We were generously hosted with our accommodations and activity passes for this post. All opinions are mine.
Last weekend, we took our little family up north to visit Duluth, or more specifically, Spirit Mountain! I love that we don’t have to travel far to enjoy some great skiing and snowboarding. Did you know the Midwest has more than 100 ski areas in 10 states including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin? (You can see those facts and more on the Midwest Ski Areas Association, at www.Snowplaces.com)
Well it had been a while since my husband and I had hit the slopes, and I was excited to bring our little one this time around. She had never been skiing or snowboarding, so for the week leading up to our visit, I made sure to show her pictures and videos to give her an idea of what we would be up to.
We got to the hotel late Friday night with just enough time to catch some zzz’s before heading out to the hills the next morning. And then, we woke up excited to get the party started! First stop, Spirit Mountain chalet to get our rentals all taken care of. Typically, my husband and I snowboard but this trip I thought I’d give skiing a try. My parents took me on a ski trip when I was about 10 years old and I was a natural, so I wanted to show my husband this hidden talent. But we’ll get back to that later…
Okay now where was I? Oh yes, the rentals. So you can rent skis and snowboards from little to big! We rented little tiny skis for little miss, some for me, and then some for my husband (he wanted to try skiing too before he pulled out his snowboard). It didn’t take long, then we were out in the fresh air and ready to take on the bunny hill.
So back to my story about me being too legit to quit at skiing.
Or at least, that’s how my 10-year-old self remembered my skiing skills. Turns out, it wasn’t quite the same in my 30-year-old body, lol. My husband laughed from the bottom of the hill with my daughter, as my attempt to seamlessly glide down the bunny hill was instead more like a broken remote control car that only goes one direction no matter which way you try to turn it. And I was about as smooth as a railroad track.
But hey, that’s alright. It was humbling, really. And the first ride is the roughest, it only goes downhill from there (get it?).
After some time on the bunny hill and working up an appetite, we decided to take a little break and check out the chalet. It just seemed to go on and on. It was so nice and warm, plus extra cozy. And upstairs is a restaurant and bar that overlooks all of the slopes plus downtown Duluth. It is gorgeous! Plus, it’s a great place to have a drink in case you have an ornery toddler on your hands.
Side Note: Winter Kids Program
If your kids are tagging along on your trip, you have to check out the Spirit Mountain Winter Kids Program. These start at age 2 and goes up through the teenage years.
According to Brandy Ream, Executive Director at Spirit Mountain, “It’s never too early to introduce kids to the sport of skiing & snowboarding. Our Winter Kids programs are designed to help children progressively learn new skills, while having lots of fun in a safe and nurturing environment.” Kids are teamed up according to age and skill level with specially-trained instructors to build their skiing and snowboarding skills. Reservations can be made for these programs with an option of a half day or a full day, and they recommend you book ahead as these programs fill up especially on the weekend or during holiday periods.
Spirit Mountain Chalet & Restaurant
Little Miss had been telling us for the past hour, “I want a cheeseburger.” so that was our mission. Lucky for us, the restaurant there had a delicious kids cheeseburger meal that she absolutely loved. And as an added bonus, after we squashed her hangry attitude, things sailed a little smoother for the rest of the day.
Then it was back to the slopes! This time, the snowboards came out and we took turns going on runs. It was a beautiful day, with fresh air and sunshine. The feeling of that brisk winter air as you coast down the hill, there’s really nothing like it.
After snowboarding, we still had time to check out the snow tubing hill before heading back to the hotel for dinner. The snow tube hill was in a separate area from the ski hills, though still close, and was a nice quiet area for families to take the tubes out for a ride.
Snow Tubing at Spirit Mountain
Before snow tubing, you step into their little chalet at the snow tube hill and purchase a pass. It could be a 2-hour pass or a full day of unlimited tubing. We got unlimited tubing so that we could come back later that day and see the glow tubing! Worth it.
I’ll get back to that, but the snow tube hill was really neat because you slide down the hill and then they hook the tube up to a little pulley system and it takes you back to the top of the hill! I’m pretty sure the worst part of sledding is having to walk back up the hill, so this whole system puts the fun back into tubing down a snow hill!
And now, the glow tubing. So neat!! I have never seen this before, so I thought it was incredibly cool to see! The hill was all lit up in fluorescent colors under the night sky. I took a couple photos, but they just didn’t do it justice!
Cool, right? I had to share because it was too neat to keep to myself.
Plan a Staycation to Spirit Mountain in Duluth, MN
If you’re looking to plan a trip with your family without going too far, you need to check out Spirit Mountain. It would be a great place to spend Spring Break and the season isn’t over just yet! You can visit their site to see tickets and rentals rates, get more details and ultimately book your upcoming trip.
It was a great family getaway for us, and as you can see we really enjoyed ourselves. Plus there’s still plenty of snow left!
Follow Spirit Mountain on social media to keep up with their current conditions:
Until next time,
Sarah
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