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Bloomington's Hyland Hills Set To Open New Chalet

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- An outdated chalet at a heavily-used Twin Cities ski area has finally been replaced.

The new $14 million Hyland Hills Ski Chalet in Bloomington is complete, after pulling together public financing and bonds.

Fred Seymour, senior manager of Alpine Services at Hyland Hills, says their old chalet -- built in 1974 -- was dated, overcrowded and uncomfortable.

"The space was very cramped and very, very small," Seymour said. "We were concerned about the skier experience. We've always had great snow conditions, great grooming, convenient spot. But once you were done with your skiing and wanted to come in and warm up or get something to eat or even go to the bathroom, it was challenging sometimes"

Seymour is eager for the grand opening of the new 37,000-square-foot space, which was a long time in the making.

New Hyland Hill Chalet
(credit: CBS)

"We've been talking about this and working on this since 2006, 2007," he said. "We're finally to this point, and I'm really excited for the guests."

Everything has changed, from the parking and changing rooms, to an on-site restaurant.

"This is awesome," Seymour said. "We've got several different stations. We got a charbroiler grill area, so fabulous cheeseburgers and French fries and all that good stuff."

Mom and dad can grab a coffee and free Wi-Fi, and still have a view of their kids.

"It's just a great view. You can see the whole entire ski area from end to end," he said. "It's going to be great for families."

New Hyland Hill Chalet
(credit: CBS)

Seymour says the experience on the hills will now be matched by the chalet.

"We started from scratch. There were a lot of deficiencies in the old building," Seymour said. "The design of this, the flow of this is just going to be so much better for the guest."

The grand opening of the chalet is Saturday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., with an official ribbon cutting at 2 p.m.

There will be a scavenger hunt, disc golf and discounts – and it is free to attend. Click here for more information.

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