Welch Village Ski Area Review

Great staff... Ski patrol keeps it safe. Only wish they had one or two more quad chairlifts

Beautiful ski hill. Staff was very helpful, hills groomed nicely. Nice variety of green, blue and black runs

Great variety of terain...super friendly staff and fun atmosphere. ..

Not huge, but well laid out with lots of interesting runs, and not insane on the wallet.

So much fun! Easy lines, great runs, and close to the cities! Will be back!

Great skiing. Obvious not Colorado, but great for the Midwest.

I loved it I have gone twice through church. The first time I loved it and the lessons were only 20-30 minutes. But the second time I went there (today) the lessons took up about 1.30-2 hrs of time, it was a waste of time and I had a time limit too, I only got to go down the hills 4 times. It was still fun, not the lessons part though. I would go there any day, I would just not do the lessons part agian, it did not teach me very much.

I wasn't aware we had steep slopes in the Twin Cities area, so I was happy to discover the back bowl

Not good for beginners. Really small bunny Hill and then the only next thing is an intermediate level slope.

Lots of fun for all ability levels. Space is a premium in the chalet but not usually a huge proble.

I almost broke my leg but it's excellent. 100% recommended and go in mahones

Lift-serviced DH mountain biking here is sick! Highly recommend Eagle Eye

Perfect weather for skiing today, just after a nice snow!

The workers here are rude and if you and ur buddies are under 18 and want to go mountain biking you better have all of ur parents or they won't let you ride there. But if your going snow boarding there then I recommend it

Great slopes, black diamonds are a decent challenge and there are quite a few of them. highly recommend skiing here

The slopes were groomed well. The ski lift lines were non-existent during the morning and early afternoon on a Wednesday. Nice bar in the remote chalet.

Great local and family owned ski area, best in the Twin Cities area!

Nice trails and fast lifts. Old school feeling. Needs more frequent grooming with the machine snow and cold weather. Slope direction of groomed trails needs to be improved...difficult for snowboarding to stay centered on green trails. Slope pulls to the side toward trees and edges of runs where condition of run is bad. Also a lot of flat spots. Hopefully will improve throughout year.

I wouldn't recommend at all. It's extremely overpriced, and my one and only experience was with multiple rude staff members at different times of the day. When you pay $60 to ride down an overcrowded hill, and then staff members at the ticket counter, cafeteria, and chair lifts, and ski patrol are rude and unpleasant - it doesn't make for a positive experience. They won't receive anymore business from me. I would rather just go to Afton and actually enjoy myself.

If you're going to actually ride in the metro area, this is the place to go. They have the best terrain of any of the other options, and it's usually much less crowded than Afton. The night skiing is a great deal, at around $30 for a 6pm ticket. Even as an advanced skier with years of experience riding actual mountains, I always enjoy myself when I head to Welch.

Rode the lift assist trails including the new rabbit hole section (watch the rock in the middle ). Fun was had. Fun times for Minnesota. Progress was made

Great snow conditions. They always work hard to make it the best possible. Nice runs, lots of lifts. Highest vertical near Minneapolis. Madd Jaxx has good food and nice beer selection.

I ski here regularly. Welch has a good variety of slopes which include a number of genuinely "black" runs, of more sustained pitch than is typical of vertical-limited midwest ski areas. The "back bowls" do a lot to enhance the experience! They have lots of lifts to keep the lines down. I wish they'd run the fast double on Bakkelyka more often, though! Welch takes good care of their hill, with excellent snowmaking and good grooming. They generally groom overnight, and occasionally during the day. I sometimes wish they'd groom a little more often during the day as the snow can get a little scrapey later in the day, but all-in-all, their snow is about as good as you could hope for in the midwest. The attached photo shows good early-season conditions on 11/30/18. They have nice base facilities at two locations. Overall, Welch is as close to a mountain experience as you can get in southern Minnesota, with striking views across the Cannon River valley.

Very fun went there and you can get lessons they are very helpful.So glad I went.

I love to ski here and this place is amazing!! Thank you

Great MTB trail system. The trails are well marked and maintained. Staff are friendly and helpful. If you want to try downhilling I can't recommend this place enough.

This is a hidden gem in the midwest. While it doesn't have the vertical of the Rockies it does offer a super easy drive in and park for free at the base atmosphere. The staff here is super friendly and goes out of their way to make you feel welcome and appreciated. I will be back with my family.

Best place in MN to ski for families- especially in fresh snow!

WAY OVER PRICED!!!! for a ticket. You spend more time waiting in line and riding the lifts than anything else. Not worth it find somewhere else!!

Excellent place, super fun to enjoy with the family, as a couple or friends, good food and not so expensive, the ideal is to buy your season pass and bring your own equipment, you will save a lot and you can go as many times as you want

This place is awesome. I had a great time with my family today. Steep diamonds. Smooth bunny hills and its family owned.

Over priced for a big hill. Their rentals were overly worn and in terrible shape. Not worth it for a family of four

Quaint is the first word that comes to mind when you arrive. Nice facility and decent slopes for average skiers. Probably not very challenging for more advanced or adventure minded skiers. Certainly family friendly and convenient for a day outing if you live in the metro area.

