Spirit Mountain ending winter season with a bang

DULUTH, MN. -- A big party’s underway at Spirit Mountain.

The ski hill’s celebrating its last weeks of the season with all kinds of unique, outdoor fun.

A hard goodbye for those who have been hitting the slopes at Spirit all season long.

“I would go to class, then I would get out of class and come here as much as I could pretty much,” said Adam Kotula, a UMD student.

Spring may be rolling in, but recent snowy weather created the perfect conditions for the Spirit Mountain annual SMASH weekend.

“People were complaining about the snow, but I wasn’t complaining about the snow. I was cheering on the snow that was falling, you know,” said Kotula. “Means more skiing for me.”

Allowing Spirit Mountain organizers to end their long season celebrating everything Nordic.

“It’s just a great, fun event to come out here,” said Tess Regenold, the director of marketing at Spirit Mountain. “Just to celebrate the winter we got some free stuff, free music, vendors, and a sauna.”

Friday merely kicked off the fun weekend ahead.

Hundreds of borders and skiers will be making their way back to Spirit again on Saturday.

“We will also have our barrel jumping, pond skip, and a rail jam,” said Regenold.

Something that Kotula is more than prepared for.

“I am doing the pond skip so I’ll be wearing a swimsuit,” said Kotula. “I hope I make it across.”

An event that will perfectly close out the winter season for those like Kotula.

“I mean it is always hard to see the snow go, but I am definitely looking forward to summer, it’s about time,” said Kotula.

Organizers at Spirit Mountain said the extra snowy March will allow them to stay open until April 2.

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