Buck Hill 2020 forward

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Buck Hill, Crystal Lake and surrounding area summer 2020Drone photograph compliments of Buck Hill.

Buck HillBuck Hill clothing 2020.

Buck HillBuck Hill has rebranded its restaurant and bar to become Buck 54 Bar and Grill opening in September 2020.
Buck Hill considers its opening year as 1954 although the slopes were in use decades before. Photo by the Burnsville Historical Society.

Buck Hill's Buck 54 Bar and GrillThe Buck 54 Bar and Grill, opened in 2020.

In 1954, Chuck and Nancy Stone established a small ski resort just south of the Twin Cities in Burnsville, Minnesota. Over the years, this little resort now known as Buck Hill Ski and Snowboard Area has grown into international recognition. Thousands of guests crossing generations, have experienced the charm and created memories at this now famous facility. Everyone has a story – whether it’s the place they learned to ski or snowboard, raced mountain bikes, attended a concert, a class reunion, awards banquet, participated in a race league, tubing outing, fashion show, attended New Year’s Eve, made snow, taught a lesson, patrolled the slopes, work now or have in the past – It holds a place for us all. BUCK ’54 BAR & GRILL is your neighborhood establishment that you can share those memories and a place to create new ones. If you have an item or picture that you would like to share, please bring it in. They will find it a home for all to enjoy!

Buck HillBuck Hill, September 2020.

Buck HillThe Buck Hill Clock Tower, September 2020.

Buck HillSeptember 2020, the grand opening of Buck 54.

In 1954, Chuck and Nancy Stone established a small ski resort just south of the Twin Cities in Burnsville, Minnesota. Over the years, this little resort now known as Buck Hill Ski and Snowboard Area has grown into international recognition. Thousands of guests crossing generations, have experienced the charm and created memories at this now famous facility. Everyone has a story – whether it’s the place they learned to ski or snowboard, raced mountain bikes, attended a concert, a class reunion, awards banquet, participated in a race league, tubing outing, fashion show, attended New Year’s Eve, made snow, taught a lesson, patrolled the slopes, work now or have in the past – It holds a place for us all. BUCK ’54 BAR & GRILL is your neighborhood establishment that you can share those memories and a place to create new ones. If you have an item or picture that you would like to share, please bring it in. They will find it a home for all to enjoy!

Buck HillThe welcoming directional sign at the entry of Buck Hill with the bar, restaurant still listed as the Black Diamond.

Buck Hill has rebranded its restaurant and bar to become Buck 54 Bar and Grill opening in September 2020.
Buck Hill considers its opening year as 1954 although the slopes were in use decades before.
The top of the main bar at Buck 54 is filled with historic photos and articles.
Photo by the Burnsville Historical Society.

Buck 54 Bar and GrillBuck Hill's bar and restaurant is re-branded as Buck 54.

Buck HillInformational sign September 2020.

Buck 54 opens at Buck Hill 2020There’s a new restaurant at the hill! Come on out for the Grand Opening of BUCK ’54 Bar & Grill on Thursday, Sept 24, 2020. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony at 3pm complete with live music from 3-6pm and 7-10pm and they will be open for eats and drinks from 11am-11pm! You won’t want to miss checking out their expanded outdoor deck and trying the delicious new menu items! There will also be fun ways to win prizes throughout the day so stop on by!

Buck HillSeptember 2020 view of Buck Hill.

Buck HillA view of the Buck Hill campus, September 2020.

David Solner owner Buck Hill 2020Photo by John Gessner Sun Thisweek News:

Buck ’54 Bar and Grill opens at Buck Hill October 2, 2020 by John Gessner:

Owner harbors vision for ski property

Anyone remember the Sports Bucket Restaurant at Buck Hill in Burnsville? Tucker’s? Or more recently, the Black Diamond Restaurant?

A new chapter in the 42-year history of dining and drinking at the ski and snowboard hill west of Interstate 35 opened on Sept. 22 with the Buck ’54 Bar and Grill.

It’s the creation of Buck Hill owner David Solner, who reclaimed the restaurant after the Black Diamond, which was leasing the space, closed in March because of the pandemic.

A large deck addition, Buck Hill memorabilia and specialty cocktails such as the Rope Tow and Slope Chaser are calling cards of the new restaurant, named for the year the ski slope opened.

It’s another step in Solner’s effort to fashion Buck Hill as a year-around entertainment destination after buying the business five years ago with former partner Don McClure and buying his share in 2018.

“We have a great following, a great legacy, with the skiing,” said Solner, an architect by trade who lives in Apple Valley. “But we are located in a beautiful kind of oasis in the middle of an urban environment. A lot of people who don’t ski never come out here.”

The restaurant is on the north end of the property on the second floor of the Buckstone Lodge, which also houses Buck Hill’s events center and ski school.

“The deck is really our big transformation,” Solner said. “It’s 20 feet wide and 70 feet long, and it connects to our existing deck. So we have plenty of capacity out there to expand and social distance.”

The deck alone will accommodate 175 at full capacity and fewer under socially distanced table spacing. Live music has been featured on the deck on Fridays and Saturdays.

It’s an all-weather deck facing south and west with generous sunlight exposure and a great view of the hill, Solner said.

“A lot of our skiers enjoy sitting outside no matter what because they’re dressed for it, but we will be adding some heaters as we get into the fall and winter,” he said.

Inside the Buck ’54, a trove of Buck Hill history — in the form of newspaper clippings, photos of longtime staff members and champion skiers, racing programs and other memorabilia — is preserved under a clear acrylic bar top.

“It’s something different as you’re sitting in a new location,” Solner said. “You get a different experience each time sitting at the bar and learn a little bit about the history of Buck Hill.”

The menu is casual American with weekly specials such as a Friday fish fry and Saturday night prime rib dinner, Solner said. And, of course, those specialty cocktails alongside beers, wines and other spirits.

“A lot of people that frequent here can understand what a Yard Sale is,” Solner said.

A new Buck Hill tradition under his ownership, the outdoor Buck Concert Series that was scheduled for June, was canceled because of the pandemic. Bands booked included Soul Asylum, and Solner had hoped to draw several thousand people. Plans are to resume the series next June 24-26.

Knowing Buck Hill’s aging complex of buildings must be eventually replaced, Solner harbors visions of a more diverse future for the business that might include hotel rooms, indoor training facilities and more banquet or restaurant space.

“The vision is to do something on top of the hill someday as well,” said Solner, who owns the business with his wife, Chip. “If you’re not a skier you may not have ever experienced the top of Buck Hill and what it has to offer, and if we could provide some type of facility up there to watch the sunsets — a restaurant, a deck — things like that up on top would be fantastic.”

Buck Hill December 2020The snow crew is hard at work making as much snow as possible. Buck Hill is known for having the best and most consistent snow quality in the region. Our snow guns are extremely powerful, efficient, and provide an incredible amount of coverage in short periods of time.

Convid 19 at Buck HillThe addition of face masks, Buck Hill November 2020 Covid 19. Photo compliments of Buck Hill.

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