by the fast tube coming down, if it was not for the staff who lifted my daughter away from its path even before I realised what happened! I just couldn't thank him enough.
We had a fun time overall and I appreciate some of the staffs who were extremely nice to us.
The place must be nice, but management does not maintain equipment and no service. Dirty bathroom. Not safe.
We had a great time on the slopes but the lifts kept not working and the food court area was a complete mess, with trash everywhere, no napkins, no clean trays, no food items on the shelves..... the whole restraurant is run by high school kids who have no clue what they are doing. And they also closed all the lifts on us at 7:50 pm, although we had paid to ski until 8 pm. We felt ripped off.
Great family fun! perfect weekend trip here in the Midwest.
First time and boy was I disappointed only had one belt to carry people to the top for the polar plunge wait times were ridiculous.only slide 5 times in the time we were allowed. A place that has this kind of revenue should have it in better shape
It's easy to complain about this place, but you have to remember you are in Missouri.
My gripes are:
- Queued for an hour to get lift passes - and this was because they only had 3 out of 5 ticket windows open. It's not like the snow crept up on them, and they couldn't staff-up.
- only when you get to the window, do you see a note telling which size boots are not available for rental...
- Then queued up for 30 minutes to rent a snowboard because they only had one person working the board rental area
- The magic carpet operator might as well have not been there for the use he was when there were issues with people falling, etc
- The bunny slopes were full of learners (as expected) but none of them actually brought their brains with them. They blocked every area if the slopes setting up, blocked up magic carpet entry, etc. No staff were there to assist them with proper slope protocol.
- When I informed one of the (rarely seen) staff members about a set of skis left in the middle of the slope, he laughed and said they will get moved eventually.....
Also, if you get a season pass, you will still have to queue for an hour to get that days lift pass!!!!!! Crazy!!!!
Overall, not a great experience and not sure I would go again.......
Not a great place for newbies. They never opened a green lift. So all you could do is the bunny slope or a blue/black hill. So don't go if you are wanting to learn how to ski.
I was there yesterday with my son's school, and they had a BLAST! It took some of the kids a little while to get the hang of "making a pizza", but once they got it they were unstoppable. I almost forgot, the food was very tasty! :-) Thank you for an AMAZING Day!!
This place is so much fun!!!!!!! You can bring your own ski's or rent some there. You can get a locker and protect your stuff. You can eat there. It has a bar for adults!!! They have ski lessons. They have slopes for noobs and pros!!!!!!! They have medical buildings and people so if you get hurt they help you!!! I reccomend this place for family's or just about anyone!!!!!
Easy to find, and tubing was a lot of fun. Three hours doesn't sound like much time, but it was more than enough to wear out the kids and adults.
Great family friendly place! I helped chaperone a group of kids from my son's school. We had a great time! Definitely recommend for a day of fun
We had a blast on the zip line! It was fast, well laid out with some walking reqired & 1 slightly steep but short hill to walk up. We ranged in age from 11 to 70 & we all said we would go back.
Please read before purchase day passes. First of all we haven't been to the Resort yet. I just want everyone to know about the way I was treated when I tried to order six gift cards for my children for Christmas since I live 200 miles away round trip. They wouldn't let me ship all 6 of the cards in one envelope. If I purchased one gift card I would be charged $4.95 for one $480 card. If I purchase six $80 cards I would be charged six times $4.95 = $29.70 in shipping . Hidden Valley's gift card does not have service charge on there cards like a Visa Gift card. They said the Post Office Made they do it this way. NOT TRUE!! They also said that the reason they shipped them this way is because they send a little welcome packet along with the Gift Card with info on times and events at Hidden Valley, NOT TRUE!! Only the gift card was in the envelope and the gift card didn't even say it was from Hidden Vally Ski Resort. The actual shipping cost was $3.94 for each envelope. I was told there was no handling charge. On top of that, they got rude with me on the phone said they were very busy and kept putting me on hold and then some person who couldn't speak English very well would keep tell me the US Post Office made them sent the cards this way. I have worked retail for 35 years. First impressions are everything. Hidden Valley you just FAILED first impression test. I sure hope my family isn't treated the way I was.
