Hyland Hills Ski Area

2 Freestyle Terrain 1 triple chairlift 1 rope tow 2 magic carpets

Hyland Hills Ski Area is a ski area in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States, just south of Minneapolis. It is owned and operated by Three Rivers Park District. As a popular destination located near the Mall of America, Hyland receives 160,000 visitors per year. While Minnesota's winters are cold, the average snowfall is low for a ski area (less than 60 in.); due to this, there is often use of artificial snow to help maintain the viability of the slopes.

In 2016 the chalet underwent a $13.3 million renovation that more than doubled the size of the previous. The new chalet is 36,000 square feet, and includes a gear shop, rentals, and a restaurant. The chalet is also open to hosting private events. Their rope tow, and terrain park are considered by many to be world-class.

Hyland Hills also has a schedule for updating chairlifts. They usually update their chairlifts every 25 years. Hyland has three chairlifts. All are quads. Hyland also has 3 rope tows and 2 magic carpets. Hyland has 4 beginner runs, 3 advanced, 5 intermediate, and 3 terrain parks including the beginner zone terrain park. All terrain parks are accessible by rope tow and in the case of the beginner zone terrain park magic carpet. One of the rope tows the race rope tow is very often closed and only open for race practice.

As early as 1945, the Hyland Hills Ski Area was known as Normandale Ski Hill, with an annual attendance of around 50,000 skiers. After a six-year snow drought, the number of skiers dropped significantly. This caused Normandale to purchase a snowmaker and a sitzlift in an attempt to bring more skiers into the area. The owners, Gordy Bowen and Oscar Strand, found that this did little to help their business as the man-made snow settled into a hard mass, and they did not have the grooming tools necessary to maintain the artificial snow.

Soon after Bowen and Strand's efforts, the Hennepin County Park Reserve District bought the area and renamed it to Hyland Hills Ski Area. With the addition of sophisticated grooming equipment, a new set of buildings, and proper chairlifts, the Hyland Hills Ski Area regained its former popularity.