Yesterday: A typical winter at Northwind Lodge / Red Rock:

For over 20 years, we Baltich's of Northwind Lodge groomed and maintained 37 kilometers of cross country ski trails plus we rented resort cabins to skiers. It was a really tough way to try to make a living with the constant battle against the elements and human challenges. Several folks have wondered why we discontinued winter resort XC ski operations. Here's a partial list of our favorite reasons for not operating in winter(in no particular order):

  • Mother Nature messing up ski trails right after we cleared off at least 10,000 downed trees every fall
  • Snowmobilers wiping out freshly tracked, designated ski trails while out joyriding
  • Dumb snowmobilers wondering "what those machine groomed tracks are for on this really GREAT trail?"
  • Dumb skiers wondering "what those machine groomed tracks are for on this really GREAT trail?"
  • Dumb skiers asking why cutting trees for the "trail" is necessary to ski in the woods? (hills? turns?, rocks? trees?...ya think?)
  • Snowshoers on the ski trails wondering what "No snowshoeing allowed on this ski trail" really means?
  • Skiers on the snowshoe trails wondering what "No skiing allowed on snowshoe trails" really means?
  • Dogsledders tearing up ski trails ignoring "designated ski trail only" signs, because they're "enviro-travelers". They're "green" if one ignores all the poop that goes in the lakes.
  • Constant trail jumpers sneaking onto trails to avoid paying for a ski trail pass
  • Lack of snow or WAY too much snow.
  • Rocks - big, frikkin', unmoving, equipment-eating, eye-blinding, rocks
  • Extreme cold temps and ensueing frozen body parts
  • Shoveling snow onto 12 miles of trail by hand
  • 14" of lake slush, airholes, and bad ice conditions
  • City-dwelling skiers continually skiing up to airholes or other open water in "wonderment" despite all warnings we gave them, both verbal and with signs
  • The occasional, but expensive trail maintenance injuries incurred by Baltich's and Curt
  • Ski customers who believe everything should be free and wonderful for them specifically
  • Total lack of local skier support except when Ely city trails are snowless and unski-able
  • Freezing and exploding water lines and toilets, backing up septic tanks due to freezing water where it shouldn't be, but still is, freezing
  • Putting hot coals from woodstove in paper grocery bag and setting the full bag on cabin's carpeting, then leaving to go skiing...ya think anything might be wrong here? Carpet didn't do so well. Lucky we still have the cabin.
  • Frozen cars and the associated "dumb" owners of said cars who get up a 6AM, -30 below to "just see if it would start" even though they were not planning to actually go anywhere at 6 AM.
  • Federal, state and county trail permit costs and general governmental required BS while answering to "officials".
  • Sporadic winter cabin rentals and cancelllations due to weather and various excuses
  • Idiots who feel it necessary to be drunk and/or stupid while sweating next to a screaming hot wood stove in the sauna
  • The creek freezing down to the bottom, jumping the banks and guests parking their cars in the shallow, freezing water in subzero temps just like one would do at Walmart in Minneapolis (apparently).
  • Cabin customers who consistantly arrived after 9PM, in the dark at -20 below, and thought nothing of it

    • Euphorians on skis, and airheads on everything else pretty much tells the story. The term "euphorians" accurately describes the majority of the cross country ski market population. Everything needs to be fun, free or cheap. Under these conditions, a business owner needs to "live on love" because making any profit, no matter how small or non-existant, is frowned upon by the XC skiing market. ...and now we no longer offer those services. Go figure.

    But hey, I bet we could fix this all with more government intervention, control and higher taxes on small businesses... I gotta go find my colorful Rastafarian hat!

    Today: A typical winter at Northwind Lodge / Red Rock:

    This is a picture of our guy, Curt Hartleben with one morning's typical stack of boxed-up orders ready to go out with UPS. Ice fisherman and other outdoor enthusiasts from the fishing-hunting-canoeing world all over the US and Canada now visit us online. It's been unbelieveably hectic with packing, shipping and reordering during business days but we actually have 2 days off per week from January thru April. Leaves time to shovel off cabin roofs and go fishing!


    Life is good, business is booming and fisherman are a happier crowd in general. In turn, we are happier business owners. We don't really miss the ski market too much. ...and UPS likes us, too.

     

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