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Skiers Ring In Frigid New Year's Day At Buck Hill

BURNSVILLE, Minn. (WCCO) -- The bitter cold didn't keep people from hitting the slopes Monday.

This is Minnesota, after all, and winter is part of the package.

But that doesn't mean there aren't any dangers when the temperatures dip below zero.

Hello to 2018, but no goodbye just yet to the bitter cold. Of course that won't keep the hardiest of Minnesotans from celebrating New Year's Day on the slopes.

"It's cold but it's better than being inside, right? The sun is shining and it's a little bit warmer, not much, than yesterday, but still warmer, right," Matt Davis said.

Matt Davis and his daughters are braving the elements to take advantage of the last day of winter break.

There's nothing Lauren Davis would rather be doing than skiing to welcome in the New Year.

"No, really not, just skiing, it's really fun," she said.

"It's definitely freezing but skiing makes up for it. You kind of forget about it," Kaylee Davis said.

All but forgotten because these skiers dressed smartly in layers.

It's no surprise to Buck Hill Owner Don McClure. He says even the frigid temperatures won't keep skiers away.

"Skiing is a lifetime sport and an example of that is you can do it with multiple generations you know, parents, children, grandparents, it's a lifetime sport and it's what we do in Minnesota and if you don't ski you can certainly tube," McClure said.

Which is exactly what we did.

While much of the day was below freezing, it's certainly more bearable than it has been lately, and the youngsters are right, it's easy to forget about the cold when you're having fun.

And even with ice crystals on this skier's eyelashes, he says today was a piece of cake.

"It was a lot colder yesterday and I was here yesterday so this isn't that bad compared to yesterday," Alex Kaizer said. "I've been here on colder days, definitely."

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