Skiing and Snowboarding at Spirit Mountain
Spirit Mountain has plenty of gentle runs, and it's perfect for families, and beginners. The terrain is graded rather kindly. The black runs aren't very difficult and would be blue runs at Welch or Afton Alps.There are 22 runs at Spirit Mountain, the majority being wide, gentle cruisers.
What Spirit lacks in size and steepness, it makes up for in height. The runs are mostly long, and wide for carving. The longest run at Spirit Mountain is 5400 feet, or 1 mile long.
If you are past the beginner stage, the Timber Cruiser run, the most western run, has twists, turns, trees and little jumps, making it hands down the most fun at Spirit Mountain.
That is, unless you like terrain parks. On the other side of the mountain, at the Big Air Terrain Park, there are large jumps, rails, features, a half-pipe and plenty of things to play on.
Unless you are into terrain parks, you can ski or snowboard the whole of Spirit Mountain in a day. But, as part of a weekend in Duluth or the North Shore, it's a great way to spend a day. The open feeling, the North Woods setting, and the view of Lake Superior from the top of the hill, make Spirit Mountain a very worthy place to ski or snowboard at.
Food and Drink at Spirit Mountain
The food available is - no surprise - cafeteria style, and there's also a bar with table service.Outside of Spirit Mountain, there's more choice for food. Duluth is in easy reach and Downtown Duluth, or Canal Park, has plenty of choices. Fitgers Brewhouse is a fine choice for food, and some growlers of their beer to take home. For breakfast or a light meal, Takk for Maten has great Scandinavian food and coffee. If you are ravenous, try Burrito Union near the University campus for the most gigantic burritos. They also do regular size burritos too. If you are homesick for the Twin Cities, Duluth has the most northerly Pizza Luce, and Hell's Kitchen.
Discounted lift tickets for Spirit Mountain
How can you get cheap lift tickets for Spirit Mountain?
The published rate for an all-day lift ticket to Spirit Mountain is $42 + tax in 2011.
That rate applies on Saturdays - all other days of the week, including Sunday, all day lift tickets are $37.
Spirit Mountain is keen on corporate discounts and if you happen to work for one of several local employers who sell cheap lift tickets, the discount rate is around $27.
Another way to get cheap lift tickets to Spirit Mountain is to look for a hotel and lift ticket package. Deals vary from year to year, but Spirit Mountain has offered free Sunday lift tickets with a hotel stay. Deals are usually published on their website.
The end of the season is traditionally dirt cheap - at the end of 2011 all day lift tickets cost $15. Spirit Mountain's wider and gentler runs means that the spring snow is in better condition at the end of the season.
