Resort Review: Welch Village
Welch Village is a small but pleasant place for riders and skiers in southern Minnesota, northern Iowa and western Wisconsin. Now if it only would have a more honest trail map.
Welch is one of the several ski areas in the Twin Cities area. It's southeast of Saint Paul, beyond land that is still home to corn fields and cow pastures. A friend of mine says "In Minnesota, we don't ski down mountains; we ski down to rivers." And that's certainly the case for Welch Village. Its 330-or-so vertical feet aren't of the "Mount Trashmore" variety, in which a bump on the land is created through the development and then closure of a landfill.
Instead, Welch's slidable surfaces come about because you descend into a river valley, take a lift up to the "normal" altitude for the region, and then take your snowboard or ski back down. Hey, at least you've got the scenery of a river, on your short (one intersection) trip through "downtown" Welch.
A recent trip to Welch Village the day after a major snowstorm convinced me of this fact: It wins the award in the Twin Cities for "most treacherous last-3 miles of approach." The trip from the north is on County Road 7, two-lane, twisting road that goes both down (and sometimes back up, temporarily) and side-to-side on its way to the Cannon River, "downtown" Welch, and then to the ski area. It's a great drive on a summer day when the sun is shining and you're in a convertible with the top down. But the drive can be a bit uncomfortable during the winter when the roads are snowpacked and slippery.
Welch isn't the largest ski area in the Twin Cities, nor does it have the longest runs. But I do like the feel of it. I can't explain why or what exactly. Maybe it's the drive there, both on County Road 7 and 240th street, which goes straight but which has a series of 50-foot peaks-and-troughs. Maybe the trees are more interesting. It could be that the base village looks marginally more attractive than those found elsewhere. Again, I'm not sure why, but I like it.
Welch faces north, with 3 major sections. From the top of the middle grouping of lifts, you can descend into any of those sections. You can also go, if you get the right lift, go from east to west in one lift ride and one run. But you can't make the west-to-east trip in just one trip; the layout doesn't allow for that, and the permanent closure of one run--more on that later--doesn't help matters.
My favorite part of Welch may be the eastern section. It's got a couple of country-road runs through trees, both which open into a meadow suitable for trying ground 360s, small jumps, or the maximizing-snowboarding-time maneuver known as riding from one edge of the meadow to the other.
The east also has a couple of green runs that require some skating to get to from off the lift, but which can reward you with powder (along the edges) after the good stuff has been smashed down elsewhere. But these beginner trails actually require some intermediate skills to use properly, as they empty out into a long nearly-flat road that actually has a slight incline just before it drops down into the meadow. If you're going to avoid a quarter-mile walk, you better keep up your speed, which newbies can find unsettling.
The east is also the home of the promised "future back bowl." This has been on a feature on trail maps for at least 3 seasons if not longer. Two years ago I was told that the timber harvesting was going to start soon. During my recent visit, I did notice a construction fence beyond the easternmost lift. And sure enough, I did see a space that appeared to have been cleared of trees, at the top of a ravine. I wished I could have gotten a better view of what the terrain might look like, but I respect private property, so I stayed within the fence line. The day was overcast so I couldn't see far into it. I'm looking forward to riding into this terrain should it ever open, but I suspect there's a lot of work yet to do, including installing pipes for snowmaking (an essential around here), installing lifts, and before all that, the enduring the environmental review process.
The east section of Welch is also home to Madd Jaxx, the place to enjoy an adult beverage. Tailgating commonly takes place in the parking lot, which is accessible to the main base area by a dirt road. Jaxx has the usual collection of ski bar kitsch: old skis and snowboards nailed into the ceiling; a license plate from a state (Montana--Minnesotans seem to love Montana) blessed with far better terrain; and advertisement after advertisement for beer and hard liquors. That latter--including a 4-foot tall poster of Captain Morgan--is a bit over-the-top for my preferences, but then again, I don't own the place.