The snow is great and the runs are fun but the inside scoop is that management only cares about the youth racing programs now. Peter continuously disrespects his ski instruction staff and his ski patrollers. Disagreements with Peter and the way he runs the hill have caused many good staff to leave.

Whenever I go to Welch I love it. The snowboarding is the greatest around the Twin Cities if you just enjoy free riding and there is something for every skill level. The staff are pretty nice, they have good food options, and the whole experience is the best you are going to find in the area. My only gripe is the limited space in the chalet where I sometimes find myself struggling to find a reasonable spot for me and a few other people to sit.

fireworks are great!
Oh and Jay is the best boss I ever had while working there Jay is the real OG.

Great experience for young kids just starting out and an old kid trying snowboarding for the first time. Instructors were great. I purchased the lessons online and everything was correct when we arrived. I don't know what other areas have to offer, but I was very pleased with our experience here.

Welch Village Team has provided my family and I great customer service. Their communication, online lift ticket purchases and waver process is really simple. Courtesy Tickets are provided for 4 years and under, amazing benefit to families. Safe, well run operation. We love skiing at Welch!

For MN its great skiing. One large Chalet and a second smaller bar chalet. They also have a very large snow making capacity so they can keep it going regardless.

Great place to go for a day of snowboarding. Lots of fun even early in the seasons.

Fun midwestern place to get some turns in! Good food and friendly staff

Great middle of March skiing. Most of the runs were open and there was no crowd to ride the lifts.... All the lifts were not open but their were enough to access all the runs that were open.

Great variety of terrain (for Southeastern Minnesota/Southwestern Wisconsin). Nice number of lifts, each not too super slow. Fun vibe, older chalet and facilities.

The kiddos in the food service area are very quick at getting your food and very kind and caring..

A great place to to learn how to snowboarding and ski with wonderful Terrain for all different abilities.

Good location for what we visited! Did the spartan race and loved the views and facility! Hope to see it snowed

Great day. Slopes were very well groomed. Staff was great. Rental equipment was best I have ever used. I was disappointed that the farthest East lift was not running to the green & blue runs. If I pay a full lift fee and some lifts are closed, a reduced lift fee should be charged.

First time down hill skiing today with Randy at Welsh Village, I am not a natural but still a fun day!

Love the skiing terrain! So much to offer for skiers of any ability. However, lift ticket prices have gone through the roof in the past few years - it was $220 for our family of four, where the comparable lift tickets were $140 just a few years ago. Families are getting priced out of skiing. And waiting a half hour to redeem lift tickets purchased ahead online is simply ridiculous!!!

Excellent, groomed runs with a variety of difficulty levels for the entire family. We love skiing here with 2 chalets that have great food.

I've been skiing here all my life. This place is great. Loved the atmosphere here, and now I work here. 10/10 would recommend

I haven't been here since I was a child, however there is a really nice bicycle trail that goes right past Welch (Cannon River Trail) that is far more enjoyable with great scenery.

Great skiing and service. Food is a little steep and no wifi. Great place though!

Ski patrol is on point at this place. Snowboarded for the first time and it was rough. They checked in with me to see if i was ok. It is a bit far from the cities, but if you are good at the winter sports it is well worth it. Snow boarding is not something picked up right away as a skier... lol

Our favorite ski hill in Minnesota! They have a good variety of runs and it's not overly crowded like some places can be. Helpful staff as well make it a fun outing!

Pros: Best skiing in the midwest in my experiences. They've got a good assortment of slopes. The "black bowl" on the back side has exclusively black diamonds and double black diamonds which are impressively challenging for the midwest.

Cons: The lifts on the back side close at 4 before it gets dark since there are no lights on the back side. They also do not allow rental gear in the terrain park (understandable, but kind of lame).

What Welch lacks in service it makes up for in skiable terrain. With the best runs in the metro you'd be hard pressed to find a better place for a days worth of skiing.

The chalet is dated as compared to other local ski operations. There is a good variety of food offered in the food court. A bar at the main chalet and one on the far side of the ski hill, Mad Jaxx, give adults an opportunity to relax with a beverage and to catch the game.

If ambiance is important then you may want to consider other options. If a larger variety of skiable terrain suitable for all age and abilities is important then you've found your place.

Welch offers a wide range of lesion options and family day packages. Although nothing can compare to Out West, Welch makes the most out of its terrain and gives skiers a great opportunity to enjoy their Winter Sport locally.

First time skiing and we had A-BLAST!!! We took the adults group lesson at 10 am, and Reid and Jeremiah were great instructors, patient and reassuring. I got confident enough to go down the easy hill on my own, and now I need to practice turns to slow down, but without falling, because I did fall a bit hard a few times. I'd recommend faster check-in, as it took us around an hour to be all set. Equipment rental process was fast and easy.

The downhill mountain bike courses are top notch. Love riding there and all day pass is $25....not bad for a lift ticket. 4 stars because I wish they had weekday and evening hours in the summer. It doesn't get dark until well after 8 and so I am not sure why they close at 5pm.

Welch Village is the best ski area in close proximity to the Twin cities. They have the most varied terrain and good service!

Great local spot to hit the slopes and the terrain park. Even though it's a busy season right now. They do a great job on grooming the snow, running smooth and still make amazing burgers at the Mad jaxx restaurant. Thank for your hard work especially on the cold days!