The 45-year-old gondola at Lutsen Mountains will be replaced this summer with a new gondola that will seat eight passengers. Doppelmayr, the company that will be installing the new gondola, provided this image of what the new attraction will look like.
As dreary gray skies moved into the Northland, spirits were lifted by an announcement from Lutsen Mountains family co-owners, Charles Skinner and Tom Rider. On Tuesday, December 23, the brothers-in-law introduced two major undertakings at the popular North Shore resort—the replacement of Lutsen Mountains’ gondola and plans for a 400- acre expansion of ski operations.
At a press conference at the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce, the duo explained that Lutsen Mountains would be replacing its iconic four-passenger, 45-year-old gondola with a new eight-passenger, $7 million gondola, from Doppelmayr, the world leader in ski lifts.
“We are thrilled to take this next step forward in fulfilling our vision for Lutsen Mountains’ future,” said Skinner. “As a family-owned business, we’ve carefully developed and implemented a master plan to enhance visitor services and skier opportunity. The gondola purchase is one of two steps we are taking in 2015.”
“The challenges for today’s destination ski areas are to keep pace with skier preferences, make investments and remain financially viable,” Skinner added. “We are extremely fortunate to have the support of local, family-owned banks who are fully invested in vital community projects such as ours.”
“The current gondola was purchased used and has been in operation since 1989,” said Tom Rider. “From the moment it was installed it became an icon for the resort. The original gondola has served us well, however the new gondola will increase our rider capacity from 300 visitors per hour to 2,400 visitors per hour, ensuring travel to and from Moose Mountain without lines that will meet the needs of visitors to the area for generations to come.”
Construction of the gondola will begin in the summer of 2015.
Ski area expansion plans
“Our stewardship decisions are as important as our business decisions,” said Skinner. “In 2015, we will be pursuing plans to expand skiing opportunities and initiatives to protect the Poplar River.”
“Since 2005, Lutsen Mountains has been working in partnership with adjacent landowners, state and local conservation agencies to remove natural and man-made sediment from the Poplar River. To date, partners have secured more than $2.5 million in projects,” said Rider, who also serves as the president of the Poplar River Management Board.
Efforts to protect the Poplar River received news last week of $829,000 in grant funds from the Board of Water and Soil Resources. “This grant will have a big impact in a short time period and will serve as a success story in a region that is both environmentally and economically important.” Rider added, “We estimate the projects funded by this grant will get us to our goal of removing the Poplar River as an impaired river.”
Skinner and Rider also announced the ski area’s proposal to expand the ski operations onto 400 acres of adjacent National Forest System (NFS) lands administered by the Superior National Forest.
“The purpose of the expansion is to provide more recreational opportunities and visitor services for families,” said Skinner. “This is a vital part of our master plan for the resort. We will be able to add novice and easier intermediate runs prized by families, reduce crowding on existing runs and build skier service buildings and parking.”
The NFS lands proposed for ski area expansion lie outside the Poplar River watershed, and are designated for “Recreational Use in a Scenic Landscape” in the Superior National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan.
As a part of the expansion project, Lutsen Mountains is committed to continuing their stewardship ethic. Rider explained the new runs will be built with state-of-the art trail design and construction will be used to minimize soil loss; stormwater best management practices will be used to eliminate impacts to other land; and the project will open up new scenic vistas for the Superior Hiking Trail.
The proposal will complement an effort by the George Nelson family to protect 300 acres below the ski runs as a wildlife refuge.
The expansion proposal is in the early stages of development and the United States Forest Service has made no decisions at this time. Once a full, detailed application is submitted, the Forest Service will begin the analysis, tribal and public involvement and the documentation process prescribed in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Lutsen will pay for the cost of the NEPA process. The analysis will cover a wide range of environmental and social concerns; the NEPA process is anticipated to take 12 to 24 months.
Use of public land by ski areas is common in the U.S. About half of Minnesota’s ski areas are on public land, and most destination ski areas, including Aspen, Deer Valley and Jackson Hole, are on U.S. Forest Service land. Lutsen Mountains previously had a permit for 100 acres of Forest Service land.
Snowmobile Challenge coming to ski hill
Earlier this month Lutsen Mountains announced that the Midwest Extreme Snowmobile Challenge, organized by Cor PowerSport, one of the largest cross country snowmobile circuits in the United States would be held at Lutsen Mountains April 18-19, 2015.
The Midwest Extreme is expected to have somewhere between 400-900 participants competing in various snowmobile challenges: a hill climb, cross country and snowcross.
Leave a Reply