Went on a lovely trip with my boyfriend and friends! The rental situation was very disorganized, but luckily aside from that this trip was awesome! I recommend going to Charlie's on the resort and to checkout the live music on late nights. The hot tub was great after hours of snowboarding too. So much fun we might make this trip annually! The slopes were way more difficult than I had expected, but they had runs for everyone no matter the experience. My friend is a beginner, I am average, and the two guys are great snowboarders. Lutsen is awesome! read more

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I've never skiied here, but I've gone up the gondola in the fall twice now, and it's been some of my favorite memories of fall! HOT TIP: Fall happens even earlier on the North Shore! Don't wait until late October - you won't see much. Mid-September is often peak :) We purchased tickets online and queued mid-morning on a weekday to go enjoy the fall colors. It was great timing, as I hear it gets busy on weekends and later in the day. The ride up is soooo pretty! At least the past two years, they've given parties their own gondola so you don't have to ride with others. At the top, you simply MUST go to the lookout on the west side. That's the most stunning view and absolutely worth it! The east side view from the chalet/restaurant is pretty too, because you can see the water, but not nearly as colorful. Absolute MUST DO in the fall! read more

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My son's girlfriend booked online tickets for the alpine slide and the gondola in early October. She thought it would be easy to book them so we didn't have a wait. We were staying in Duluth and planned on arriving in Lutsen after lunch. So much traffic due to fall colors and local events. We arrived in Lutsen about 2pm and had a great shock. It was jam packed. It took 30 minutes to find a parking space. Then a long walk. We learned that buying advance tickets is not a time saver if you are doing the alpine slide. You have to sign a release (electronically on your phone) but they still make you go the ticket window. It was an hour wait just to reach the window. Then they were having system issues and the whole reservation had to be entered again. That took a while. We were worried we wouldn't make the alpine slide as it closes earlier than the gondola. So we trekked to the slide and very few people waiting for the chair lift up the hill. We thought that was great. Nope. At the top we had to wait in a very long line for the sled. Then a line to go down the slide. The ride was great but many people walked down the hill rather than wait. They will not let you ride the chair lift down. Then we went to the gondola ride and it only had a 5 minute wait at the end of the day. They make you exit at the top and then we boarded again. The fall colors view was beautiful but the gondola windows were so dirty that we could barely see them. Our drive back to Duluth was even worse. We had to drive the dirt roads to avoid stopped traffic. read more

This is a fantastic place to bring a family. We stayed at a nearby ski in-ski out townhouse. When we arrived just before they opened, we found Plenty of free parking close to the ticket booth. I had pre-ordered tickets and so we got our passes pretty quickly. The guys in the rental shop were knowledgeable And helpful. Lots of ski options. There's a tiny bunny hill with magic carpet for beginners. I stayed on greens but my boys and husband had fun on the blues and blacks. There's a new lift that's big and fast. I love the gondola and lodge and the top of the hill. The food is decent but a little pricey - $13 for a burger, $6 for a hot dog, fries are an additional $5. They also have soup, chili, and wine. I brought a small cooler with food. We brought that up the gondola and enjoyed lunch with a phenomenal view of Lake Superior and the hills. I was sad to see the main restaurant had burned to the ground. We loved that place last year and look forward to the new place they plan to build this summer. If you are in Minnesota or just want a beautiful place to ski with your family, this is a fantastic place! I took a video of a green trail here: https://youtu.be/tCVkrDUr9Dc?si=zPN5t1qJPy2kBBOd read more

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Was cool we ride the slide. It was such a fun event. I can't even explain it. I was a little worried about the ride up never being on a ski lift and a lil afraid of heights. It was an easy experience. We did help a family carry one of their sled. Be prepared if you have kids. You need to get a sled and carry it to the slide from the top of the lift. It was worth the price. We also took the gondola now that was super cool it was so fun to see the mountains below. Not scared on this it was closed in. We did try the restaurant up top it is a small menu. We ordered cheese curds and drinks. They were short staffed one guy taking orders and delivery them. And probably one person in the kitchen. We did not mind we enjoyed the view. Curds. Ok and the Gatorade expensive as one would expect. The beer was fun and tasty. Again worth the time and cost. The view is extraordinary. Go check it out all ages appropriate it was smoky from Canada so probably would be even better with no smoke. read more

