In relatively hard to find news, Lutsen Mountains’ last day of the season was April 16th (even though the webcam shows lots of snow still around). They are also replacing the 10th Mountain Chair on Eagle Mountain with a new “Raptor Express” lift (size and type unknown). This project appears to be different than anything in the expansion plan that is still awaiting a decision from the U.S. Forest Service. WTIP reports this should now be announced this summer.
Great documentary on the Arrowhead 135 by director Marius Anderson at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, St. Anthony Main. Also fun to have the director and 2019 women’s champion Leah Gruhn afterwards
Record high temp (85F), still pockets of snow here and there, LOTS of tree damage, passed a horse rider, heard loons calling, saw lots of ducks clustered on the river and could’ve taken some turns still at Afton Alps (if they had stayed open)
Sad how little of the day was spent actually making turns (versus riding the chairs and sitting in the chalet)
Pros: Comped soup, and lift tickets. Cons: They got rid of the soup
“Sleep at the Fairmont Banff Springs” has been item #34 on my bucket list for quite a long time. As we looked to conclude the year of milestone birthday trips, Marisa and I decided we would make ours a combined ski trip (and invite Colleen and Sasha to tag along). SkiBig3 had some good sales after Thanksgiving, so we picked the week between our two birthdays and made reservations. Airfare between MSP and Calgary wasn’t too terrible on the Delta nonstops and I reserved my normal Emerald Aisle rental with National.
We planned to fly on Monday and Friday, with ski days on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The drive from the airport to downtown Banff only takes about 90 minutes and we purchased the required park passes ahead of time, so we didn’t have to stop at the park entrance. Sasha and Marisa brought their own skis with, so we had one large ski bag, four large suitcases and a bunch of carry-ons. Thankfully, National had a Mazda SUV for us that really held up all week with the extreme winter conditions (heated steering wheels are awesome).
Speaking of conditions, the Canadian equivalent of the National Weather Service warned: “Temperatures will plummet to values not seen in years.” Air temp was -30C (-22F) during the early part of the week, closing two of the three ski areas completely on Tuesday. That was the day Marisa and I got to experience the Canadian health system with a morning visit to Banff Mineral Springs Hospital. She had flu symptoms the night before and they did a great job helping get her back in shape for skiing the last two days. Everything was pre-pay for service, so we are now working with our regular insurance to get reimbursed for the hospital and doctor fees (which weren’t outrageous).
