Hidden Valley Ski Area
Hidden Valley Ski Area is a ski resort in the St. Louis, Missouri suburb of Wildwood, Missouri.
| Hidden Valley Ski Area | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Hidden Valley Ski Area Location within Missouri | |
| Location | Wildwood, Missouri, United States |
| Coordinates | 38.535578°N 90.65287°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | 1982 |
| Owner | Vail Resorts |
| Vertical | 320 ft (98 m) |
| Skiable area | 65 acres (26 ha) |
| Runs | 17 |
| Lift system | 5 chairs, 4 surface lifts |
| Terrain parks | Yes, 2[1] |
| Snowmaking | Yes |
| Night skiing | Yes[2] |
| Website | Hiddenvalleyski.com |
About
The ski area consists of 17 trails on 65 acres (26 ha) of two different peaks to form a 320 ft vertical drop. All of these trails feature Snowmaking, with a capacity of 6600 gallons of water per minute. The trails are served by 9 lifts, 5 of which are chairlifts, the remaining 4 being surface lifts.[3]
History
Tim Boyd bought the Wildwood Golf Course for $250,000 in 1977. In 1982 he converted the hills to a ski resort while maintaining the golf course. The resort would be the first of several resorts throughout the Midwest and Northeast United States he developed or acquired through his company Peak Resorts.[4]
Boyd ultimately entered an agreement to place the ski resort in a conservation easement in exchange for permission to build 80 homes on the golf property (which has since been closed).[5]
At the beginning of the 2012–2013 season, Hidden Valley opened two additional runs on an adjacent hill. They dubbed this new area "West Mountain". With this expansion, one additional chair lift was added to allow access to these runs.
In January 2018, the City of Wildwood passed a vote to allow Hidden Valley to build a zip line tour which enabled the property to open year-round.[6] The ZipTour opened in June 2019.
In 2019, Vail Resorts acquired previous owner Peak Resorts, putting the ski area under its ownership.[7]
References
- "TERRAIN PARKS". hiddenvalleyski.com. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- Tritto, Christopher (2012-12-17). "The Unlikely Success of Missouri's Hidden Valley Ski Mountain". Outside. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- "RESORT INFORMATION". hiddenvalleyski.com. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- Boyd's ski resort revenue climbs to $85 million - St. Louis Business Journal - February 23, 2007
- "Hidden Valley saved - St. Louis Business Journal:." St. Louis Business Journal. October 22, 2008.
- "Wildwood votes to let Hidden Valley add zip line | Local Business | stltoday.com".
- Olmsted, Larry (2019-07-22). "Ski Travel Revolution: Vail Acquires 17 More Ski Resorts, Expands Epic Pass". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-02-08.