Sun exposure on north side?

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RoseGoldy

RoseGoldy

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how bad is the sun for season ticket holders that sit on the north side (visitor bench side)? The opener is a night game and most likely the Iowa game it too plus later in fall I would imagine it gets cloudier. Just curious what more seasoned fans have experienced
 

I would say maybe one game a year its too hot but overall for most games the sun is welcome for the cold games on the north side. To me you get more comfortable games on the north side than the south side which can get very cold when its cold
 

When it came time to choose, I chose the North side because of the sun in the winter. As a child I went to many a Iowa State game sitting on the shady side in their stadium. Even thought Ames has a warmer climate than Minneapolis it still gets darn cold in the fall months.

If sitting behind the team is not a big deal to you then choose the sunny side, it makes a big difference in Oct. and Nov. - even then, come Thanksgiving, you are still going to be cold.
 

My perspective is that you can always add layers, but you can only take so many off...additionally, I really dislike looking into the sun while at a sporting event, so the other advantage of being on the south side is the sun is always at your back instead of in your eyes
 

Been on the visiting side since the stadium opened and I love it. As others have said, at most there is 1 game a year where it's super-hot. But usually, it's manageable. I love the sun during the crisp fall days. It's a difference maker.
 


I moved from the north (sunny) to south (shade) about 4 years ago and haven't looked back.

Yes, there are games when it's cooler and sunny and the north side is chilling in short sleeves and you have your layers on in the south side.

There's others in Sept, early October where the sun side is just dying because of the heat and the shade side is comfortable.

I'd rather be cold vs hot, so the choice is easy for me.
 

RoseGoldy said:
how bad is the sun for season ticket holders that sit on the north side (visitor bench side)? The opener is a night game and most likely the Iowa game it too plus later in fall I would imagine it gets cloudier. Just curious what more seasoned fans have experienced
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I always pick the north side. Only gets bad if temps are 80 or above. The sun is a huge help in colder games.
 

There's one game every couple years where it's hot but for a vast majority of the games it is great. Bonus on cold sunny days is that the Sun actually keeps you warm. I'm in the NE corner low on the second level right before it turns. Love the seats and view.
 

Agree with Darren. Been on the Visitor-Sunny Side since day 1 and we like it, especially in November. Mrs. Billd insisted and she was right for us.

That said, probably the biggest thing with that hot game on the sun-side is people not hydrating properly and beer doesn't count. The sun is still high in the sky in September and if there's a cloudless gameday, it can be down right toasty if no wind too. Funny that folks more often than not overdress and can't take off a layer that would help.

After 15 years there are definitely sun-side fans and shade-side fans. At worst it's a couple of games that are "hard" per season and you can always shift to the other side the next season...and most games just move without any penalty.
 



Definitely agree with most here, sunny side for me! The one or two games when I get a little sunburn is worth it later in the season.
 

Yep, depends on when you're attending. Sunny side in October-November is a difference maker to the positive.
 

I love the sunny side. Started out in the shade and it was really cold on those October/November games, so we moved after a few seasons to the sunny side..

There is always a scorcher game in September (this year we start the schedule with 4 home games, so there may be more than one). For those games, we usually just move up to the concourse and watch from there in the shade.

Only one November home game this year.
 




There are very few cold games where the sunny side is an advantage. By November the only time the north side is an advantage is when it is an 11 am kickoff and it is super cold out. Cloudy days (lots of them in November) provide zero advantage to the sunny side and for 2:30 kickoffs the sun is too low or has set by the second half to provide an advantage.

Meanwhile, there is always at least one September game where it is too hot to sit on the sunny side.

I greatly prefer the south side over the sunny side. As others have said, it is easier to put more layers on than take them off and there are so many hand/foot warming items now, there just aren’t that many games where it is an advantage to sit on the sunny side.
 


I only go to a few games per year so have to admit that I have not experienced a sweltering early fall game yet, but put me in the sunny side camp. It's just beautiful being on the sunny side when all the conditions are right and it really is nice later in the year. It makes the whole experience more memorable especially when we know several months of cold, darkness is right around the corner. I don't want to waste a sunny, late fall day outside if I can help it. My wife likes warm a lot more than cold so that's a consideration too. Pay a little extra for the seat cushions too - warmer and much more comfortable! I like the idea of finding the shade on the concourse if it gets too hot. Good point jonnyganas!

PS - If you bring a guest, remind them to dress overly warm! Most people don't realize how much colder it is to sit for three hours in the cold barely moving vs. just running from your house to your car. I've made multiple very expensive purchases at the stadium Gopher gear store for my kids and others learning this lesson. It is also nice to know you have that option if someone in your crew is freezing!

