Woods Valley Ski Area — Attraction in Town of Western

Went to woods valley today with friends for opening weekend - will not be returning for the foreseeable future. They did not put out any benches yet this season so everyone was pooled at the top of the lifts and lift operators were doing nothing do prevent a mass gathering of riders laying directly in the skate path because there were no benches to be found anywhere to assist riders gear up (why would you not put benches out??). Then made the second mistake of thinking the big chair lift would be better. As we got near the chair lift entry, the operator was screaming that everyone needed to be doubled up with a “partner” no exceptions. My friend with autism ended up turning around and leaving for the day early because of how uncomfortable he felt saying how unsafe it was. Well, turns out he was right, because right in front of us a young child was paired with another new rider that was inexperienced and lift staff didn’t care, the one rider was catapulted off the chair lift and hit in the back of the head right in front of us. I got it on video. Horrible to watch. To make matters worse, we heard the owner, Tim Woods, SCREAMING into the walkie talkies “why are there open chairs?! Everyone needs to be doubled up” not knowing the idiot himself that forced his staff to implement this caused a massive injury at the chair lift ten seconds before him screaming. It was embarrassing to watch him give so little disregard to the safety of riders at the sole reason he was only looking to get more people up the hill with no thinking of the safety of riders first and foremost. Very pathetic. We then made the third mistake of going inside to eat (big mistake!). Menu said “combo platter $10” but no description of what it included. I ordered a burger, fries and mozz sticks and a drink. $23. What was the combo platter? The cashier didn’t even know when I asked her. We went to find a seat to eat, only to find out the benches they usually have out were stacked up and roped off in the corner. We got pushed into the main bar area to eat and had to listen to the nonsense of the bar crowd instead of a family friendly venue that was the main lodge seating area. If you’re not ready to open for the season, why open at all? Very poor operations and clear to see management/owner doesn’t care about anything other than his pockets. Will be taking a 45min drive north to McCauley or Snow Ridge next weekend for a SAFER and MORE FAMILY INCLUSIVE environment. 0 stars. The owner Tim should consider a new business that doesn’t center around family...

I’ve thought about writing this review for a long time. As the anniversary of our accident approaches and I look back I see that the area of safety, especially around weather conditions has not changed as well as the lack of caring & compassion from ownership, I must write this. For the safety of one person who may not have to go thru what we have and will continue to daily. The amount of times on the website it references safety but never their responsibility. Only yours… funny how that goes. FYI - That tiny fine print on the lift ticket is you agreeing to sign your whole life away. Literally. No matter if the mountain has no safety protocol. No matter what. You buy the ticket it’s over.

My family went to Woods Valley nearly 8 years ago. 03/02/2017. That day forever changed our lives and to this day no one from the mountain has ever asked us how we are doing. My husband was injured on the mountain, and no small injury. A T4 Burst fracture. It was one of those “warm / cold snaps” so there was a layer of ice under snow. Looking back it should never have been open. It was a mess that day. He slipped. And due to his ice hit a ski lift pole. One that was padded by a joke of basically a gym mat. His T4 burst into a million pieces. They had to pick shrapnel out of his insides. 9 days in intensive care, 3 months or in patient rehab, and the list goes on. He is now a T4 complete paraplegic. No walking. No normal bladder and bowel, this is only the tip of an iceberg we deal with daily. No normal life. Every single day is a struggle. Not so much as a card. Only a rep sent to the ER, while we were in critical care making life or death decisions, to collect the ski boot we rented, we later found out from an attorney this was to cover themselves. Not to mention it wasn’t even the owner at that. Had the mountain took proper time or care to evaluate said conditions. Maybe my husband could walk today. Maybe he wouldn’t have missed endless events of our children, work, life…. This mountain took away our whole lives and not one person here cared. It’s shocking. I would implore you before you go here to stop and ask yourself. If you would trust your family in the hands of someone who won’t be there for anything other than to take your payment. My husband walked up to that mountain and never will again. I beg you not to...

I looked for a ski resort for beginners. I have a 31 year old son who is autistic. He wanted to go skiing. I selected Woods Valley Ski Resort. I planned to ski on a Tues and Wed. But when we arrived I found they were closed on Tuesday and did not open until 4:00 on Wed. I mention this to make sure, if you plan to go, check their schedule for the time you want to go. Despite this, we arrived to ski. The ladies in the rental area were wonderful and fun to talk to. They were a big help and got us all set up to go. They answered our questions with patience and friendliness. When we got on the beginners slope, my son managed to get onto the moving carpet and up to the top of the slope. The guy who controlled this area was extremely helpful. He took personal interest in my son and made sure he made it off the moving carpet without falling, holding his hand to stabilize him as needed. My son got to ski. He really enjoyed it. And he did pretty darn well. The nice thing for me is that I got to go up the chair lift after a while and was able to leave my son on his own practicing on the beginners slope. I could come down my slopes and right up to the top of his slope and we would go down together. I highly recommend this place if you are beginning or have family who are beginning. Thank you,...