Courtesy Lutsen Mountains
Lutsen Mountains
Lutsen Mountains on the Minnesota shore opened for Thanksgiving weekend. It was one of the few regional ski areas able to open in November.
Warm weather delays some ski openers
Most local ski hills haven’t been able to open yet this season thanks to the much-warmer-than-normal November. (It was the warmest November in Duluth in 117 years, the National Weather Service notes.)
Loch Lomond in Thunder Bay opened up last weekend, but had to close after just a few days. “Seriously what is up with this rain,” the ski area lamented on Facebook. “At least our snow-making holding ponds are nice and full now!”
On Minnesota’s North Shore, Lutsen Mountains (pictured above, making snow) was partially open for the Thanksgiving weekend and will have three runs available this weekend. The new gondola will be open Saturday for sightseeing.
Duluth’s Spirit Mountain pushed back its opening to Dec. 9 or 10, if a snowstorm and colder temps do indeed hit the area next week as forecasted. Giants Ridge in Biwabik, Minnesota, Big Snow Resort in Wakefield, Michigan, and the Porcupine Mountains Ski Area in Michigan announced the same. Marquette Mountain hopes to open on Dec. 8, with an optimistic “Ski you soon” message. Other ski areas around the Lake expect to open by mid-month.
Birkie wins awards
Wisconsin’s American Birkebeiner Trail was the top vote-getter in an online contest.
According to the press release, “The American Birkebeiner Trail was named the number one cross-country ski destination in the nation as voted by USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice travel award contest.”
Separately, the Birkie shared the 2016 Champions of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism award with the Hayward Lakes Visitors and Convention Bureau. The award is given out by the publication Sports Destination Management. More than 10,000 skiers participate in the annual Birkie events for an estimated economic impact of $20 million.
Underwater perspective on the herring run
Minnesota photographer Christian Dalbec, whose work frequently appears in the magazine, ran a mini photo series on his Facebook page this week featuring fisherman Eric Sve. In true Dalbec fashion – we’re convinced he’s part fish himself – Christian jumped in and snapped most of the photos from the water for a fascinating above-and-below view. Check out the photos: one, two, three and four.
Winter slowly begins to take hold in the U.P.: So writes Scot Stewart in a birding column for the Mining Journal. He reports on the outlook for winter birdwatching and says it should be an excellent year for northern cardinals.
Travel Channel show visits Bayfield: “Anthony Melchiorri, the host of the Travel Channel’s ‘Hotel Impossible,’ paid a visit to Bayfield recently, when Melchiorri and his crew were in town filming an episode of the show at Greunke's First Street Inn in Bayfield,” reports Sara M. Chase for the Ashland Daily Press.
What is the Lake Superior Coastal Program? The Lake County News Chronicle looks at the projects of this Minnesota coastal-resources organization. Its recent work include support for wastewater treatment in Silver Bay, Fresnel lens exhibits at the Two Harbors Light Station and even Superior Hiking Trail construction.
Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay was 1 of 14 winners nationwide of the 2016 Canadian Tourism Awards presented this week by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada. The honor is for National Cultural Tourism and the award is sponsored by Parks Canada. At the presentation this week, Daniel Watson, CEO of Parks Canada, said the award recognizes “Fort William Historical Park as an important and vibrant part of Ontario’s and Canada’s cultural richness.”
Washburn supper club The Steak Pit is closing after 43 years: The owners are retiring on Dec. 17, Sara M. Chase writes in the Ashland Daily Press. It was featured in the 2013 book Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old-Fashioned Experience and received many accolades over the years.
Thunder Bay Art Gallery unveils new waterfront building design: The proposed, 40,000-square-foot building would overlook Lake Superior and offer the gallery much more visibility in the community, CBC News reports. Currently the gallery has half of that square footage on the Confederation College campus.