IPOS 2: Lutsen Mountains

As luck would have it, we were greeted by several inches of snow in the days leading up to our time at Lutsen and when we made it to the top of the gondola, I was surprised to see a mountain that looked like Stowe, Steamboat Springs, and Whistler had a love child. Two peaks connected by the gondola looked out over the vastness of Lake Superior. Pine and aspen trees scattered the slopes creating dreamy glades and holding more soft, light, powder than we’d skied all season. Ice flowed out from the banks of Superior and back in creating a depth in the blue expanse. The aspen and pine trees created enticing and playful glades.

With beautiful views of the vastness of Lake Superior from most places on the mountain, it's easy to feel like you're somewhere special. | Izzy Lidsky photo.

We met up with the resort’s General Manager Jim Vick for a few runs. Jim knew all the best powder stashes on the mountain and we were stoked to follow him around through the fun terrain Lutsen had to offer. Much bigger than any other mountain we’d been at so far, I was worried we’d get lost, but after half a day I mostly had my bearings. A few runs later, Jim’s daughter Kjersti and the ski school director Natalie met up with us. We skied some more and then stopped for lunch at the lodge on top of the mountain. Only at Lutsen can you eat cheese curds and look over at Superior at the same time, an experience I hope everyone can have at some point. We headed back out for the last few pow turns left on the mountain before calling it a day and heading to Papa Charlie’s for a beer.

Lutsen skis like a big mountain out west. | Izzy Lidsky photo.

The next morning, we arrived at Lutsen bright and early to help open up the gondola. Ricky, a seasoned lift operator who had moved to Minnesota from Jamaica showed us the ropes. Although we’d been in the lift terminal at Granite, the gondola terminal was a whole different animal. It was taller with more windows and we could feel the rumble of the gondola cars below our feet. The tires that the cables run along were set down into a little trough that ran along the outside. Ricky climbed in and out of the wheel well making sure they were all inflated and Matt followed with some fancy footwork and a camera to document it.

Charlotte Skinner makes sure things run smoothly at Lutsen - and she's a hell of skier too. | Izzy Lidsky photos.

Once Ricky had the lifts running, we headed up the gondola to meet up with Charlotte Skinner. As the third generation of the Skinner family to be involved in operation Lutsen resort, Charlotte is no stranger to the mountain. She grew up skiing in the Midwest and racing in high school. Following college, she attended business school in New York and then accepted a position in tech in the Bay Area. But her family business and skiing still called to her. California didn’t cut it for her, so she recently accepted a full time position as the Vice President of Finance and Resource Management at Lutsen. We got to ski a few laps with Charlotte and for it being her third day of the season, it was clear she’s a born skier. After lunch, she also strapped into a snowboard - something she learned to do in high school to take her mind off ski racing. Even in the sticky afternoon hot pow, she rode with ease and grace.

As the last of the good snow turned to slush, we took one last run down to Mystery lift, my new favorite part of the mountain, and bid our goodbyes to Lutsen. After two weeks of scratching my head at every twist and turn of the trip, trying to make sense of the Midwest, Lutsen felt like a sweet return to familiarity with some incredible scenery thrown in. It was the perfect spot to end our trip and return home to the Tetons.