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Great Midwest resort. If you are used to skiing small hills in the Midwest, this resort gives you a break from that small hill feel. We skied three days. As a person who skis out west every year, I was leery in booking three days at a Midwest resort. But the weather, snow conditions, and mountain conditions were all great. We were there over Feb 13-15. One of the rare warm ups of February. We skied in three days of bluebird sun. Absolutely fabulous. It was 40 degrees one of the days and the mountain held up fine. The grooming also was good on days two and three. The amount of back country they have is fine, but you need a good 2 feet or more to truly enjoy it. But, that wasn't this trip. Three complaints. Ticket office, lift lines, and food service. The ticket office was slow. On a Friday morning of a holiday weekend, they only put two people in the office and not everyone can do everything. So you can't approach a window with a flex pass, because that goes to a different window and so forth. Poor design. Plus once you are at the ticket office, the process to get you all set was also slow. There was one redeeming light, Friday afternoon, I was served by an efficient young woman who greeted me with a smile, was quick to get me what I needed an got me on my way under 2 minutes at the window. That's how its got to be across the board. They had a bunch of windows, but no manpower. Lift lines were an oozing mess of people. In typical midwestern ignorance, everyone simply kept funneling into the lift area with no direction or idea of what they are doing. Forming groups of six was a challenge for most groups on our trip. This slowed capacity significantly on a busy day. Caribou Express had a line of 30 plus on both sides. Its not difficult to sort this all out. But, singles never paired up with groups until they simply saw a spot open up in front of them. It was silly. The majority of these folks would be yelled at incessantly out west. Only once on Saturday was there a lifty sorting out the mass hysteria in the lift line. He was needed both Saturday and Sunday. The food service on Moose Mountain was poorly designed. There is a bar, but the only canned items you can get are seltzers. To increase efficiency, get rid of the bar and replace with a walk through area where those of age can grab a can of whatever they'd like and purchase it. Overall, I would go again. The views were spectacular. The skiing was great. Just a few annoyances. read more

We had such a blast going down the Alpine Slide! It is seriously great fun for all ages, you can push the lever forward to go SUPER fast but also pull back if you need to slow down or break at all. Hubby and I raced down (I won ;) but really it's as fast as you want to make it. Common sense, but make sure all your belongings are securely tucked away and zippered up! Side note - even though we purchased our tickets and completed our waiver online, we still had to stand in line to get your barcodes to scan in order to get on the chair lift. read more

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Pretty! Disclaimer: my review is solely based on the winter gondola ride, lunch space and gift shop. As I don't ski (yet), I had the honor of visiting our group who was skiing for lunch and a little gondola excursion. I felt like the space was clean and slopes looked well maintained. For a weekend, it was great to see so many humans out taking advantage of fresh air, friendships and movement. The gondola ride was extremely overpriced considering I wasn't skiing but it was all part of the adventure. The food was mediocre and also over priced - yet again this was expected. The gift shop was extremely fun especially seeing all the Lutsen memorabilia such as the sweatshirts and Christmas ornaments. Yes we ended up buying the overpriced gondola ornament as we couldn't resist. If you ski or snowboard, everyone in my party said this is a nice spot considering the hills in any other area of MN are not as large so you are getting more downhill ski exposure here. Enjoy! read more

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I enjoyed our trip to Lutsen overall but feel violated by the experience as a whole. We paid top dollar for our lodging, lift tickets and entertainment but it often just fell flat at times. Papa Charlies is a complete rip off. Subpar food and overpriced drinks. I get it the place is seasonal, but $16 for a shot of Fernet is insane. We should have at least been warned before being served. The resort itself is just ran so shady and I often spent days waiting for the larger Moose Mountain to open to only be told not today. Considering this is a seven plus hour drive from Milwaukee, there are just better options for boarding near us where we get treated right across the board. Flying somewhere legit is also not out of the question after making this jaunt. Other than my dealings with the cost for what you get, bad actors at the resort lodge, and just an overall feeling of being violated for prices, it was an good trip. We made it to and from safe despite up and down weather, and for that I'm thankful. Our real saving grace was our condo we rented, which is not ran or affiliated with Lutsen proper and is privately owned. Will likely be finding elsewhere to spend our hard-earned money for our next skication. read more

Lutsen Mountains - Merry Christmas Eve! - Ski Resorts Near Me - Lutsen, Minnesota

THIS IS A REVIEW FOR THE ALPINE SLIDE IN SUMMERTIME We came to Lutsen to check it out during the summer and we only did the Alpine Slide - had no food or drinks. I came with my 9 year old daughter and we both did the slide. It lasted a good bit and was worth every penny! Included a gondola ride. Highly recommend doing this! So fun! read more