Moving from east to west, you have a couple of decent diamonds that are used for slalom racing, which is a big deal in these parts. There's also a bumps run--which I tried but didn't handle too well--and a sorta-kinda halfpipe. Welch did have a very good halfpipe two or three years ago, but it's gone, replaced by more kickers and other park features.
The steepest section among the always-open slopes is called Chicken. It's reasonably gentle on top and becomes more severe until right before the end. I don't straightline it.
After you ride the top fifth of Chicken, you can take a short path to the east and another trail. The name of that path: Chicken Little.
If you keep riding on Chicken until just before it drops off, you have another opportunity to leave, to the west. The name of that exit: Chicken Out. A sense of humor is also evident in the name of a beginner's trail of "Mary Jane." I'm not thinking of reefer so much as the bumps run at Winter Park that has the same name. What a contrast.
Welch also has a decent-sized terrain park with rails and kickers. It used to be home of the halfpipe, as I said, and even before that, Eurocarvers used to love the space as a place to do their magic. No more.
Terrain is what it is, and I can't fault Welch for not being Whistler. But if there's one thing that I can fault it for, it's the trail markings. Welch, like a lot of areas, inflates its trail count.
The marketing material boasts of 50 runs. But in in the five years that I have been visiting (at least once a year, some years, often), a few maps on the trail have never been open. These include (for those of you in the area): Southern Cross, Eastern Star, Adam's Rib, and Cedar Fork. There are also two double-diamonds that I have never seen open. I've been told that they do get used on powder days, though truth be told I'm not sure that I'd want to try them. If you would, get there exactly on the powder day; if you're there the day after, you'll be out of luck.
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Another problem with the trail count is that things that should never have a separate name do. Two short trails start at the top and then merge to form a single trail? Three names.
One unique feature of Welch is that none of the eight lifts are rope tows. That's good for newbies, and for snowboarders generally. Speaking of newbies, Welch has a solid area for novices, complete with a mini-terrain park in which the features are mere inches above the ground.
Make sure you know what lifts are running before you start; in non-peak times, the eastern slopes are closed, and the closure of some lifts can leave riders with a long walk back to a chair.
Welch is one of the several ski areas in the Twin Cities area. It's southeast of Saint Paul, beyond land that is still home to corn fields and cow pastures. A friend of mine says "In Minnesota, we don't ski down mountains; we ski down to rivers." And that's certainly the case for Welch Village. Its 330-or-so vertical feet aren't of the "Mount Trashmore" variety, in which a bump on the land is created through the development and then closure of a landfill.
Instead, Welch's slidable surfaces come about because you descend into a river valley, take a lift up to the "normal" altitude for the region, and then take your snowboard or ski back down. Hey, at least you've got the scenery of a river, on your short (one intersection) trip through "downtown" Welch.
A recent trip to Welch Village the day after a major snowstorm convinced me of this fact: It wins the award in the Twin Cities for "most treacherous last-3 miles of approach." The trip from the north is on County Road 7, two-lane, twisting road that goes both down (and sometimes back up, temporarily) and side-to-side on its way to the Cannon River, "downtown" Welch, and then to the ski area. It's a great drive on a summer day when the sun is shining and you're in a convertible with the top down. But the drive can be a bit uncomfortable during the winter when the roads are snowpacked and slippery.
Welch isn't the largest ski area in the Twin Cities, nor does it have the longest runs. But I do like the feel of it. I can't explain why or what exactly. Maybe it's the drive there, both on County Road 7 and 240th street, which goes straight but which has a series of 50-foot peaks-and-troughs. Maybe the trees are more interesting. It could be that the base village looks marginally more attractive than those found elsewhere. Again, I'm not sure why, but I like it.
Welch faces north, with 3 major sections. From the top of the middle grouping of lifts, you can descend into any of those sections. You can also go, if you get the right lift, go from east to west in one lift ride and one run. But you can't make the west-to-east trip in just one trip; the layout doesn't allow for that, and the permanent closure of one run--more on that later--doesn't help matters.
