Midwest Upper Midwest 2019-2020

[ADDvanced]

Little switz has been 100% open for a while now. Skied last Fri/Sat/Sun, conditions were great, lots of sun, great base, and best of all, the busloads of kids haven't started showing up yet. It's awesome, but I expect it will soon be overcrowded with chil'uns who struggle to understand chairlift technology....

 

[focker]

I couldn't read the article posted but a guy a Pinewski's ski shop I was talking to said Spirit lost $50k on the canceled snowmobile races and is so low on cash they aren't sure they can pay their workers for the rest of this year. That's pretty sad.

We skied there last year for the first time in 7-8 years and the whole family really enjoyed it. They have some nice long runs but overall the hill is pretty flat...

I think one of their biggest issues is many of the hard core skiers in the Duluth area get a season pass to Lutsen and go there on the weekends as it's only 90 miles away...

Weekday tickets to Spirit are only $45 or something like that. It's a pretty good value.

 

[Slim]

@Eagle93 , Spirit opens plenty early in my experience. No, not racing to be first, no matter what the weather is doing, But still open a decent time no matter what. November 22 this year seems pretty normal to me.
yep, $65 to ski in MN is crazy, but so is $220 to ski at Beavercreek

As far as people skiing Lutsen instead, most people who I know with Lutsen passes still have a Spirit pass as well, plus Lutsen has been around longer than Spirit,so that doesn’t explain the decline.

For the folks thinking about skiing Spirit just a few days, maybe check out the Indypass?

 

[Beach Bum]

God I love cold weather. Watching these resorts go to work and blanket the runs with "fake" snow and after a few days basically have a 20"+ base on most of a resort is awesome. These past few days of freaking cold temps have been perfect. Ski season for 2019/2020 is finally upon us.

 

[focker]

@Eagle93 , Spirit opens plenty early in my experience. No, not racing to be first, no matter what the weather is doing, But still open a decent time no matter what. November 22 this year seems pretty normal to me.
yep, $65 to ski in MN is crazy, but so is $220 to ski at Beavercreek

As far as people skiing Lutsen instead, most people who I know with Lutsen passes still have a Spirit pass as well, plus Lutsen has been around longer than Spirit,so that doesn’t explain the decline.

For the folks thinking about skiing Spirit just a few days, maybe check out the Indypass?

We're looking at the Indy pass next year instead of getting a family pass to one of the Twin Cities hills. We'd get 2 days at Tollhaugen so we could ski a couple of Sunday's there, and then we could do a weekend at Giants Ridge, Spirit Mountain, the UP and maybe a trip to Red Lodge. That would be 10 days of skiing for free. Not a bad deal when you look at what that would cost you separately.

 

[JJ Steffes]

Like most hills, they seem to be working on all aspects. It all takes, time and money. And when your main lodge burns down, you sometimes have to shift priorities around.

I was up at Whitecap yesterday for opening weekend. Snow is perfect everywhere up north so they got lucky since they do not make snow. Runs were fantastic as expected with fresh powder but very disappointed that only 1 run was gladed. And that's only because volunteers did it so they could have a race later in the season. With all those woods you would think we could ski them without hitting downed trees and shrubs. Wine hut deck has been improved over the summer and hotel bar was updated, but again that is not hill related. He also claims the lifts are in great shape. If so, why did one go down for about an hour Saturday and had to get people down by rope? That's scary on the first weekend. There is also only 1 flush toilet for the entire resort, which is in the hotel, and porta-johns on the hill. I did see a funny google review that refereed to it as "Whitecrap" based on the porties. I'm sure it was just meant as a joke. No way my girlfriend skiing there if that's her option to pee while all bundled up. Good luck to the new owners, we'll try again next season.

 

[ADDvanced]

LOL. Yeah but dude they put a new deck around the winehut and added a new wood stove. Aren't you grateful they're upgrading this stuff that doesn't matter at all?