So I grew up skiing this place and I love it as it is the only place to ski anywhere close. The downside is that they only run one bartender and a very busy bar so prepare to wait a good fifteen minutes to get drinks. Also they tend to only run one of the lifts at the main base and that tends to cause extended lift lines. They also close down a whole Mountain section about 3 hours early during the Moonlight session I recently went to.
These add up to be a lesser experience then I've had at other resorts due to poor management. The vertical rise is just over three hundred foot and the surface is typically icy to hardpack.
With all that being said, it is still a great place to go and have a unique skiing experience in Missouri. I love Hidden Valley as it has introduced me to the sport and gives me a chance to do some skiing locally. Just needs to be managed better.
The staff are horribly rude, the slopes and the club house are terribly laid out. If it were not for the new expansion run and the lack of choices locally I would probably not go back. This is a ski resort that closes when it snows!
Liked this place because it is the closest ski resort to St. Louis. Its not the best I ever been to but it provides smething that would otherwise be missing. I like how close it is to St Louis and how the prices aren't too bad. People that complain, should try driving to Colorado or something because the slopes are much better but the DRIVE is a killer.
The best place to go snowboarding or skiing which is aswome by the way.
Apparently they're going out of business soon but this place is great so I suggest you visit before that time.
We had a great day on the snow tubes but will definitely take the trip back to do some snowboarding and maybe even learn to ski. The staff was helpful and the conveyor belt to take you and your tube back up the hill was the best. Worth the trip.
A good location to learn to ski, and practice your technique.
Downside: no lockers or bag check in the main lodge. The only lockers are in the rental building which has a sign stating that no personal equipment is allowed in the rental building. So, if you have your own equipment, be prepared to change into your boots at your car.
Conditions are generally like in the East (Ice Coast conditions).
Still, it's a great way to spend a few hours.
Did not ski but enjoy the zipline riding that high above the Treeline in the valley was fantastic the staff ensured that you were safe and you felt safe
Had a blast snowboarding here with my some of my friends and my brother!!
It's not Colorado, we get that , but to have a place to ski locally is awesome. They do the best they can with the weather conditions we have here and make snow whenever they can. Just skied there this week and had to cold days in a row and that was enough for them to make snow and groom after some warm days and rain. The runs are not super long but still a blast if you love to ski, also sit by the fire and have a drink and warm up!
I would not recommend bringing your kids here. We purchased the snowboarding lessons but they failed to provide a instructor and the staff didn't really seem to care.
If you go when it's been warm then you are just skiing on ice.
The guides for the Zipline were amazing. There names were Ava and Megan. They are definitely amazing. 5/5 highly recommend
Had a blast
#familytime
Tubing was great fun. The worker said it was the busiest je had ever seen it and it took us about 45 min to one run. There was only 5 lanes open due to warm weather. We only did two runs. I would pay to do it again.
The nice part of skiing is to enjoy being outside, exercise and get some fresh air. After skiing, there is nothing better than sitting outside and relax. Why would you put a fire pit in front of the restaurant the smokes and stinks. After skiing our hair smells, the clothing need to be washed and the eyes hurt from the smoke. Who came up with that idea to burn wood where people are sitting and relax made a bad business decision. If you want to warm up, you get inside where it is warm. The fire pit does not produce enough warmth outside to warm anybody, the smoke is horrible, it is really a reason not to go skiing anymore. Some people go and sit farther up where the magic carpet ends because there is no smoke. Does the owner not understand this, people are coming for the outdoor experience, fresh air!
Had a great time tubing. I'm glad there are things that aren't just for people who ski.
Great place to ski and tube only downside was the lines to the tubing hill...was a hour wait. But it was a great time.
It was a fun place to go. I tried snow boarding but i just couldn't get the hand of it.
My kids, 12 and 10, spent all day skiing and loved every minute. Expensive, but very fun.
It was better than I expected for Missouri skiing. But just understand it definitely more of a hill than a mountain, you may spend more time in line for the chair lifts than on the trails.