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Super expensive to take the gondola and alpine slide, plus the line to get tickets is endless

Amazing fall color views from these mountains. Everyone should visit this place. They have Gandola and alpine ride in these mountains. Only thing is make sure you have your tickets booked way before you come. You need to be ready for big traffic lines on weekends and holidays. read more

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I went up to do the alpine side this year as I have been wanting to do it for years now. When we arrived there was mist in the air and we were told that the alpine slide was not going to run for the day. We were sad about this but understood due to safety reasons. The staff on site informed us we would get a refund. After a few day I had not seen the refund come though so I called back up there to find out when I would get it. The staff member that I spoke to was extremely disrespectful to me and refused to give me a refund or a credit at all, stated that because I did not call within 24 hours I wasn't going to get anything. I requested multiple times to speak to a manager and they refused to let me, stating you don't need to talk with a manager. Only once my boyfriend (A MAN) got off work and called up there, were they willing to give us a only a credit. The way they treated me was completely horrible. Full discloser, I created this account just to write this review about how bad my experience was, and I know the person that wrote the last review. Feel free to read his as well but I wanted to explain how horrible my experience was as well. read more

I went here on 09/21/2025 for the alpine slide. When we arrived they told us it would not be running due to the mist in the air and that it was not safe. I asked them to refund me and they said they would. After a few day's we did not see the refund so my girlfriend called to inquire about it. They were extremely rude to her and would not offer a credit or a refund. They said that because she did not call with in 24 they didn't have to do anything. They also refused to let my her talk with the manager. After I got off work, I called up there and only then did they offer only a credit for me, but would not allow me to talk with a manager and said that someone would call me back. The manager (Avey) then called me back later and said they would not do a refund and all I was going to get was a credit. I told them that we were going to dispute it with the bank then, because we did everything right. We showed up on time, paid, and was understanding of why we could not go and that the staff told us we would get refunded. Avey the manager then threatened us by saying if we did that they would revoke the credit, and fine/charge us for disputing it with the bank. They also said that the credit will only last for 1 year and that if we can't make the 5+ hour drive again we would forfeit the credit. I am amazed that they even have 3 stars on yelp. The way they treated us was horrible. read more

Had a blast shreddin gnar with friends on the last weekend of the season! Gorgeous sunny day in the 40s couldn't have been better. But why shut down the lift lines at 3:30?! Way too early for this beautifully perfect spring day! Mountain Meltdown at Papa Charlie's made for some fun après ski! read more

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Would never ski there again for two reasons. First, the booth ticket agent became aggressive and angrily escalated a situation that did not need escalation. I wasn't skiing the first day and I was told I needed to plod to the ticket booth to sign my waiver before my friend could ski. When I asked the agent firmly (but certainly not angrily) why this was the case, it made no sense to me, she told me in a loud, angry voice to calm down. Instead, she could have simply explained why they require a non-skier to sign their waiver before the skier could get their lift ticket and ski. She chose to be insulting and rude instead. The second reason I will not ski there again is that when I did ski, the day was warm and they shut the whole place down to one lift and one run. I can understand shutting down some or even most runs, but only leaving one open is totally unacceprable. read more

We took a crew of skiers here this weekend. A client of the mountain stole a minor's skis in our group and instead of helping multiple employees gaslit our teen blaming her for the incident. No offer to help. No offer to make an announcement to have their client return the stolen skis. The only thing the employees could focus on was shaming the teenager. The staff should be ashamed but they already had out money so no one was willing to help. 0/10 would recommend. Be careful not to trust anyone affiliated or on staff here as they are only worried about themselves and the 100s of dollars of wasted hill time their clients could have had if only one employee could show a sliver of empathy. read more

Terrible customer service, waited in line for 45 minutes to buy tickets, waited for Gondola for over an hour, was having mechanical issues. Wanted me to wait in line another hour for a raincheck...never going back. read more

This review was moved from the incorrect business and refers to a visit in October, 2018. Was in the area with the extended family. We decided on an outing to Lutsen to take the gondola and check out the fall colors. Sorta windy so we called in advance to be sure it was running. The person we spoke to told us (in sorta in a snarky way) that "wind does not affect gondola operations". Drove 20+ minutes out there from where we were renting and was told (again, in a snarky way) that the gondola was closed due to wind. Not wowed by the service. read more

Extremely inefficient process for gondolas. Even if you purchase tickets and sign waivers online you have to wait in line to pick up physical tickets. They had one cashier so line was extremely long. They were not informing people in the line to pre-fill out the waivers to make things go faster. Overall horribly inefficient. Dozens of empty gondolas passing by while folks wait in line... Please hire more people! read more

