Open?

[stefan]

When's Lutsen open this year? Also, anyone know which parts of Lutsen are going to be rideable?

[jswing]

Opens this weekend and they have room specials through this weekend (then summer rate apply). The lifts don't open till next weekend I think. This year the entire biking area will be open; last year Moose was closed while they built the new mountain top chalet.

http://lutsen.com/summer/sawtooth_park/mountainBikingLiftSchedule.cfm

[Buck]

Opens this weekend and they have room specials through this weekend (then summer rate apply). The lifts don't open till next weekend I think. This year the entire biking area will be open; last year Moose was closed while they built the new mountain top chalet.

http://lutsen.com/summer/sawtooth_park/mountainBikingLiftSchedule.cfm


Moose is open but only accesible via gondola...so the only way to do multiple rides on that hill is huff it up the hill or work your way all the way across back to the gondola...oh yeah and the prices went up this year. 30 dollars a day for unlimited on Moose and 35ish for gondola access to the other mtn.

L8Rz
Buck

[Thewavebb]

Moose is a great hill there too. Unless they open up lifts on moose, I will not go back. There are a plenty of other great things to do on the north shore.

~Ben

[Ubergiant]

When is MORC going to do a hostile takeover/redesign of Lutsen?????
They're sitting on a gold mine with that terrain and have wasted it away with crappy trails that resemble Lebanon hills circa 1996. Sure there is some single track and its almost worth the money but it could be sooo much better.

[yellowandblackattack]

Heading up near lutsen next week. Anyone know any good technical trails up by lutsen besides lutsen ski hill? thx.

[Rocky Mountain]

Duluth along the way has some tech. trails such as Hartley. Hopefully da man
known as Mr. Lange(to all you player haters) will chime in.

Make sure you contact Lutsen before going up since the managament there does not care about mtn. biking and may not have the necessary lifts running.

[Buck]

Spirit mtn has some killer trail.

Superior skate park is a blast.

Lincoln Park has some fun stuff.

The streets of duluth have tons to offer if you are good at finding lines.

L8Rz
Buck

[Neckroll]

A friend and I were at Lutsen this past weekend and the place was a blast!
I suppose for anyone who sticks strictly to Lebanon, Wirth etc. and gets all snooty when a trail isn't in immaculate condition, then you probably wouldn't have much fun. But if you are someone who has a sense of adventure, and can find fun and excitement in a somewhat sketchy (more technical, challenging?) trail, and, especially, someone who likes to get a bit of speed built up from time to time without having to worry about the 90 degree turn that's always coming, than Lutsen is the place for you!
Don't get me wrong, Lutsen does a horrible job of utilizing the immense terrain that they have, and the layout of the lifts that they run does sometimes make you have to work a bit harder than you'd like to when you're paying for a lift ticket, but aren't some of those things worth it when you have access to terrain and trails that you can't get anywhere else within a 6-8 hour drive?
Another comment regarding how "bad" a job they do. We were there on a 65 degree and sunny sunday. And there were no more than 20 riders there all day, and for the last 2 hours, it was us and one other pair of people. What incentive does Lutsen have to put a bunch of money and work into a trail when no one seems to care as it is? Maybe if some of the people who write in complaining about the conditions would suck it up, accept the challenge that fast loose gravel, exposed granite, NATURAL rock gardens and a not-so-perfectly manicured trail can give your skills, and fork over some bucks to get some lift accessed excitement, than maybe Lutsen would see the potential they have and start putting some work into the place. Lifts aren't cheap to run, and to be honest, I'm grateful that they're willing to lose money on my $30 and run the lifts that they do.
Then again, I'm not sure if the better conditions and more elaborate trail system would be worth it to me. That would just make more people come up there, and crowd the place up like Lebanon on your average weeknight. Because the one thing that I like about Lutsen above all, that makes it worth the drive for me, is that I always have the hill to myself, and to me that, along with the challenges of a not neccessarily perfect, natural trail are what separate "mountain' biking, from the road/trail/xc biking that most people do.
So to make a long story really long, in my opinion, to anyone wondering if they should bother to make the trip -YES- it is an experience that you really cannot get anywhere else around here, and at the very least, your skills will improve after a day of riding there. Either that, or you'll end up nursing the worst raspberry wound you've ever experienced, which in itself can be a badge of honor worth every cent.

