Why are some skiers and snowboarders hiking up Buck Hill and Spirit Mountain?

On certain winter mornings, Kelly Draehn starts her day by stepping into the bindings of her split board — a type of snowboard that cleaves into separate halves — to climb a steep, snow-covered hill with only a headlamp to light her way.

At the top of her climb, she can see city lights against the morning sky as she sets up for her descent: removing the “skins” — strips of fabric that attach to the bottom of her board to allow her to climb uphill — before reattaching the two halves of her board and, finally, carving a path down through the freshly groomed snow.

Once at the bottom of the hill, she converts her snowboard back into skis and makes the circuit again. “There’s something about that fresh corduroy and hearing that scrape against the edge of your board as you come down,” she says.

Draehn’s routine might not be unusual if she lived in the mountains of Colorado or Utah, where alpine touring — a type of backcountry skiing using specialized equipment that allows riders to both climb uphill and ski down — has become increasingly popular in recent years. But her weekly foray into alpine touring doesn’t take place anywhere near the back country. It’s at Burnsville’s Buck Hill, a few hundred yards from Interstate 35, and one of only two ski resorts in Minnesota that allow what’s known as “uphill access.”

Uphill access at resorts like Buck allows riders to climb their slopes under their own power before skiing or snowboarding back down. Typically offered at times when the resort is not in operation, the activity often attracts riders looking to “earn their turns,” said Bo Bigelow, executive director of the Minnesota Ski Areas Association. Besides Buck Hill, the only other place in Minnesota that currently offers uphill access on a regular basis is Spirit Mountain in Duluth, Bigelow said.

Isabel Berg, who works at Gear West Ski & Bike Shop in Long Lake, explained that alpine touring is different from downhill skiing. It’s not just that downhill skiing typically involves accessing terrain via a ski lift. It also entails different types of gear, including climbing skins and special bindings that allow boot heels to detach for climbing but clip-in for descending.

Nationally, alpine touring has boomed in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic spurred many to find new hobbies. During the 2021-22 ski season alone, the U.S. saw a 96% increase in ski touring and a 50% increase in snowboard touring, according to a report from the Snowsports Industries of America, a trade group.

That newfound popularity is part of the reason Buck Hill decided to offer uphill access, said Nathan Birr, president of the resort. Birr organized the outings in 2021 when he noticed a void of hills that offered uphill access in the metro area. What started out with only five people has grown to include 40-50 people, who come out on early Friday mornings from January through March.

“When we started, it was a combination of wanting to give people the ability to ride in the resort while getting a workout in, without having to go to a gym, in the morning before work,” he said. “We were trying to reach a new community and broaden a new market ... and we wanted to be different and offer something unique.”

Uphill access is available at Buck Hill this year on Friday mornings until the end of the season, Birr said. The price of admission is $10 and uphill access is open from 6-8:30 a.m. before the hills open to the public at 10 a.m. Besides touring skis and splitboards, Buck Hill also allows riders to climb in their boots or use snowshoes.

Spirit Mountain allows for uphill access during nonoperating morning hours only and riders must be off the trails by 9:30 a.m. Riders need to have a valid alpine ticket (daily tickets are $80 for riders over 13 years old) or a Nordic ski pass (a day pass is $10) when using the uphill access trail there. The resort regularly changes which trails are available for uphill access so riders going multiple days in a row have varied experiences, said Jon Regenold, Spirit Mountain’s director of resort services. He estimates the busiest days see about 20 people hiking up the 700-foot hill.

There are limited uphill options in Minnesota because the demand is not as high as in other regions in the country, Bigelow said. Another reason there are fewer options in Minnesota: Smaller hills don’t have enough staff to coordinate such a feature, Bigelow said.

Because alpine touring is uncommon in Minnesota, Gear West teamed up with Buck Hill to oversee the weekly outings so that participants, many of whom are planning backcountry ski trips out West, would have experts on hand to answer questions.

For Draehn, much of the fun of the Friday excursions — besides trying out new gear and having first dibs on part of Buck Hill’s terrain — comes from the camaraderie formed with fellow riders. She recently formed a backcountry ski group with a friend to host informational events and trips to northern Minnesota.

For others, Birr said, it’s about getting a good workout or simply having a unique experience in the outdoors. “When you come for uphill, the sunrise is over Crystal Lake and it’s beautiful in the mornings,” he said. “There’s nothing like watching the sun coming over the lake. … It’s breathtaking.”