Customer experience. Make sure to check on line ticketing for daily passes and most browsers default to 2 day without explaining there are other options. It's poorly misleading at best. When I brought up how confusing the website was and that I really only intended to stay one day but didn't know this was an option given the checkout information lacking, I was met with hostility, arguing how I shouldn't have accepted the ticket that morning if I didn't intent to ski both days, and some other nonsensical argumentents with her ultimately closing the blinds in my face when confronted with how poorly the ticket confirmation language actually was. Every other person I interacted with was competent and helpful, but it just takes one bad experience I guess. Make sure you're not accidentally signing away your first born child when checking out online or all you will get is, "sorry that's not our policy to refund" and a ticketing window slammed in your face my rude employees. read more

Summer or fall destination too! There is an alpine slide that is super long and fun! You can purchase individual ride tickets, a booklet, or get a wristband and ride for hours. The ride up the lift to the top of the hill is fun all by itself. Great views of Lake Superior! The mountain tram departs not far from where the slide ends and the gift shop is. You can buy a combo slide/tram ticket if you'd like to do both, which I recommend! The tram takes you across a rocky stream bed and through the trees until going straight up the mountain side. Eeeek! Exciting and fun! Once you get to the other side you can grab a snack or beverage at the new chalet or hike around the trails. Beautiful! read more

Lutsen Mountains - Alpine Slide - Ski Resorts Near Me - Lutsen, Minnesota

First time here. Amazing. People friendly. Place is very organized. Taking the pandemic seriously. Very structured. Enforcing masks! Awesome. Way to go guys. We will for sure be back many many times. Thank you for taking the global pandemic serious. read more

Lutsen Mountains - On eagle mountain outlook deck. - Ski Resorts Near Me - Lutsen, Minnesota

We've taken the kids to the Alpine Slide at Lutsen about 10 times over the years. We've always had a great time until this year - likely due to staffing changes. The slide itself is in need of repair with lots of misalignment between sections, cracked/broken sections, etc. I'm sure it does, but am surprised it passes a safety inspection. What really ruined it for us was management's response to weather issues. We paid $45 each for a full day Adventure pass. After about 2 hours of use, it began to rain and they closed the hills. It did clear up in the afternoon, but rather than dry the track for customers, the staff went home early! When we requested some consideration for the decision to close early, we were told that since we went down the slide more than three times and used the gondola once, we received more than the value that we paid! Lutsen COULD have kept the slide open late for those who didn't get to use it all day , rather than closing early. Alternatively, they COULD have allowed us to use it the next day for a couple hours before heading back to the cities. The latter would have cost them absolutely nothing, but their business practices dictate that customer satisfaction was secondary to following their own policies. We may return in a few years if improvements are made. In the meantime, there are better ways to spend our entertainment dollars. read more

The worst run ski hill I've ever been on (by far). Was hopeful for a enjoyable day of skiing at Lutsen, but will never be back after a crap experience this past Monday. Showed up at opening time, and the line wasn't long. That was to be the best part of the day. In hindsight, I think the lines were moving fast, because it would be easier to sell more lift tickets before people found out just what a rip off it would be. As you drive in to Lutsen, they do a good job of making it appear as though it's a functioning place. Firstly, the gondola. For some reason it wasn't able to transport people..but it's able to operate the entire day running imaginary skiers to a hill that's not opened..my assumption being that is to present the appearance of it being open (to folks driving up to buy a ticket). The other lifts seemed to be functioning, but on closer inspection, about half of them seem to be working, and the few that are, have long lines (talking 20 minute waits at one point). This problem was kind of sorted out about three hours after opening when they finally opened up another lift to another mountain. Once you finally get on the chairlift (the slowest one you've ever been one) you can expect to be stopped at least twice on the way up, likely for a minute each time. I'm not sure why this was so common at Lutsen, but the next day I went to Afton Alps (had to get the taste of Lutsen out of my skis,) and this maybe happened twice the entire day. How they have the audacity to charge $86 (plus tax) for such a poorly run, partially open resort is appalling. Compared to Afton the next day, (which seems to care about providing a good value) the entire experience at Lutsen reeked of lazy. read more

