Huff Hills

What Huff Hills does

Huff Hills Ski Area, Inc. is a privately-owned, independently-operated ski resort located 16 miles south of Bismarck/Mandan, North Dakota, on the western slope of the Missouri River. Founded in January 1993 by Jim Beck and a group of investors on the site of the former 1960s Twilight Hills area, the resort operates as North Dakota's largest ski area with 16 runs, a 450-foot vertical drop, three lifts (two Hall 1405 double chairlifts and a handle tow), and snowmaking coverage on more than 80% of its terrain. The resort's underlying technical platform includes fan-gun snowmaking fed by a 2.5-mile pipeline drawing from the Missouri River, snowcat grooming, a staffed terrain park, and a lodge with food service, rentals, and ticketing. Seasonal operations are heavily dependent on snowmaking given the region's 40-inch annual natural snowfall average.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer business model across multiple revenue streams: daily lift tickets (tiered by age, time of day, and weekday/weekend), annual season passes (Adult, Child, Senior, Student, Family), equipment rentals and seasonal leases, lessons, group bookings, the Youth Ski Team program, night skiing, and lodge food/merchandise sales. Season passes are sold at preseason discounts and provide reciprocal benefits through the Indy Pass Add-On network and sister resort agreements with North Dakota's other four ski areas plus Mt. Bohemia and Andes Tower Hills. Pricing is modest and locally calibrated, with group rates for schools at $35/student including lift and rental, and a $200 season equipment lease program for families.

The customer base is concentrated in the Bismarck/Mandan regional market and segmented into families/individuals, school groups (public, private, and home school), youth ski team members, the adaptive/disability community (via Hope's Vision events), and church/family reunion groups. Marketing is community-led via website, blog, newsletter, social media, and on-site events, with no digital native go-to-market. Ownership remains with the founding Beck family and local investors; no private equity, venture capital, or acquisition activity has been disclosed. The company is positioned as a stable, seasonal, regionally-anchored recreational business with limited expansion optionality beyond its catchment area.

Name

Huff Hills

Legal name

Huff Hills Ski Area, Inc.

Website

https://huffhills.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Huff Hills Ski Area is a privately-owned ski resort in Mandan, North Dakota, serving the Bismarck/Mandan region since 1993 with lift tickets, season passes, equipment rentals, lessons, a youth ski racing team, and adaptive skiing events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ski Resort and Winter Recreation

NAICS

Skiing Facilities (71392), Skiing Facilities (713920), Recreational Goods Rental (532284)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Ski Areas & Lift Operations (Independent Mountains) (THAAAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Winter Equipment Rental, Demo & Repair (Skis/Boards/Boots, Tuning) (THAAAJAH), Winter Adventure & Mountain Resorts (Ski, Snowboard, Snow Activities) (THAAAAAK)

Keywords

• Ski resort operations
• Winter recreation services
• Ski equipment rentals
• Ski instruction programs
• Terrain park access

Headquarters

HQ city

Mandan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Lift Tickets: One-time revenue from daily lift tickets including full-day, half-day, Thursday/Friday specials, and night skiing sessions. Online discounts incentivize advance purchase.
2. Season Passes: Recurring revenue from annual season passes sold at preseason (discounted) and regular prices. Passes provide unlimited access for the season and include benefits like free night skiing.
3. Equipment Rentals: Daily rental of ski/snowboard packages, helmets, and demo ski packages. Season rentals also available for $200.
4. Ski and Snowboard Lessons: 1.5-hour group lessons offered at $45 with scheduled start times. Instructors provide lessons for beginners through intermediate levels.
5. Group Bookings: Special group rates for organizations with 15+ people. School groups pay $35/student including lift ticket and rental package.
6. Food Service and Merchandise: Lodge food service featuring burgers, sandwiches, wraps, pizza, hot/cold drinks, beer, soup, chili, and bars. Also sells accessories like goggles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Huff Hills is a North Dakota ski resort that sells lift-served skiing and snowboarding access, seasonal and daily lift tickets, ski and snowboard equipment rentals, ski and snowboard lessons, terrain park access, on-mountain food and beverage service, group and corporate event hosting, and a youth ski team program. The core product is paid access to a winter mountain recreation experience, supplemented by ancillary services such as instruction and rentals.

Product overview

Huff Hills Ski Area is a ski resort offering skiing and snowboarding on 16 runs with a 450-foot vertical drop, located 16 miles south of Bismarck/Mandan, ND. The product portfolio centers on lift access (daily tickets and season passes), equipment rentals and leases, and snowsports instruction through the SnowSports School. Additional offerings include a Youth Alpine Ski Team with competitive racing programs, a dedicated terrain park with freestyle features, night skiing events, group event hosting for organizations and schools, and reciprocal pass benefits through the Indy Pass network and sister resort partnerships. The resort operates food service (Country Kitchen) and provides optional season equipment leases as add-on products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lift Tickets (Daily Access) Daily paid access to the ski hill's chairlifts and trails for individual recreational skiers and snowboarders.
• Season Passes Multi-month or full-season unlimited access to the resort's lifts and trails for individual skiers and snowboarders.
• Ski and Snowboard Equipment Rentals Per-use rental of skis, snowboards, boots, poles, and helmets for resort guests who do not own their own equipment.
• Ski and Snowboard Lessons Paid ski and snowboard instruction for beginners through advanced participants, delivered by resort staff.
• Terrain Park Access Access to a designated freestyle area with jumps, rails, and features for freestyle skiers and snowboarders.
• On-Mountain Food and Beverage Service Food and beverage service provided to guests on-site at the resort during operating hours.
• Group and Corporate Events Hosted group outings, corporate events, and ski/snowboard outings for organizations and parties at the resort.
• Youth Ski Team Program Recurring youth ski development program for children and adolescents, providing organized training and team participation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90% terrain open nearly every day during strong snow seasons
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Indy PasscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Indy Add-On Pass partnership allowing Huff Hills season pass holders to access 2 days at 300+ resorts globally. Season pass to Huff Hills required. Waitlist available through indyskipass.com.
• Mt. BohemiaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMichigan's UP ski area offers Huff Hills pass holders 1 free day of skiing/riding. Known for no grooming, no snowmaking, and 300+ inches of annual snow.
• Andes Tower HillsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNorth Dakota ski area offering Huff pass holders 50% off full-day ticket price.
• North Dakota Sister Ski AreascoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSeason pass unlocks 50% off full-day tickets at ND's four other ski areas.
• Hope's Vision / Dreams In MotioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual adaptive skiing event providing opportunities for people with visual impairments and/or physical disabilities. Partners with Dreams In Motion Inc. for program delivery.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/huff-hills

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Huff Hills