Feature Articles
Lutsen Mountains:
Four Peaks and a Superior Lake
It’s late March at Lutsen Mountains, a sudden freeze has wrecked havoc with the previously soft spring snow, and a group of us are perched at the top of the winch-cat-groomed Plunge. As we peer uncertainly toward the edge, resort co-owner Charles Skinner says, “I want to stress that this thing is steep, it’s the steepest trail in the Midwest, and I understand if you decide to skip it.”
We all laugh. We’re in Minnesota, for goodness sake, and we’re all well-traveled skiers who have honed our skills on some of the steepest mountains in the East and West. How steep can it really be?
Reaching New Heights:
Ice Climbing in Northern Minnesota
I’m afraid of heights, so what the heck am I doing dangling next to an icefall with an ice axe in each hand and crampons on my boots?
Oh, that’s right, now I remember. I came to ski at Lutsen Mountains and to fully immerse myself in the winter playground of Northern Minnesota. I’d heard you can’t fully appreciate winter here if you don’t at least try ice climbing.
The rugged landscape of Northern Minnesota, perhaps most well known for its 1,175 lakes that make up the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, is carved by rivers flowing into Lake Superior. The resulting deep gorges are full of gorgeous waterfalls that freeze solid during the cold winter months and attract climbers looking for world-class walls of ice.
Telluride Ski Resort: A Mountain of Prospects
Our original plan was to take a guided tour of the hike-to terrain in Telluride’s Black Iron Bowl, but the winds were so unmerciful, the Prospect Bowl lift was shut down, making that a no-go zone.
While disappointed, we’re used to our trips changing with the whims of the weather, which on this visit included below-freezing temperatures after days of classic spring conditions. Read that to mean frozen mashed potatoes and slick plastered surfaces. However, it didn’t take long to hatch up some new goals.
We decided to head first to the front face to see what kinds of shots Scott could get of the town hiding away in its box canyon. The sight that greeted us was simply marvelous.
Chatter Creek Mountain Lodges:
Get Your Fill of Glaciers, Trees and Bowls
The air reverberats with a rapid-fire thwap, thwap, thwap, thwap! The air kicks up around us, pulsating to life. Several of us huddle and cover our ears as we’re surrounded by sucking air.
At the same time, the deafening sound of the incoming helicopter brings uncontrollable grins to our faces.
After it lands on the tarmac in Golden, British Columbia, we learn about helicopter safety: how to move around the heli, what to do in case of an emergency and how to communicate with others in the heli. We all proceed to climb aboard, put on our headphones and crane to look out the window as the ground drops beneath us.
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort:
Be Ready for a Stallion, Not a Docile Mare
It’s the remoteness that hits you first. Yes, you’re standing in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by nothing but ragged, soaring mountains swathed in blankets of white. In fact, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort’s peaks were once prime heli-skiing terrain. And standing there, you look into a vast wilderness ripe with other peaks still used for heli- and snowcat skiing.
That’s when you realize just how lucky you are to be riding a lift to terrain that no one should be able to access so easily and affordably. You should be paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars for this privilege. But you’re not. For the price of a lift ticket, you are smack in the middle of Mother Nature’s playground.
Sure, you can get this at many Western resorts, except you get one thing extra here: the remoteness is real. The region is chock full of national parks in every direction—Banff, Jasper, Glacier, Kootenay, Yoho and Mt. Revelstoke. The entire region has a population of about 8,500. The quiet and peace here are almost deafening. This is a vacation!