SKIING SUGARBUSH Don't forget to pack a lunch when
skiing the Picnic Loop By Jim Smith "Minnesota its really flat there, isn't it?"
This was my response to the idea of moving back to the Midwest. I loved Washington, hundreds of snow covered peaks, snow for 12 months a year, snow covered glaciers aplenty well, you get the idea.
Alas, I packed up my metal edged Nordic skis and moved to Minnesota.
My first winter here was spent eyeing freeway embankments and riding the lifts looking for free heeled fun. By my second winter in Minnesota, I was beginning to figure out that those narrow little skinny skis are great fun on the local trails, but I still missed the adventure of wild places with a change in altitude.
Enter into the picture a small resort near Tofte, on the north shore of
Lake Superior, Cobblestone Cabins and its proprietor, Nordic ski fanatic Jan Horak. Through Horak's direction I found what I had lacked in Midwestern skiing. On the Sugarbush Trail System I found one of my favorite tours ever, the Picnic Loop.
Back in those days the adventure began at Lake Superior. We turned our tails to the lake and pointed our tips toward the Sawtooth Range, climbing the relentless grade up, up, up the snowmobile groomed path
into the hills. Higher and higher we ascended, past Oberg Mountain and across the Onion River. Still we continued climbing until we topped out on a ridge high above the lake. Then the roller coaster began. Calling forth all of our skiing skills, we negotiated the long climbs and screaming descents of the Picnic Loop. This loop was named not because it was a picnic to ski but for the fact that most skiers better pack a lunch.
For the next 9 kilometers we skied and tumbled our way up and down the hills in a wild area of immense beauty. Finally, after yet another memorable screamer and long climb, we hooked back into the more civilized trails on the western edge of the system. Still more downhill followed, often on the edge of control, until we made the final drop down the hill back to Cobblestone. This trip still rates as one of the finest adventures I have ever had on skis. Twenty five kilometers of
cold, wild skiing, few people, and powder dry heaps of snow. Sugarbush was my snake oil for the Midwest blues.
Time, coupled with the advent of Pisten Bully grooming, has taken a bit of the challenge out of the Picnic Loop, but it has opened this wonderful system to people of more modest aspirations. In reality, Sugarbush has skiing for all abilities, from gentle beginner tracks to trails which will challenge the most grizzled veteran.
To access Sugarbush, take Highway 61 north from Duluth to the small town of Tofte. There are three options: you can turn north on the Sawbill Trail, drive farther up the shore to the Onion River Road or, for the real diehards, stop by Sawtooth Outfitters, find the trail behind their store and start the long climb up the hill.
From Sawbill Trail (the road, not a ski trail), you can first turn out at the Britton Peak parking lot, a few miles up the hill from Tofte. This
trailhead offers access to the Hogsback Loop and other shorter loops. These trails are quite suitable for a short day or for skiers new to the sport. Across the Sawbill is another trail which offers a scenic ski over to Carlton Peak, and a long downhill challenge which ends near Sawtooth Outfitters, across from Bluefin Bay Resort, in Tofte. Further up the Sawtooth Trail road is the Moose Fence trailhead, which offers some short beginner trails or an adventurous access to the Picnic Loop.
If you can get a ride to this point many resorts offer shuttles leave your car in Tofte and have a great day on the Picnic Loop, finishing it off with the long downhill slide to the lake.
On the eastern side of the system, Onion River Road leads to a pretty trailhead at Oberg Mountain. Look for the road shortly after you cross the Onion River on Highway 61; it is marked as an access to the Superior Hiking Trail. While no ski trail climbs to the high point of
Oberg Mountain, many people break a trail with either snowshoes or their feet to see the views. The Nordic crowd can access the Oberg Loop, which offers skiing at an intermediate grade, or they can head out to the Picnic or Homestead loops from this lot.
A special mention should be made of Onion River Road. The road does not end at the parking lot but continues onward for another 5.5 kilometers. The gate is closed at the parking lot and the road is groomed
very wide with a large skating lane and duel classic tracks. This is an early season hot spot. The lake shore can be green and bare while winter will be in full force on the road. When nothing else is in shape, Onion River Road can be very good. I often use this when I want a quick morning or late afternoon ski. The trip up gains quite a bit of elevation, making for a speedy journey down. This is a nice trail for the training crowd.
A word of warning. Winters are cold in the northland, the trails challenging and sometimes lonely. Skiers venturing out must be prepared. Don't take off on the Picnic Loop in a pair of lycra tights and no water unless you have a good handle on your abilities and limits. If something happens on the trail, rescue might be hours away. Some years back, Horak and his wife, Cathy, were skiing the Picnic Loop when Cathy fell into the powder snow next to the trail. She never saw the
pointed stick that impaled her leg, and she was stuck waiting for Horak to finish the ski and return with a snowmobile to get her to the doctor. A small pack with extra food, water and a jacket is not bad insurance.
Also, do not I repeat, do not trust conditions at the lake. Many a morning I left the lake shore with temperatures in the low teens only to find below zero conditions at the trailhead. Don't forget those all
important cold weather items like wind breakers, ear protection and, most importantly for men, wind briefs. I have seen others and I myself have skied down the trail with one very cold hand while my glove was serving another more noble purpose keeping another "member" of the party from freezing.
The Sugarbush system is undergoing a bit of a renaissance with the formation of the new Sugarbush Trail Association. Jeff Lynch of
Sawtooth Outfitters in Tofte, and a Birkie elite wave skier, is the head groomer on the system and one of the three founders of the association, along with Joe Stasney of Schroeder and Greg Fangel, former president of the North Star Ski Club and the new voice of the Birkie. Look for well maintained trails, new directional signs and a close attention to grooming.
For more information about the trail system, and how to join the
association, check out their Web page at www.sugarbushtrail.org. Other helpful contacts are Sawtooth Outfitters at sawtoothoutfitters.com and the Lutsen/Tofte Tourism Association at www.61north.com. Cobblestone Cabins can be reached at 218/663 7957.
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