Nightlife around the Twin Cities has grown noticeably quieter overall the past few years. Pandemic-era habits linger and several bars have reduced hours due to labor costs and staffing shortages.

But about an hour northeast of Minneapolis–St. Paul, a business thrives after dark by leaning into what few others still offer: a place to go late at night.

Trollhaugen, a family-owned ski and snowboard resort in Dresser, Wisconsin, has built a consistent reputation over the past two decades for operating its 30 runs and eight lifts into Saturday mornings at 3 a.m. “It opens up a whole extra day of skiing and snowboarding,” says owner James Rochford, who goes by Jim Jr.

It’s a model that has not failed the Rochford family, who have owned the resort since the ‘60s. Trollhaugen has sold out (over 1,000 tickets) nearly every “Late Night Fridays” over the past six years, and those evenings generate over $30,000 in revenue. The only deterrent is rain or temperatures below five degrees, Rochford says.

What Helps Trollhaugen Sell Out on Fridays

The resort’s proximity to the Twin Cities has been key to drawing large crowds. Nearly every other ski resort in the metro area is closed past 10 p.m., providing an opportunity for Trollhaugen to make money while others close shop. (Exception: Powder Ridge in Kimball closes at 1 a.m. for its late-night ski/snow.)

Late-night options around the metro continue to fade due to changes in the habits of folks under 40, who typically populate those venues.

But in Dresser, Trollhaugen offers food and drink inside its lodge, stuga, and snack bar into those early morning hours. And even on some of the coldest nights, hot music has turned into a resort tradition. Every Friday and Saturday, Trollhaugen offers its customers live music from local bands.

“They’re going to come out to hang out with friends” at the lodge, Rochford says. “[Skiing and snowboarding] are kind of almost the secondary activity you do while you’re hanging out with your friends.”

Late Night Fridays Started in the ’70s

Rochford has worked at Trollhaugen since his teenage years. His grandfather purchased the resort in 1967 from two families. Late hours started as a promotion in the ‘70s, and disappeared years later and then returned in 2002 when Trollhaugen brought them back as “Late Nite Fridays.” That first year saw an average of only 50 late-night skiers. A year later, Rochford tweaked the program and attendance doubled the next season.

Trollhaugen priced tickets around $15 to start in the early 2000s, “just to kind of get the word out,” and build volume. The target demographic was college students, not the families the resort typically markets to. Now, Trollhaugen doesn’t target a certain customer for Friday nights, because so many just show up. “There’s no reason to market something that we can’t sell anymore of,” Rochford says.

Tickets for Late Night Fridays are $25, and rentals go for an additional $35. (About two-thirds of customers come with their own equipment.) Most weeks, Late Night Fridays sell out a day or two before, according to Marsha Hovey, Trollhuagen’s marketing director.

The resort’s parking lot can be nearly full by 9 p.m. (start time for Late Night Fridays). Trollhaugen won’t expand the lot, to avoid crowding on the runs. “You’d be getting up on the lift maybe once every 30 minutes, and no one wants that,” says Rochford. On a recent Friday night, peak wait time at 11 p.m. was 10 minutes, not bad for the hottest night spot in two states.