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A little Gitche Gumee stoke from a road trip today with my dad. Nisswa to Grand Marais and back. Talked a lot about our Lutsen memories, Spirit Mountain, Sugar Hills...
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Nice Yeahman! How are the colors? Down here we are seeing the change but probably as much drought/heat stress as seasonal.
Today we just happened to book Lutsen over the Turkey day holiday for a race camp we 'hope' comes together. Everyone says its happening but we're not in the loop. Be a nice change from the Trollhaugen camp if it does. Last year they just got a run or two open on Moose for the weekend, but the camp was canceled for Covid so we did Troll again. We figure if the snow is terrible due to warm fall but still good enough for camp we'll just let the girl bash gates on the usual Ullr race area and day hike the superior trail since it goes right through the ski area. If Moose is open we will for sure get as many hours of high speed groomer laps in as we can.
Colors are good, should get to peak season soon
UP, near Lake Michigamme
Attachment 387319
Buy real estate now, we're the first wave.Quote:
Originally Posted by Talisman
I think this is my favorite part of the color. Some people really like when everything has changed and there’s some brown and bare…that’s usually when people are calling it “peak season”, but right now when there’s still a lot of various greens and also all the orange yellow and reds…. And still some good light and potential for decent weather. This is prime time in my view.
ugly -
I will do some looking into this -
though I have been out-of-the-area this year, it is my understanding it has been unusually Warm this year -
If so, lutsen is going to need some Very favorable weather for early snowmaking - -
Moose by thanksgiving (?) I believe that is rare - ( it is a lot of snow to get the six-pack (Caribou Express) open )
... I hope the Race training area you mention is on Eagle mountain. . .
Lutsen ( the ski area ) and the North Shore do have a lot to offer...
see how snowmaking goes -
If you are looking for a midwest Thanksgiving weekend Race camp alternative,
I will mention SkiBrule in Iron River, michigan -
it is//has been/was a USSA camp, primarily for eastern Wisconsin residents ( Fox river valley, Milwaukee ) ; probalby a lot of people you see on the race circuit...
no place makes snow like SkiBrule --
it is a little farther than Lutsen, but if you route through Wausau and Rhinelander, it is a very manageable drive...
I will hope for early Cold weather(,) so you can make laps on Moose -
Good luck... ! skiJ
Ski Brule didn't even open last year so the camp was canceled. Definitely one that I know about. Not at all sure if it is happening this year.
Honestly, not sure where they are going to hold the camp at Lutsen. I've been a few times so familiar. The local team trains on Ullr far skiers right. The group we hope to get in with is local to our lower midwest circuit. We shall see.
Part of it is we talked our parents into going up, which will make it a fun little holiday...regardless of snow. Definitely touch and go for Moose.
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https://skibrule.com/event/thanksgiving-race-camp-2021/
there is ( a back-story ) to SkiBrule not opening last season - And
they decided not to make any snow, and the snowfall they got was Very unusually Little
( Less than half normal average natural snowfall )
ultimately effectively, they had no snow.
reads-like you have a nice Family weekend planned for Thanksgiving... !
Good luck ! skiJ
Sweet! Thanks for the link J. Good to know that is happening this year. A nice alternative and I hear they set up on a sweet slope. Definitely know people who have gone to that regularly.
We made sure we can cancel Lutsen but I've had two people who know things tell me the camp is happening.
I need my wife to go so my girl can do all the days but for her to go her parents have to go...complicated.
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Yeah, weird scene with Brule last year. They always do a good job with early season though. Planning on being there the weekend before.
it had to be tough, in March of 2020, to be ordered Closed by the State - a seasonal business that thrives until Easter, and is often Open until the end of April -
the cost of covering a ski and snowboard area with man-made snow is significant - And
with no-guarantee late last year, that they would not face another shutdown - and with a hope that there would be enough snowfall to open some of the runs. . .
I believe last year will prove to have been 'a weird scene' for a lot of ski and snowboard areas.
wishing those of you preparing for early season events and looking forward to early season events...
Good luck ! ! skiJ
Update. They dropped the Lutsen camp info today and my contacts shot me the heads up. Open to anybody. $310.95 for all four days. Already signed her up. Stoked on the whole deal. The last three years at Trollhaugen have me longing to go somewhere else for Turkey week skiing.
https://www.madalpine.com/camps
Now we need to get rid of this oppressive October heat. We've been forced to run our AC for the entire last week and the river down here was warm as mid summer this weekend. Slalom sets with no wetsuit at 7:30 am. Unreal, and a little frightening.
........,,
Huge props to Out There Nordic in Rice Lake WI.Quote:
Originally Posted by Harry
Yesterday I was at the pool swimming laps and some guys in the locker room were talking about XC skiing. Decided to stop in at that shop on the way home. Very impressed. Owner is a one man show, ski bummed in Crested Butte in the 90’s, now a tech for elite Nordic teams. Amazing to have this quality of operation in this area.
Went in just to look around, not planning to buy anything. Ended up buying a whole new Nordic setup, skis, boots, bindings, poles. I don’t know shit about Nordic stuff, so I was just hoping I did not get ass raped on price. Especially since nothing in the shop had a price tag. I told him I did all my own waxing on my downhill skis, so he took me to his wax room and spent about an hour going over all the fine details about Nordic waxing vs alpine waxing. He made it super simple.
When I got home, I went straight to the internet to see how much he overcharged me. I was pleasantly surprised to find no one could beat his price. Not even close.
