Afton Alps
Afton Alps is a ski area owned by Vail Resorts which hosts a collection of ski and snowboard trails, located along the St. Croix River in the northeast corner of Denmark Township, Washington County, south of Afton, Minnesota in the United States.
There are nearly skiable at Afton Alps. The ski hill has of vertical drop. The Alps utilizes an extensive snowmaking system for maintaining the slopes during the winter months. There are a total of 36 trails with 15 chairlifts, three conveyor lifts, and a double-sided rope tow in the Landing Zone Terrain Park. There are five chalets, including the Meadows Chalet, the Highlands Chalet, the Alpine Chalet, Landing Zone and the Alps Chalet.
History
Brothers Paul and Bob Augustine and fellow farmer Paul Furlong opened Afton Alps on December 21, 1962, after having begun clearing trees just two months earlier in October. Thirty seven people attended on the first day, using tow ropes and one T-bar lift powered by a tractor engine. A chalet came along soon after. Two new chalets were opened in 1968. By 1971, Afton had six chairlifts, the most of any Midwest ski area outside of Michigan. Soon after, by 1974, Afton had three T-bar lifts, 12 chairlifts, and a poma lift. In 1976, Afton claimed over 200,000 visitors annually, who utilized 17 lifts and four chalets which cost $7.50 for a daily lift ticket.The Augustine brothers purchase Paul Furlong's share in the 1990s. When Paul Augustine died in 2011, his children John, David, and Amy took over operations.
Afton opened a snow tubing park, with 150 feet of vertical drop along a 1,000-foot run, in December 1997. By 2010, it had 18 chairlifts and 49 trails.