Skigebietesammeln erfordert manchmal schwierige Entscheidungen. Heute ist wieder einmal ein solcher Tag, an dem ich einen lange gehegten Traum vorerst begraben muss. Auf dem Plan stand Lutsen, gemäss verschiedenen Quellen das beste Skigebiet im Mittleren Westen. Der zugegebenermassen etwas optimistische Plan sah wie folgt aus:
** English **
Ski resort collecting sometimes requires difficult decisions. Today is once again one of those days on which I have to put a long-cherished dream on hold. Lutsen was on the plan, according to various sources the best ski resort in the Midwest. The admittedly somewhat optimistic plan looked like this:
** Inglese **
Spirit Mountain (172 metres vertical, Minnesota): Skiing with views of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Lake Superior
Spirit Mountain was mentioned yesterday by a snowboarder at Wild Mountain as his favourite resort. I am curious – and first manage to miss the entrance to the upper parking lot (there is also one at the bottom). Back on track, I find excellent powder snow in a ski area without major technical demands, but with reasonably long runs and some very engaging conversations.
In one of them, I learn that these are about the best conditions one can expect here: “This is as good as it gets.”
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| Es gibt auch eine La Siala-Abfahrt, deshalb bin ich sicher, dass Laxx hier falsch geschrieben ist. |
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Die Sessellifte übertreffen alles, was ich bisher an alten Liften in diesem Land gesehen habe - und es sind viele viele alte Lifte in den USA.
Wie die Abbildung aus dem Liftblog (Link) zeigt, ist der neuste der aktuell laufenden Liften ist beinahe so alt wie ich (hm 😕).
- Es scheint, dass das Gebiet eigentlich schon Konkurs sein sollte (Link) (Der erste Kommentar teilt mein Erstaunen, dass Whitecap nicht im Indypass ist.)
- Der Lift North Pole/South Pole hat zwei Bergstationen und war der höchste Sessellift mit rund 40m über Boden (ohne Sicherheitsbügel) Link. Zum Glück muss man nun an den jeweiligen Stationen aussteigen und darf nicht weiterfahren.
Whitecap Mountain (98 metres vertical, Wisconsin): It can be different (or perhaps not for much longer)
After around two hours of driving through deep-winter, sparsely populated landscapes, I arrive at the snow-covered base lodge of Whitecap. While all the lodges I have visited so far have been welcoming and professionally run, this one is very different. Not only are basic signs or even a restroom missing, but there is also a complete lack of the atmosphere one associates with a ski destination. The facilities feel as if no more money is being invested, perhaps because the area is expected to close sooner rather than later.
The chairlifts surpass anything I have seen so far in terms of age – and I have seen many, many old lifts in the US. As shown in an illustration from Liftblog (see above or here link), the newest of the currently operating lifts is almost as old as I am (hm 😕).
The lifts serve short runs in all directions around two hills, effectively covering 360 degrees. With the exception of the south-facing slopes (partly rocky) served by the South Pole lift, all runs are easy – but with around 40 cm of fresh powder, that hardly matters.
I experience a real “Rotlache moment” here, skiing the short runs with great enjoyment, while at the same time feeling slightly uncomfortable about the state in which I find this resort. I had listened to a Storm Skiing podcast beforehand and was genuinely intrigued by what I heard. In the follow-up, however, I come across other interesting information:
- It appears that the resort should technically already be bankrupt (link). (The first comment echoes my own surprise that Whitecap is not part of the Indy Pass.)
- The North Pole / South Pole chairlift has two top stations and was once the tallest chairlift, at around 40 metres above ground – without safety bars (link). Fortunately, passengers are now required to unload at the respective stations and are no longer allowed to ride through.
I drive 20 minutes from Whitecap to the motel in Ironwood. It is snowing like it did last year in Hakuba. How I love this kind of weather! (Whether I will still love it when it drops to –2°F (–19°C)? We will see.)