Any stadium winter survival tips from you veterans?
 

SeaBee_Gopher said:
Any stadium winter survival tips from you veterans?
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Basically there's no such thing as overdressing. Wear layers in case you need to take something off. Use hand and foot warmers. Mittens not gloves. Standing is warmer than sitting (if the people around you are cool with that). Lined pants are good if it's 30s and above, below that consider snow pants.
 

pharmacygopher said:
I moved from the north (sunny) to south (shade) about 4 years ago and haven't looked back.

Yes, there are games when it's cooler and sunny and the north side is chilling in short sleeves and you have your layers on in the south side.

There's others in Sept, early October where the sun side is just dying because of the heat and the shade side is comfortable.

I'd rather be cold vs hot, so the choice is easy for me.
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There have zero games in early October in which sitting on the sunny side has made me feel even remotely uncomfortable.

I have been sitting on the 10 yd line behind the Visitor's bench since it opened. Only twice I have been uncomfortably hot, Cal (Year 1) and then Miami (OH) a few years back, both early/mid-September games.
 

Ope3 said:
There have zero games in early October in which sitting on the sunny side has made me feel even remotely uncomfortable.

I have been sitting on the 10 yd line behind the Visitor's bench since it opened. Only twice I have been uncomfortably hot, Cal (Year 1) and then Miami (OH) a few years back, both early/mid-September games.
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The October 1 game vs Purdue in 2022 got a little toasty....but that was barely into October. Got to around 82 that day.
 

Word said:
The October 1 game vs Purdue in 2022 got a little toasty....but that was barely into October. Got to around 82 that day.
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Weather was glorious that day. Gophers performance on the field, notsomuch.
 

Ope3 said:
There have zero games in early October in which sitting on the sunny side has made me feel even remotely uncomfortable.

I have been sitting on the 10 yd line behind the Visitor's bench since it opened. Only twice I have been uncomfortably hot, Cal (Year 1) and then Miami (OH) a few years back, both early/mid-September games.
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NMSU 2011?? (Thr Kill seizure game). That was brutal. My seats were in the north upper deck then and I wanted to die. Pretty sure they ran out of water that game.
 

pharmacygopher said:
NMSU 2011?? (Thr Kill seizure game). That was brutal. My seats were in the north upper deck then and I wanted to die. Pretty sure they ran out of water that game.
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No, I was totally fine that afternoon. It was a 2:30pm game though, so that time of year by the 3rd Q, the sun gets blocked by the scoreboard at my seating location. Helped out for the Colorado '22 game as well.
 

Honestly, I have rarely noticed the weather in a negative way. I have found it sorta fun to gear up for winter games. Now the Nov games are my favorite.

You'll have a great time on either side of the field if you are prepared for the weather appropriately.
 

Sitting on the North side vs the South side was essentially a push this afternoon. The sun battled for a cameo appearance, sometime in the 2nd Q, I believe.
 



The benefits of the sun on cooler days (majority) far outweigh the negatives of the few hot ones…. Long time season ticked holder on sunny side…
 

Vandy said:
The benefits of the sun on cooler days (majority) far outweigh the negatives of the few hot ones…. Long time season ticked holder on sunny side…
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The benefits of the sun are rarely there on cold days. It pretty much has to be a cold, sunny, November game that kicks off at 11:00 AM.

A 2:30 kickoff that late in the season finishes in the dark anyway. Cloudy days are more common in November and clouds negate any advantage of the “sunny” side.

Long time season ticket holder on home side.
 

Schnauzer said:
The benefits of the sun are rarely there on cold days. It pretty much has to be a cold, sunny, November game that kicks off at 11:00 AM.

A 2:30 kickoff that late in the season finishes in the dark anyway. Cloudy days are more common in November and clouds negate any advantage of the “sunny” side.

Long time season ticket holder on home side.
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There have been lots of October games it's been a nice benefit to sit on the visitors side.

Even November late afternoon games, I certainly appreciate it in the first half.
 

Schnauzer said:
The benefits of the sun are rarely there on cold days. It pretty much has to be a cold, sunny, November game that kicks off at 11:00 AM.
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Disagree with this. Yes, it needs to be sunny, but if it is, it feels 10-20 degrees warmer. It all comes down to people's preference though. Would you rather be warmer in the cold games or cooler in the hot games? Personally, I'd rather be warmer for the cold games. I have the Gopher pass though so I can pick a different side for every game. Yesterday was just fine on the visitor side.
 

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