Customer service here is poor regarding communication. We purchased the package deal to ride the Gondala and Alpine slides online. That morning when we arrived, the Alipine slides were wet and closed for the day (as the cashier said), so we were given a raincheck. We enjoyed the ride on the Gondala and a beautiful hike at the top. Then stopped for lunch before heading back down the mountain. As we returned, we noticed that the Alpine slide was back open and we wanted to use our rain check. We returned to the cashier to use our raincheck and found out that the rain check is not refundable for two tickets down the Alpine slide and that we had to pay more. Reason being that its only refunded for the remainder of the money left over after paying full price for two Gondala rides. Even though we purchased them as a package "deal" on purpose. Then we were told we could use raincheck for food as well (would have been nice to know before we ate lunch). Overall, I do not recommend purchasing the package deal unless you know for sure that both are open because you will be paying more out of pocket. Also, I understand that the raincheck is a policy however, the cashier should have never told us that the Alpine slide was going to be closed all day if she was not sure. This will only upset people. Unfortunatly we will never get to use our raincheck. We will not be back because of the lack of customer service. read more

The worst customer service ever. We didn't know the mountains closed at 4 so when we called saying we were out 250$ in the middle of a pandemic the woman was mean and rude. I saved for months for this trip and to be talked down to like i was I was shocked. She was annoyed every time I stuttered and I cried for an hour after the call because of how disrespected I felt. I've never had this kind of experience and I've been skiing for 17 years. read more

Worth the visit if you like skiing downhill on snow. If you don't then this place might not be to your liking in the winter. Great views of Lake Superior, a variety of runs - 90 in all, typical over priced lodge food, and mostly friendly staff. read more

Lutsen Mountains - Ski Resorts Near Me - Lutsen, Minnesota

This review is based on the customer service. We came up here for the spring meltdown and took advantage of the ski package and stay at the resort. We arrived on a Saturday and we were aware we couldn't check in until 4 so we went skiing first. The employees at the admissions for lift tickets were very poor. They were visibly underwhelmed to be there and we ended up standing in line twice because they failed to ask the necessary questions that would have helped us get all the passes and rentals we needed. Our room was not ready by check in time and we woke up to a maintenance person in our who hadn't knocked prior to coming in. We will be back for skiing but will think twice about staying at the resort. read more

Lutsen Mountain ski package website is taking part in a scam! The insurance offered is a scam! The numbers listed on the Lutsen site go to a scammer that tries to steal your information! After discovering this I contacted Lutsen and they deny it and allow it to continue! They are involved in fraudulent activity and continue to allow their customers to be scammed! read more

Let me start by saying I am nowhere near a great skier. However, through a local radio station, my lady and I won a 3 day trip to Lutsen. So we thought we would try to improve or skills. I had spent some time skiing in my high school days. My lady - never. This may not be the best choice of ski hills to learn on. However, if you can ski here, you can ski anything in the midwest. They have a bunny hill for the starters as well as a few easy runs. We did not make it off the smallest mountain, but were perfectly satisfied with our experience. There were 7 or 8 runs for us on this hill. Plenty of variety for a starter. (BTW, the view from the top of the mountain is amazing! I spent almost a whole day thinking the snow went forever. However, when the sun started to shine, I saw the silvery sparkle off the lake. There is a fine line where the snow ends and the lake begins. You will have to see it to actually know what I am talking about.) They do have 3 other, larger mountains for the more advanced skiers. There are also a number of ski-in, ski-out resorts and restaurants. We did not stay at any of these resorts, but definitely will next time! Since we are not regular skiers, we do not have our own equipment. Our rentals were relatively inexpensive. Also, different from my one other 2-day ski experience at a smaller resort, they let us keep our equipment over night! This way you could just drive back the next morning and jump on the hill without waiting in line. They have a couple of restaurants and bars right on the resort. None will blow your mind, but they will satisfy your hunger or loosen your nerves! Even though we are novice skiers, we will be back. Definitely give this place a shot if you like to ski! If for nothing else, watch the 4-year-old shredding the biggest mountain, smoking your skills while you sit with your tail between your legs! read more

Lutsen Mountains - Welcome! - Ski Resorts Near Me - Lutsen, Minnesota

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This review is for the summer experience. Park at the base, take the gondola to the top (dogs welcome and free), hike down the 4 mile trail through the resort to the base. Eat wild raspberries along the way and enjoy a beautiful birch forest once you get past the .5 miles of billy goat traverse. The downer is that the lift is expensive for people ($13), we got stuck halfway up due to some unknown delay, and the entire place is under construction in summer. But it is a unique hike and alpine experience. The views are so-so due to the thick forest compared to other hikes, but a worthwhile day. read more

19 dollars for a mediocre cheeseburger and fries absurd do not recommend. Would rather go to McDonald's.