BEWARE!! do not travel any distance to go here. Not for beginners and not experienced skiers or boarders. Let me explain. OK so I like to ski in Colorado and Montana and I knew when coming here it would not be even close, but even though it is very small I did expected it to be ran decently. Let me explain: First the rental experience feels more like a skating rink. No one helps measure your feet to get a good boot fitting (which is very important to having good, enjoyable, and comfortable ski day). The rental place smells like mildew terribly which makes you not want to put on any of the boots there, and the cost is just as high as renting at a first class ski resort that smells great and has first class service. Second, I brought friends here who had never been skiing before, to someplace some what close, before trying to get them to go all the way out west to Colorado. I thought such a small hill might cater to beginners. I was very very wrong. The first Friday we were there (MLK Jr. weekend), there was only a magic carpet open for beginners, which is very short and was packed out. They had their beginner green lift closed for the entire day saying they didn't have enough staff to open it. All the other lifts took you up to a blue which was too much for our beginner friends. My friends spent hours waiting in line, getting very few rides down the bunny slope off the magic carpet. One of them even decided it was faster to walk up the hill and try to get practice that way. Then when they did try to go up on the blue lift, there was so many beginners crashing all over the hill since there were no green lift open and nowhere for them to ski, it was not go experience for them there either. It was impossible for them to have a good time. So after day one we left with our friend barely knowing how to snow plow and turn. Day two we show up kind of late in the afternoon and they are actually running the green lift but soon closed it down because they don't have enough people there to continue to run it. As soon as they did the magic carpet was again packed to the max, and people ended up were heading to the top of the blue hill and crashing all over it again. There are a lot of an inexperienced skiers here too, and it seems really dangerous forcing them all to the top of the hill where it's only blues coming down. I've never been someplace where I've seen so many crashes, falls, and people running into each other. I don't understand why they don't try to keep a green lift for beginners open. It seemed like a very very unsafe way to do business. I feel like this place cares more about money than about it's customers. Needless to say after 2 days I will never try to come here again. It would be better for us to drive 14 hours to CO, than the 5 hours here, so we can at least have a good time. I know this is a long review but I'm hoping I save somebody else from making the same mistake we did.
TL:DR Smelly, does not cater to beginners, short-staffed, dangerous, crowded bunny slope, green lift always closed.
I love having a place to ski near my house!! Sure, it's not as large or nice as places in Colorado, but that's not expected in St. Louis, MO. It's definitely a great place to learn how to ski! And even after that it's not like it's way too small to enjoy it. It's still awesome after lots of years!
Pretty good pricing. The day we went the path was icy, half the routes we're closed, the lifts were closed so traffic was pretty bad. However, that was mostly due to rain on the previous day so not entirely their fault.
We had a great time zip lining today! Our guides, Ryan and Gabe made our experience so enjoyable! Highly recommended.
We love this place, no lines ,great prices and good snow
I will preface this with I can't ski. My family of six came for the tubing. We came on a weekend that St Louis received 12 inches of snow. They worked on the tubing lanes for a while and then opened up. They were fun! We all had a blast.
The lady in the ticket booth tried charging me an all day pass for a night session. Also, the terrain park was not very good at the time of my visit, it only consisted of mounds of snow. But all in all the slopes were pretty good.
It's a lot of fun, but the service is poor. Trying to contact someone is very difficult, their website and phone are also inaccurate.
I'm a snowboarder and I went on a trip with a few friends to hidden valley this past weekend. There are only a few runs, with not many differences. I have been snowboarding a few times before and this is definitely the fewest number of lifts and runs that I have seen. The snow is pretty good for being fake, although it is a little icy at sections. The ski school seemed pretty good, and I would say the mountain is great for beginners. I would go back most likely, but if you are looking for a lot of runs and different terrains, I would recommend looking somewhere else.
They say all sales are final. So when you buy tickets and there is a snow blizzard and a foot of snow on the ground and you can't even get in there. They just take your money and say sorry, NO REFUNDS.
If you're really itching to get to the slopes then it's worth a visit, but I wasn't impressed. When we visited, it was crowded with an insufficient number of lifts running. In order to get to the main lift you had to poll yourself up a significant incline. I understand that in Missouri there are limitations due to the lack of elevation, but they could manage what they have better then they are currently.
hiddenvalleyski.com
