What is the best part of suffering through this breath-catching frigid season? Is it dreaming of the delicious summer weather only a few long months away? Well, yes. But this arctic season also offers a few snippets of fun that those stationed in Florida never get to experience. One of those advantages of North Dakota is the quaint and affordable ski slopes and parks within driving distance. Even though it isn’t known for its mountainous terrain, the Peace Garden State offers several small, but mighty, ski resorts. One of which is Frost Fire Park, located in Walhalla, about three and half hours away from Minot.

This fully-stocked winter park has everything any beginner or serious shredder would need. Patricia Gorder, Frost Fire General Manager, said she meets people everyday who are amazed and fully impressed with the snow and quality of runs at Frost Fire. She mentioned that semi-professional skiers and snowboards often stop in at Frost Fire Park before heading out west to some of the larger and more exotic (and more expensive) ski resorts.

The park is also newly reopened this year after their snow infrastructure failed in 2022-23. The park was devastated to have to be closed an entire season–after all they even remained open during the height of the Covid Pandemic–so this was a hard hit. But, they are back this year better than ever and ready to brave the freezing temps together with a brand new snow machine.

When asked what makes Frost Fire stand out from the other small-ish ski parks in the state, Gorder said, “Our unique lodge, which offers a different vibe, as well as our customer service, quality of snow and family-friendly atmosphere”.
Frost Fire is generally open on weekends and holidays from 10am- 4pm, but make sure and check their website https://frostfirepark.org/winter-season-calendar for opening times as these can always change. A unique function of Frost Fire, and clear representation of the supportive and good-will of the state itself, is the “Sister Resort” program. A few of the resorts in their “Sister Resort” program are Bottineau Winter Park, Huff Hills, Thrill Hills Ski Area, Andes Tower Hills, and Buena Vista Ski Area. Their website states, “Frost Fire Park will offer full day lift tickets at half price to season pass holders from the area resorts.”

Frost Fire also gives a 10% military discount everyday on lift tickets, rentals and lessons. Don’t let the cold get you down this winter. Bundle up and head out to Frost Fire Park and discover why you too can become a chionophile (I dare you to look it up) and enjoy the winter here in North Dakota maybe even more than the summer.