 

[pete]

Little switz has been 100% open for a while now. Skied last Fri/Sat/Sun, conditions were great, lots of sun, great base, and best of all, the busloads of kids haven't started showing up yet. It's awesome, but I expect it will soon be overcrowded with chil'uns who struggle to understand chairlift technology....

I want to give Little Switz a try, not due to size but when my kid was house hunting, one was for sale that backed up to it. Was a top pick by me, but nope .. other one chosen.

I'd visit more if just to tool around it

 

[Beach Bum]

More crappy weather expected this weekend. And it only gets worse with highs into the 50s potentially around X-Mas in the lower Midwest with freeze line into Canada. Boooo.

 

[David D]

I was up at Whitecap yesterday for opening weekend. Snow is perfect everywhere up north so they got lucky since they do not make snow. Runs were fantastic as expected with fresh powder but very disappointed that only 1 run was gladed. And that's only because volunteers did it so they could have a race later in the season. With all those woods you would think we could ski them without hitting downed trees and shrubs. Wine hut deck has been improved over the summer and hotel bar was updated, but again that is not hill related. He also claims the lifts are in great shape. If so, why did one go down for about an hour Saturday and had to get people down by rope? That's scary on the first weekend. There is also only 1 flush toilet for the entire resort, which is in the hotel, and porta-johns on the hill. I did see a funny google review that refereed to it as "Whitecrap" based on the porties. I'm sure it was just meant as a joke. No way my girlfriend skiing there if that's her option to pee while all bundled up. Good luck to the new owners, we'll try again next season.

Thanks for your comments and I would like to clarify a bit.
#1 We do make snow.
#2 There are in fact 1/2 spots that are gladed. Our staff did that and there are volunteers that help during the summer.
#3 65% of skiers spend their time inside. That is why we pay attention to the bar/food.
#4 A small part on a lift broke that is true. While we could have run it we decided to fix it immediately as there were not many guest due to the cold. You obviously don't remember how the lifts used to be here.
#5 There are many toilets here.
# Please let me know what resort you own as I would like to pitch in my .02 on the job you are doing. It's always easy to to criticize. I challenge anyone to take on a task like WC, then go through a fire and see how you do.

Thanks, David

 

[Slim]

into the 50s potentially around X-Mas in the lower Midwest

Thaks why this is the Upper midwest thread

More crappy weather expected this weekend. And it only gets worse with highs into the 50s potentially around X-Mas in the lower Midwest with freeze line into Canada. Boooo.

I don’t know where you are looking, but that is not what I am seeing. Not even looking as far north as Canada:
Lutsen, MN:


And Mt. Bohemia, UP of Michigan:


Both well south of Canada, and barely above freezing in the Kewenaw for a few hours during the weekend.

 

[Beach Bum]

Thaks why this is the Upper midwest thread




I don’t know where you are looking, but that is not what I am seeing. Not even looking as far north as Canada:
Lutsen, MN:
View attachment 87565

And Mt. Bohemia, UP of Michigan:
View attachment 87566

Both well south of Canada, and barely above freezing in the Kewenaw for a few hours during the weekend.

December 26 on the GFS shows freeze line into Canada north and east of the UP of Michigan. MN is colder, it's a nearly vertical SW to NE line of 32+.

Not sure why you disagree, I mean those type of temps are probably 20 degrees above average.

 

[Slim]

I guess because you were talking about ’crappy weather’, and 50 degrees, and I don’t think 35 for a high for one day is a big deal for skiing conditions. I also have to admit I only looked at the UP later. All the talk I have been hearing here in town is about extreme cold(next few days)

 

[Beach Bum]

I guess because you were talking about ’crappy weather’, and 50 degrees, and I don’t think 35 for a high for one day is no big deal for skiing conditions. I also have to admit I only looked at the UP later. All the talk I have been hearing is about extreme cold(next few days)

Yeah, the "crappy" part was in reference to N Illinois or S Wisconsin. Rain and mid to high 40s potentially in that time frame, ouch.

 

[Dwight]

Balmy -2 right now. First skiing will happen tonight.