My favorite part of Welch may be the eastern section. It's got a couple of country-road runs through trees, both which open into a meadow suitable for trying ground 360s, small jumps, or the maximizing-snowboarding-time maneuver known as riding from one edge of the meadow to the other.
The east also has a couple of green runs that require some skating to get to from off the lift, but which can reward you with powder (along the edges) after the good stuff has been smashed down elsewhere. But these beginner trails actually require some intermediate skills to use properly, as they empty out into a long nearly-flat road that actually has a slight incline just before it drops down into the meadow. If you're going to avoid a quarter-mile walk, you better keep up your speed, which newbies can find unsettling.
The east is also the home of the promised "future back bowl." This has been on a feature on trail maps for at least 3 seasons if not longer. Two years ago I was told that the timber harvesting was going to start soon. During my recent visit, I did notice a construction fence beyond the easternmost lift. And sure enough, I did see a space that appeared to have been cleared of trees, at the top of a ravine. I wished I could have gotten a better view of what the terrain might look like, but I respect private property, so I stayed within the fence line. The day was overcast so I couldn't see far into it. I'm looking forward to riding into this terrain should it ever open, but I suspect there's a lot of work yet to do, including installing pipes for snowmaking (an essential around here), installing lifts, and before all that, the enduring the environmental review process.
The east section of Welch is also home to Madd Jaxx, the place to enjoy an adult beverage. Tailgating commonly takes place in the parking lot, which is accessible to the main base area by a dirt road. Jaxx has the usual collection of ski bar kitsch: old skis and snowboards nailed into the ceiling; a license plate from a state (Montana--Minnesotans seem to love Montana) blessed with far better terrain; and advertisement after advertisement for beer and hard liquors. That latter--including a 4-foot tall poster of Captain Morgan--is a bit over-the-top for my preferences, but then again, I don't own the place.
Moving from east to west, you have a couple of decent diamonds that are used for slalom racing, which is a big deal in these parts. There's also a bumps run--which I tried but didn't handle too well--and a sorta-kinda halfpipe. Welch did have a very good halfpipe two or three years ago, but it's gone, replaced by more kickers and other park features.
The steepest section among the always-open slopes is called Chicken. It's reasonably gentle on top and becomes more severe until right before the end. I don't straightline it.
After you ride the top fifth of Chicken, you can take a short path to the east and another trail. The name of that path: Chicken Little.
If you keep riding on Chicken until just before it drops off, you have another opportunity to leave, to the west. The name of that exit: Chicken Out. A sense of humor is also evident in the name of a beginner's trail of "Mary Jane." I'm not thinking of reefer so much as the bumps run at Winter Park that has the same name. What a contrast.
Welch also has a decent-sized terrain park with rails and kickers. It used to be home of the halfpipe, as I said, and even before that, Eurocarvers used to love the space as a place to do their magic. No more.
Terrain is what it is, and I can't fault Welch for not being Whistler. But if there's one thing that I can fault it for, it's the trail markings. Welch, like a lot of areas, inflates its trail count.
The marketing material boasts of 50 runs. But in in the five years that I have been visiting (at least once a year, some years, often), a few maps on the trail have never been open. These include (for those of you in the area): Southern Cross, Eastern Star, Adam's Rib, and Cedar Fork. There are also two double-diamonds that I have never seen open. I've been told that they do get used on powder days, though truth be told I'm not sure that I'd want to try them. If you would, get there exactly on the powder day; if you're there the day after, you'll be out of luck.
cl
Another problem with the trail count is that things that should never have a separate name do. Two short trails start at the top and then merge to form a single trail? Three names.
One unique feature of Welch is that none of the eight lifts are rope tows. That's good for newbies, and for snowboarders generally. Speaking of newbies, Welch has a solid area for novices, complete with a mini-terrain park in which the features are mere inches above the ground.
Make sure you know what lifts are running before you start; in non-peak times, the eastern slopes are closed, and the closure of some lifts can leave riders with a long walk back to a chair.
Labels: Midwestern snowboarding, Resort reviews
posted at 6:21 AM
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