IPOS 2: Buck Hill

Buck Hill was also started by none other than Fred Pabst Jr. (think PBR) in the 1930s as one of the many midwest resorts he planned to open. Just a short drive from the Twin Cities, it was fairly accessible to those living in the city. But a few bad snow years caused Pabst to abandon it. In 1954, after being set up on a blind date and hitting it off, Chuck and Nancy Stone decided it would be fun to own a ski resort. They looked for the biggest hill in the Minneapolis area and landed on Buck Hill. Two weeks and $3,700 later, they leased Buck. Chuck and Nancy were both ski racers at the University of Minnesota and had started the now-iconic race program at Buck Hill. The legendary race coach Erich Sailer would start working there in 1956 and produced many of the top ski racers for the US Olympic Team, including three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Lindsey Vonn. Buck Hill continues to be a top training ground for ski racers. The Stone family ran Buck Hill for 61 years. When Chuck Stone suddenly died in 1994, his daughter, Jessica and her mother took over operations.

Lindsey Vonn, ever heard of her? | Izzy Lidsky photo.

We started our day by riding the lift to Buck's highest point. From there we could see the city skyline, smokestacks rising from far away, and cars buzzing by on the interstate. Certainly an interesting view paired with a chairlift. The top of the hill was home to two racing start gates whose 70s style architecture made for some pretty fun images. We linked up with a couple ski racers to see just how fast you could get going at Buck Hill and after watching them, it was clear to me that this place would live up to its reputation.

Once the snow had softened and wasn't quite so easy to dig a racing edge in, we mosied over to the terrain park. My eye was quickly caught by a group of kids going bigger and bigger off the last jump with each lap. After snapping some photos of them, I realized they had actually come out knowing we'd be there filming. We followed them over to a set of jibs and watched wide eyed as they shredded every single feature in the park. Like other mountains we'd seen, the presence of a rope-tow meant these kids could lap one feature over or the entire park over and over and over. Although we'd seen a lot of impressive park skiing throughout the trip, the combination of the features and this crew of kids hyping each other up made for some of the best shots in the film. Although Buck Hill is known for racing, its park scene is definitely thriving and creating some amazing skiers.

The locals definitely know how to throw down. | Izzy Lidsky photo.

With two memory cards filled from the park, it was time we got a dose of Buck Hill history. We decided to meet up with Jessica Stone for a couple runs. Daughter of Chuck and Nancy Stone, Jessica's own history is ingrained deep into Buck Hill. When Chuck Stone suddenly died, his daughter, Jessica and her mother took over operations. Jessica has been an integral part of the resort since then and is credited with naming the 'Olympic Dreams' training run. In 2015, an offer they couldn't refuse came up and they sold the resort to Chip and Dave Solner. Chip and Jessica also found an endearing friendship through the sale of the resort and through Chip, Jessica remains involved and at home at Buck Hill. She took us over to Olympic Dreams where a larger than life portrait of Lindsey Vonn is displayed on the side of the start gate. Having raced herself, watching Jessica ski the afternoon slush was impressive in its own right. She maintained a control I could only hope to get near even without a camera bag.

It's hard to believe the caliber of skiing that has come out this tiny hill just outside a major urban area. | Izzy Lidsky photo.

It was clear that there were many special things about Buck Hill beyond just the number of Olympians it had produced. I don't know what I'd expected from a ski resort just outside the Twin Cities but I was certainly impressed by what I found. But now it was time to head North.