Spirit Mountain Recreation Area

"Personally, I had a terrible experience at Spirit Mountain. I'm a university student who came from another country to work there as a lift operator. I always had high expectations since it was my first time in the United States. Firstly, the treatment at work was awful. Despite the harsh cold, we were forced to be outside the cabins, which affected both my health and that of my colleagues since we weren't accustomed to such freezing weather. To use the bathrooms, one had to walk (if unlucky, to the farthest lift) to the chalet, and we would obviously be delayed due to the walk, for which we were scolded. For meals, we weren't given a specific time to eat; we were required to eat in the cabins, and there were times when it wasn't possible due to lack of staff. Once, Manager Luke yelled at me for being late, despite the fact that we had to walk to the chalet for meals and bathrooms, causing delays. The housing provided by Spirit Mountain for us (participants of the work and travel program from different countries) was awful: it smelled of w*ed, the rooms were uncomfortable as everything could be heard, and the kitchen was a mess, not worth the high price we were paying. Ultimately, I believe that a pay of $12.99 doesn't justify enduring the cold and suffering from the treatment we received. Despite that, I continued working, but the worst part was that if one wanted to get a second job, the schedule didn't allow it. All of us J1 participants were put on night shifts while their other non-J1 workers were on morning shifts - a bit odd, isn't it? Well, in the end, since I couldn't get a second job, I stopped working for Spirit. I hope that if anyone wants to work for them, they think twice because they'll have a tough time. Out of the 11 outdoor operations we were, only 6 remained; the rest left, and it's great they found something better!"

"Me and my family just got done tubing at Spirit Mountain…it was a terrible experience due to your staff. We are all first time tubers with kids ranging from 6-14. Every time we would come down, try to stop, drag our feet….they would still holler at us about stopping. Then, some guy on a snowmobile dressed in black came and YELLED at everyone that if they did they 3 times, the tuber was DONE and would be kicked out. I have to say…worst staff ever. So crabby, so awful. We just got done paying $175 to be yelled at and scolded. You should understand that these are not experienced tubers. I am angry and disgusted. You need to find some happier, better staff. I will tell everybody to stay away from this hill."

"I went today into the grand avenue chalet to pick up season passes ($1200 worth) and walked in and was greeted by dog poop on the carpet inside the chalet. The ticket area was a disaster and had things like equipment and ropes all over the floor that we had to step over and stand on. The quality of Spirit has gone down severely the last few years. Hours are inconsistent, passes are overpriced. Please stop moving the ticket counter, getting new plastic tables and repainting and focus on the actual experience. A lot of locals would love to be able to use Spirit but simply can’t afford it, I fortunately can but may go elsewhere next year."

"If you buy tickets online it's cheaper. 10 for $100. We also got free mini golf. We did the alpine coasters over and over. I am plus size and I fit in just fine with no safety issues. I was also able to do the zip line"

"Favorite midwest ski hill! Great, long runs. Beautiful view of the twin ports from above. Nice food court and clean chalet."