Burnsville, MN – There aren’t many 300-vertical foot ski hills with a world-famous legacy, but after having developed ski racers like Lindsey Vonn and Kristina Koznick, Buck Hill is one of them.
The Stone family, which has operated these 100 acres of floodlit slopes overlooking Interstate 35 just south of the Twin Cities since its inception in 1954, has sold Buck Hill to new owners with big plans – longtime manager Don McClure and two other investors, David Solner and his wife Corrine “Chip” Solner. The purchase price was not disclosed.
The new owners envision a next chapter of Buck Hill’s history that includes an artificial snowflex surface for year-round skiing, expanded summer mountain biking, an indoor training center with foam pits, and more.
“We are anticipating a great future for Buck Hill. We were never looking for a buyer, but when we saw an opportunity to carry on our legacy and enhance it with David’s vision and Don’s experience, we decided it was time,” says Nancy Stone. “It is important for us that Buck Hill grows into the future, and we believe the new team has the knowledge and wherewithal to do so.”
A resident of Apple Valley, Minn., David Solner has been a leader at the international design firm Cuningham Group Architecture, Inc. for the past 23 years, serving as partner and the largest shareholder in the firm’s Minneapolis office. His entire career has been built around designing entertainment facilities for notable companies globally, including Disney. His past firm also developed the master plan for the 2018 Olympic Village for the winter games in South Korea.