Generations of skiers can recall the clunk of the red doors closing and the distinctive whir of heavy-duty cables that pulled Lutsen Mountains' signature red gondolas over the Poplar River Valley with Lake Superior shimmering on the horizon. A scenic ride no matter what the season (hikers used it, too), it finished dramatically with a sharp rise up a Moose Mountain cliff before releasing passengers near the Summit Chalet.
This season's skiers can zip up the mountain in gleaming $7 million, high-speed gondolas that cut the milelong ride from 10 minutes to less than four. The cars also hold eight rather than four people, and boost the lift's capacity from 300 to 1,000 riders per hour.
Lutsen's new gondolas aren't the only fresh surprise awaiting skiers in the region this winter. Other changes on the slopes include a Magic Carpet (picture a moving sidewalk that goes uphill) at newcomer Detroit Mountain in northwestern Minnesota and a new snowboard feature, originally used in Park City, Utah, at Afton Alps along the St. Croix River. Here's what else is new this season at area ski resorts, including recreation such as fat-tire biking. Most places that don't offer their own lodging have partnered with nearby hotels for stay-and-ski packages.
Iron Range and North Shore
At Lutsen, the new gondola can be expanded with extra cars to carry 2,400 people per hour. That capacity could come in handy. The owners intend to broaden the mountain resort experience by adding to its 95 runs spread throughout 1,000 acres across Ullr, Eagle, Mystery and Moose mountains. This season's focus is on the new gondola and expanding its can't-beat-the-view Summit Chalet, but permits are pending to expand west into Superior National Forest land and to eventually double the number of runs over the next 10 to 15 years.
"Most of the Western resorts are on Forest Service lands," said Jim Vick, director of sales and marketing at Lutsen Mountains. Expanding the resort would give visitors more than a three-day-weekend's worth of trails to explore. The resort already claims the state's biggest thrills with sheer drops and double-black-diamond runs for experts, woods to traverse and a vertical drop of more than 800 feet that ensures a heart-pumping workout.
For now, the high-speed gondola will maximize ski time during daylight hours and prevent bottlenecks at dusk as skiers clear off the mountains. Lutsen runs are not illuminated, but it features the most ski-in ski-out lodging in the state with Eagle Ridge and Caribou Highlands, and an ever-growing live music scene to fill the evening hours. Plus there's that Great Lake view you won't find out West.
"You can see 100 miles across the lake, and it's blue all winter," Vick said (1-218-663-7281; lutsen.com).
The state's second-highest runs can be found on Duluth's 700-foot Spirit Mountain, which spans 175 acres and has views of the St. Louis River and Lake Superior. Five lifts and three tows take visitors to 22 runs and progressive terrain parks. Guests can rent onsite mountain villas and tackle 22 kilometers of Nordic ski trails, tubing runs or the year-round alpine coaster and zip line (1-218-628-2891; spiritmt.com).