If you are ever near Rice Lake WI, I highly recommend a stop at Out There Nordic.
www.outthereshop.com
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Hardscrabble
Attachment 389807Quote:
Originally Posted by Buster Highmen
Attachment 389808
skied there as a kid in the 1970s. Just Fun.
skiJ
Heh, the Out There guy (Bjorn) and I were talking about Hardscrabble while he waxed my new skis. He skied there as a kid. I drove by there a couple months ago, it’s now a rock quarry. You can still see where most of the runs were, others are swallowed up by the pit. The lodge is still there, but in a state of advanced decay. Tons of “Danger, No Trespassing“ signs. #sad.
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I raced there a few times in the early 70s , good hill, fast ropetows. Such a shame.
Hardscrabble STOKE
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Attachment 389885Quote:
Originally Posted by ill-advised strategy
Second-best time of year….
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Fall is so great.
I love the gray, the drizzle, the wind, and the bluster. Leaves showing what is underneath their green luster.
The beautiful people are sad, the housewives are mad. Larry and Karen close the door and hibernate like vermin, they tune to angry sermon.
To exit the bright world of summer we pass through this Kaleidoscope of color. The soft, dim, faint light feels just right. Long nights give us room to linger. Low sun rays force a purposeful focus to our finitely numbered days.
Dusk to dawn we live in the shadows of others wary. Finding joy in the cold delight, drawing energy from their seasoned spite.
I am now the last motorcycle.
Took a swing through quad cities for soccer, Dubuque, then Galena yesterday. Stopped by Chestnut on the way to our last stop. Place was booming with fall tourists but a quick walk and we were by ourselves.
Weather was absolutely perfect. Today not so much. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...ee31ab01e7.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...65ed06d430.jpg
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I’ll be passing through a few areas early February on an epic local & Indy road trip. Planning on hitting Hidden valley, snow creek, seven oaks and Terry Peak. I’ll be solo leaving out of the ATL and am open to making turns with some mags.
I would definitely hit Hidden Valley, but then I'd go the easy 5ish hours to Sundown in Dubuqe. Seven Oaks probably not worth it, although it is awesome what they have made of that once dead place. Sundown has good vertical, long winding runs and is really pretty with a vibrant local scene, good park. Definitely keep you entertained for a few hours and then a pretty easy one day drive over to Terry Peak. Straight shot on 20 thru Iowa is all good 4 lane with almost no traffic. So relaxing compared to 80. Then jump north on 29 to 90 and it is 85 mph cruising in the 80 zone all the way to the black hills.Quote:
Originally Posted by paj
Shame Chestnut isn't on the Indy pass. That would be a great 1 2 combo for road trippers.
I appreciate the suggestion. Sundown looked really cool at first glance but I was of the mindset I should stay on a more direct path to destination which is ultimately SLC with stops along the way.
After more thought I like the idea of sundown so I’ll still get three skis areas across the heartland: hidden valley-sundown-terry peak. I’ll swing a quick stop at Devils tower too. As a geologist I’m obligated.
Doing ski days at Antelope Butte, Red Lodge, white pine, snow king, and Beaver mtn before slc. Pretty much in that order. Maybe Pine creek too if they are open and the skiing is good.
Nice. I'm going to try to hit White Pine in January on the way home from Utardia. I love Pinedale and the Winds. I see they just went on the Bohemia pass as well. I say I am going to ski Pinedale every year though and I always bail in favor of another day at a mega.
Definitely throw me a PM if you come through. Normally ski at Chestnut and February is rife with ski races so doubtful I can make something happen but you never know. Sundown faces NW and it can be really fun. Crowded on the weekends though. Either way it is a gem that shouldn't exist in a shithole state like Iowa, but it does.
Big drive across the heartland in early February -
I driven 35mph behind the plow on the interstate. friends have waited four days in the RedCross shelter for the interstate to reopen.
I hope you have a great adventure...
Good luck... skiJ
I’ve thought about driving conditions possibly being an issue. I’m not on a hard schedule. I’m just trying to leave late January to early February so I'll work around a storm if needed. A few of the mountains I want to hit have restricted Friday to Monday schedule so I’m keeping that in mind. Since Indy allows two ski days I can double up on a mountain if needed.
in February and March in the midwest, it is all about the weather...
this February, it was -20F in Iowa ;
I've seen the interstates closed throughout the region.
a new pair of Blizzaks five years ago made for the two easiest seasons of Winter driving I have experienced.
Good luck - it sounds like an interesting adventure. skiJ
Article in today’s Eau Claire newspaper about plans for the former Mount Telemark.
https://www.leadertelegram.com/featu...3e50d0c38.html
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Anybody in here done some winter camping up in the Lutsen area? Would love to give it a go for a weekend this season.
I've done it before. Just parked at a trailhead and skied up a hill. Set up camp. Skied back to car in morning.
Lutsen is partially on National Forest Service property and the Superior trail runs right through it. You can check on the legality of dispersed camping here.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/sup...36905&actid=34
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A little bit of hike-to action at Tyrol last night
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Wow, no shit!
Early start!
They're pretty good about making snow, when they want to
We made the drive to Tyrol for the hike park a few years ago. The look on my friends face when he realized he had to hike after driving 3 hours was priceless.
Just ran into a lot of Bohemia social media controversy…Sounds like there’s a nasty lawsuit with local businesses using the term Mt Bohemia (the geological feature pre-dating the ski area) but that’s trademarked by the ski area. Local keweenaw folks are pretty bent, as it seems the parties being sued are well-liked down-home friendlies.
I just wanna go ski that good snow/terrain off lifts…that place has a way of always stirring up a lot of strong emotion and feuds and whatnot, which does infiltrate the stoke a bit. I really hope they get it sorted out clean, and there isn’t a tense vibe up there this year.
I have been seeing a lot of really good signs of progress around Marquette, lift repairs, pre-season vegetation maintenance…like, stuff they had been neglecting with the old owner. It’s great to see.
Lonnee gonna Lonnee
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