Record Number of Cross Country Ski Passes Sold

ST. PAUL Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials say sales of its statewide cross country ski pass are the best they’ve been in six years.

The DNR says more than 17,900 people bought the Great Minnesota Ski Pass, which is required to access many trails in the state. The agency collected more than $510,00 from sales, which will go toward trail maintenance, Minnesota Public Radio News reported.

The state Legislature in 2019 increased prices from $6 to $10 for the daily pass, from $20 to $25 for the annual pass and from $55 to $70 for the three-year pass

DNR spokeswoman Rachel Hopper said the trail maintenance fund saw decreasing revenue in recent years that forced a delayed payment to clubs in 2019, before the new prices were in effect. This winter’s boost, which she attributed in part to the COVID-19 pandemic steering people toward outdoor activity, has helped refill the fund.

“Sales were so good that we were able to move the payments back to the normal timing,” Hopper said.