I am a season ticket holder and am very impressed by all the signs, volunteers and staff reminding skiers about the mask requirement at all lifts and indoors. The Mountain has gone out of its way this year to have extra staff on the Hill to help direct visitors and assist them upon arrival. Protocols are also posted on their website. The ski hill and the entire North Shore are having record visitors this year because of COVID. Thanks to everyone for understanding read more

Had so much fun at lusten mountain for my brothers birthday weekend! We stayed in the highland townhouses. We had 6 people with us and plenty of rooms and beds. The weather was perfect for snowboarding. Had many rental options for the people without gear! Highly recommend if your in the area! You can also get cheaper lift tickets online if you buy two days. We saved $40 a day per person! read more

Lutsen Mountains - Ski Resorts Near Me - Lutsen, Minnesota

It's as close to Vail as MN skiing gets. It's a hike from the cities but pretty much worth it once you get there. PROS: - Gorgeous, and I mean GORGEOUS views of Lake Superior - They have a few different "mountains" to choose from - Rental homes near the ski resort, most of which are really beautiful & fun for large groups! - Papa Charlies: great after skiiing Happy Hour spot, live music, good beer selection - Good quality rental equipment CONS: - Food: two thumbs down - Crowds (this may not always be an issue... but when I went the hill, chairlifts & chalets were a little too crowded for my taste) - No night skiing read more

There were a multitude of factors that led this past ski/snowboarding season to be lackluster; the primary reason being the above normal temperatures as well as the absence of abundant natural snow cover. That being said, Lutsen is hands down the best ski/snowboard area in Minnesota and offers a variety of runs/hills for every skill level. A couple friends and I booked a long weekend snowboarding trip with Lutsen a while back assuming there'd be a decent amount of runs open still in March. Unfortunately the weather ensured that only a little over half of the runs would be open for us this time around. The runs that were open were still fun but definitely did not seem like they were adequately groomed overnight as there were many areas where the snow cover was next to nothing. The lack of snow and grooming can be overlooked however there were a few other items which made the trip less than stellar. The first would have to be the fact that the runs are only open until 4PM despite there being ample sunlight well past that time. I understand that night skiing/snowboarding isn't possible here but if you're paying nearly $70 for a lift ticket you should be able to get the most out of it. Another aspect of the resort which was a little disgusting would have to be the bathrooms in the chalets (I'm not going to go into great detail about them but management needs to figure out a better cleaning schedule/methods). The guys' bathroom at the chalet on Moose Mountain does not have a sink with water or soap to wash your hands; only foam hand sanitizer. Bad weather and dirty bathrooms aside I still had an overall fun experience here and will probably come back next season. Hopefully next time they'll have better snowboarding conditions and cleaner bathrooms... read more

This place destroyed me being somewhat okay with snowboarding the hills in the metro area. Even though it's much more expensive, it's totally worth it. Moose Mountain is the place to go and the lift to get there is an experience in itself. The chalet at the top has a breathtaking view so make sure to bring along your smartphone and snap a few photos. There are hills for every skill level and the runs take more than a minute to get down. The staff are incredibly helpful and seem to love their jobs. All in all, if you're into snow sports, a trip here is a must. read more

I'm going to dare to say that the skiing at Lutsen is the greatest in the Midwest. The vertical is 1,000, so nothing like the resorts out West, but the prices are also a lot more affordable and there are no crowds to speak of, plus if you live in this region it's easier to get to. I taught my husband to ski here on our 1st wedding anniversary, and we've now skied from Winter Park to Nagano, but we still enjoy coming back here. The ski-in/ski-out rooms are really affordable, and the mountains offer something for everyone from Green to Double Black. The ancient red gondola is super cute, and even though the lifts are old school and kinda slow, the view of Lake Superior and out into the expanse of the Superior National Forest makes it worth it. You will often have an entire run to yourself, and there is rarely a line of more than 2 people at the lifts, making skiing here a very relaxing and pleasant experience. For apres ski there is the cute bar at Papa Charlies, which occasionally has some decent acts and serves some good spiked hot chocolate, and staying on mountain at Eagle Ridge is a treat. read more

It's definitely the biggest in these parts. There were some options in the runs. But in the end, they were all pretty similar. I loved the old school gondola. I'd suggest using the lutsen website if you're planning on staying the night. We got a great deal. The food choices were limited. The one on the other side of the gondola lift pretty much ran out of food (not everything, but they ran out of burgers, chicken, and more). read more