In Iowa and confused about skiing

mcswizzle

mcswizzle

Member
Hello Midwesterners!

I'm currently attending school in Iowa (Grinnell) and was wondering where the best skiing is around here. I'm from Colorado (a weird place to leave if you like skiing), so I literally know nothing about the Midwest ski scene. I'm looking to buy a pass somewhere this season, but I'm not really sure which mountain has a decent park. I've heard good things about Chestnut, but again, I have absolutely no idea if those rumors are true. Please give me some recommendations and shoot me a PM if you're in Iowa. I would love to meet skiers here, but there don't seem to be very many around!

Any help would be appreciated!
 
You are a few years too late for fun valley in Montezuma...never been but years ago they did have an old circus machine style pipe dragon, they tried...Seven Oaks is in Boone, there are two chair lifts, tubing and some rails...that is where I grew up skiing, stealing shovels, and raking the park even when they would turn the lights off and I would spend hours in the dark doing what I loved...it is what it is and since I left there is nobody with any sort of passion toward producing decent features, but it is still a fun Midwestern time…being able to sit on a lift and take a few runs is comforting…but since you go to school in Grinnell I would suggest the drive to Chestnut...if you like to ride park do not whatever your friends may say, DO NOT GO TO SUNDOWN...central Iowans are in tunnel vision with sundown…I worked there for a year on park crew when I moved to the area for college so I could afford a pass to chestnut…but I was offered a job by the park manager at chestnut and took it immediately… few people in central Iowa have ever heard of Chestnut…drive the extra 20 minutes to Chestnut...every day we go to work around 7AM and groom the park until we are done which usually is about 11ish...or whenever it is up to our standards…we do the best we can…However, do plan some trips when and after the big nut open when our large park is set up in late February and the sun is strong and the snow is soft!
 
this is true, chestnuts park is always legit, also idk how far grinell is from the quad cities but you could always check out snowstar in andalusia, its really small but has a good feel to it.
 
For sure go to Chestnut. Amazing park, good vibes, the whole package. Traveling Circus even filmed there last season. Sundown's crew has no passion for their job, although they are getting a little better every season. I go to Sundown becuase it is close, but once I get enough money to buy a pass at Chestnut, that's where I'll be. Tyrol Basin has a legit park as well, but that would be a pretty hefty drive.
 
Chestnut sounds like the place to go. Hopefully it will stop fucking raining and snow for a change. Anyway, thanks for the heads up about Sundown, I was seriously considering buying a pass there haha.
 
I just wanted to reiterate everything that was said about Sundown being sub-par in here since threads about Iowa/Illinois are so few in this forum. I skied at Sundown for 9 seasons and every year was pretty pathetic. The place is basically a gaper free-for-all that also serves as the local daycare for middle to upper class Asbury, Iowa. The "park" is always chock-full of disrespectful little shit heads and idiotic rednecks, making the hill's ACL-blowingly bad features even more dangerous. In addition, the management is completely moronic, and the owners and management always project an attitude like, "this is our private ski hill, but we grant the public the privilege of skiing here."

To say that the park crew has nobody passionate about improving the situation would have been false back when I skied there. Guys like Chris and Cody (and eventually Fight_the_NWO) were always putting forth the effort, but again, much of what could have been accomplished was stifled by the retarded higher-ups. These kind of people eventually left because of how bad it was. Progression there is pretty difficult due to conditions, and you WILL get your ticket clipped or your pass pulled/suspended for trying anything inverted/corked.

Sundown does have late-night skiing some nights of the year where they will be open til midnight, so that can be fun if you come with a few buddies and get shitfaced in the parking lot and then go get rowdy on the hill.

To conclude this rant, go to Chestnut. Good park, fun runs, nice facilities, and a pretty awesome unique view of the Mississippi River.
 
chestnut is very good option but hands down the best park your gonna find in the midwest which is on the same level as a park out west is Granite Peak.

74 trails.

6 parks consisting of a begginer park with rollers and little boxes an intermediate park with some 15-20 footers a rail garden with 15-20 rails a showtime park with a 40 50 and 60 footer a 8 jump jump line with jumps ranging from 20-35 feet and finally an all natural park complete with log grinds tree quarterpipe and tree bonk.

Needless to say it is fucking epic.
 
dude i wish i had the money to go to chestnut all the time but i agree with you about the park sucking i went yeserday and they have a fun box, a down flat down and a handrail , a picnic table and a hitching post it is fkn pathetic
 
I was gona go over break but my binding broke so i never got a chance to but i seen a vid of it and it didnt look to impressive but they do hav a jump line which is nice
 
Only being able to make snow for one night every week takes a toll on what can be built...Just one week of cold temps would allow us to make enough snow to last the rest of the season...this time last year the snow along the fence was 10 feet deep!
 
they say the will hav them up this weekend but the park still sucks and the flipping thing is so stupid most kids that try a flipp r pretty good and know wat tthey r gettin into
 
Did they seriously throw you out? I ski sundown most of the time and I've seen kids pull backflips a couple of times. I think I'm gonna take the extra 30 min next year and head to Chestnut
 
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