[P2freerider]

Is the moose open this year? Also, if buck sees this, are both the dh runs open at spirit?

[Ubergiant]

Yeah moose is open this year.
Nick Jensen - You hit it right on the head with that post. There aren't any fast hills within a 2 hour drive of the twin cities. Afton has one scetchy downhill thats half grass and all rutted out. Leb just bybassed the fastest part on the trail and the only section where you could throw it in the big ring. Its purely a winding trail that can barely reach 30mph and while its climbs are a challenge with all the log steps, nothing in the metro can compare to climbing Mystery Mountain the hard way. Not even Afton.
That climb is natrually rocky, long, and rewarding. Lutsen has natural features that can't be touched by anything at leb. Teeter todders and log pile have a certain novely to them and I love em, but that novelty wears off. Wide open runs at 40+mph, on the other hand, never stop putting a smile on your face.
I know I called lutsen crappy trails circa leb in '96 but now that leb lost all of its wide open downhill, I miss it.
After spending a little time in colorado and washington, I think Lutsen comes a little closer to real mountain biking than leb purely becasue its fast, technical and all natural.....of course I wont be riding lutsen twice a week like I do leb cause lutsen isn't in my backyard.
Its not almost worth the money, its totally worth it. Especially if you camp.

[Thewavebb]

For those who like to climb and then have nice long downhill runs, check out holzinger lodge down in Winona. It was my stomping grounds for 5 years and is never gets old for me. I have almost never ride up here since the metro trails don't even come close to the likes of holzigner, memorial and the trails in La Crosse. If anybody wants to ride down there, it would be a great place for group ride.

[Buck]

Have either of you guys ridden at Spirit?

L8Rz
Buck

[Magic]

Have either of you guys ridden at Spirit?

L8Rz
Buck

I don't think they would like it. Sounds like they want 40 yard wide gravel roads to ride down. Lutsen had it's day in the sun back in the 80's. But as of late, they aren't worth the money for the drive and lift service. But as Buck stated, give Spirit a try. The downhill course should but a smile on their faces.

[berrywise]

Do they still have the cafe at the top of the hill? I always like hitting that up when I would go up there. Havne't been there in five or six years it seems though.

[Magic]

Yes, the one at the top of Moose is their. They just had a remodel of it in the past few years.

[Matthew]

"Its purely a winding trail that can barely reach 30mph"

Man if you can ride leb's singletrack at 30mph you are a far better biker than me. This thing kinda had the sound of a shameless plug, neckroll sounded like he was quoting the flier as he typed. Anyway lutsen sounds like it could be a workout anyway. Maybe if I am in the area sometime.

[John Zacherl]

I am an employee of Lutsen Mts.
I used to live in Washington and ride with guys who did a lot of stuff that scared me bad.
I would like to take advantage of the amazing terrain here and make this place great.

I'd like to see an actual "park". Jumps, good trails that are maintained,
and (the other) northshore style shoots and latter stuff.

I am willing to work with my bosses and do a of the labor.

I need riders to voice their complaints, comments, etc. in a clear and constructive manner to management. Whining on a messageboard will get us nowhere. Let them know that you will ride here more or start perhaps if some of our potential was tapped. If anyone wants to help let them know that too.

Email attention Jim Vick, or Brienne Strand at ski@lutsen.com (ski@lutsen.com)


Thanks,
John

[Ubergiant]

[quote=Magic] Sounds like they want 40 yard wide gravel roads to ride down. quote]

That wasn't exactly what I meant by my last post....I was thinking more like 50 or 60 yards. And I haven't ever in my life hit 30 at Leb. 26 was the best we did on the section that just got bypassed. I know there are a lot of riders better than me out there so I kind of assumed someone has been going that fast out there.
I'll definatly be giving Spirit a try this season. I meant to last season but we left the north shore a little late and it was dusk by the time we got to duluth.

I think John the lutsen employee has the right idea in terms of making lutsen better. It'll never be like Whistler but it could be a lot better.
Maybe managment could make some concessions with MORC to have some trails built. Something like trail designers staying at lutsen at cost while they build trails over a few weekends? Employees/townies could volenteer their time to build it? Maybe throw some incentives in there like free food after building sessions or free season pass for trail builders? I know there are some ski areas in colorado who hand out free season passes to locals who come in and bootpack avalanche areas in the begining of the season.
Whats your take on the managments commitment to mountain biking up there?