 

[JJ Steffes]

Thanks for your comments and I would like to clarify a bit.
#1 We do make snow.
#2 There are in fact 1/2 spots that are gladed. Our staff did that and there are volunteers that help during the summer.
#3 65% of skiers spend their time inside. That is why we pay attention to the bar/food.
#4 A small part on a lift broke that is true. While we could have run it we decided to fix it immediately as there were not many guest due to the cold. You obviously don't remember how the lifts used to be here.
#5 There are many toilets here.
# Please let me know what resort you own as I would like to pitch in my .02 on the job you are doing. It's always easy to to criticize. I challenge anyone to take on a task like WC, then go through a fire and see how you do.

Thanks, David

Sorry Dave if i touches a nerve. i was trying to give constructive feedback and information to help the resort grow and let fellow skiers know what i experienced. No I do not own a resort and would never want to. I enjoy the sport too much to spend my time working a hill rather than cruising down it. I'm simply stating what I observed. To clarify my comments and your rebuttal.
#1 - all your guns were in the parking lot and a liftie said 1 was on the top of the hill for a few days but not sure if it even ran
#2 - not sure what you mean by "1/2 spots". Is that half or 1-2 spots gladed? It would be nice to see the south side and double-blacks cleared.
#3 - you are right that skiers spend 35% skiing, but according to AlpineReplay they spend 40% on lifts or inline and 25% indoors. plus you need them to want to come to your place in order to serve them food
#4 - If it could have run then why not stop loading, let it run and get people off, then shut it down? Doing a rope evacuation seems like a huge risk if the lift could have kept running
#5 - Please let me know where other flush toilets are. Your employees did not know of any either. I was told it was just the 1 by the pool in the hotel. If there are 'many' indoor flush toilets for public use we will be back to give it another try.
good luck. again this is to help place change for the better and everything is just my opinion.

 

[ADDvanced]

Rad news about Whitecap, lol.

The thing is, I'm sort of a masochist, so I've booked 3 rooms for at Whitecap this new years (30ths and 31st), bringing a crew of eight (3 whitecap virgins lol).

Whitecap has been consistently TERRIBLE since I've started going there, but the hill is rad, the terrain is great, and the service and facilities have become sort of a running joke among friends. I remember one year, my girlfriend asked for a piece of cheese on her sandwich, and the waiter left, and came back a few minutes later. "I asked the chef, he said no" was his response. So great! Whitecap is the Midwest's equivalent of Hot Tub Time Machine, and we adore the wood panels, shag carpeting, and will miss the horribly outdated, smelled of slight mold, fiberglass chair disco tasticness of the lodge.

Maybe I'll bring some sheers and cordless sawzalls to cut more runs through the woods; would that be allowed/encouraged?

Going to try to hold a game of GNAR on the 30th and 31st, and we'll probably get too shitfaced to ski on new years day. Full list of rules modified for Whitecap will be posted in a few days. If anyone wants in, book rooms. Costumes are encouraged.


#whitecapgnar will be the hashtag for the event, unsure of prizes at this time, but maybe?

 

[Beach Bum]

Thaks why this is the Upper midwest thread




I don’t know where you are looking, but that is not what I am seeing. Not even looking as far north as Canada:
Lutsen, MN:
View attachment 87565

And Mt. Bohemia, UP of Michigan:
View attachment 87566

Both well south of Canada, and barely above freezing in the Kewenaw for a few hours during the weekend.

Heavy rain anticipated in upper Midwest with recent and upcoming highs 20+ degrees above normal. Consistent with what I wrote ten days ago, wish I was wrong and you were right.

 

[dbostedo]

Heavy rain anticipated in upper Midwest with recent and upcoming highs 20+ degrees above normal. Consistent with what I wrote ten days ago, wish I was wrong and you were right.

I'd like to suggest that you watch it when talking about r@$n. This is a family site after all.

 

[Slim]

Yeah, @Beach Bum , you are regrettably correct
we had the R-word here all night in Duluth. So sad, we had such a good snow pack.
Fingers crossed the projected snow ends up in the higher ends of estimates