Skippress - Index

Skippress - SkiPress US Vol.7 No.3 - Index

FOUR MOUNTAINS, ONE RESORT
Lutsen
Stands Tall
BY MIKE TERRELL
If you really think there aren’t any mountains
mid- continent, think again. Mike Terrell surveys
the territory.
Lutsen Mountains, in the ancient Sawtooth mountain range along the Arrowhead
of Minnesota, touts a near 1,000-foot vertical drop and skis off four
interestingly named peaks: Eagle, Uller, Mystery and Moose. Often called
the Vail of the Plains, it’s big-time skiing and riding for the Heartland.
On the remote North Shore of Lake Superior, just 50 miles from the Canadian
border, Lutsen’s not easy to reach. But thousands of snowsports
enthusiasts make the long trek from the Lower Midwest every season. They
come for the mountainous terrain and the panoramic view of the world’s
largest fresh-water lake, which stretches as far as the eye can see.
They also come for the Great Lakes region’s largest vertical drop, the midcontinent’s
only gondola, more than 80 runs — some nearly two miles
long — scattered across four mountains, nearly 100 acres of glade skiing
and Grizzly, a rugged mile of top-to-bottom bumps.
The Lutsen experience includes mostly slopeside lodging, restaurants from
burgers to upscale lakeside dining, lots of après-ski activities and a nightclub
that offers live entertainment — including many nationally known
bands — on weekends all season long.
As testament to its drawing power, Lutsen is hosting the North American
Snowsports Journalist Association’s annual conference in 2009, the fi rst
time ever the organization has met in the Midwest.
8 MIDWESTERN SECTION
Photos: Lutsen Mountains
“We added the missing elements
to make this a complete
resort experience.”
The resort has a long, storied history. It opened in 1948 when George
Nelson and his son, George, Jr., who served in the famed 10 th Mountain
Division in WWII, put a rope tow a mile up in the mountains above their
lakeside resort, also called Lutsen. The ski area grew as runs were added
on Eagle and Uller mountains. George, Jr.’s daughter, Cindy Nelson, would
win a downhill bronze medal in the 1976 Winter Olympics.
Charles Skinner bought the ski area in 1980 and added Moose and Mystery
Mountains, the gondola and the Village Inn & Resort complex (now
called Caribou Highlands Lodge). In the early 1990s Charles Skinner, Jr.,
joined Lutsen, and eventually, along with his two sisters and their spouses,
bought the ski area from their father. They added another 40 or so runs,
made Moose Mountain the centerpiece of the resort, and built the slopeside
Eagle Ridge condos and the 6,000-square-foot Papa Charlie’s restaurant/nightclub,
which hosts that live music.
“We added the missing elements to make this a complete resort experience,”
said Skinner, who raced for the University of Oregon ski team
while attending law school. “Skiers are driving farther to get to Lutsen
and staying longer. We are drawing people from Chicago, which is about
a 10-hour drive.”
Clearly, it’s not just the music that’s bringing them.
FoMoInfo: Lutsen Mountains, lutsen.com, (218) 663-7281.