Frost & Flame Combine at Lutsen’s Pride Ski Weekend

“People in the Cities, you usually have no snow at this time of year,” says Patrick Kindler, co-owner of Ski Hill Cabins & Saunas in Lutsen. “The saying everyone up here has is that if there’s no snow in the cities, nobody comes to Lutsen.”

Kindler is looking to change that with Frost & Flame, Lutsen’s Pride Ski Weekend, taking place April 9-12. He and his husband McCabe Plaas are hosting the event at their Ski Hill Cabins & Saunas resort, in conjunction with partner hotel Caribou Highlands. 

First of all, yes, there will still be snow on the mountain in April! In fact, early April is Kindler’s favorite time of the year to ski in Lutsen. 

“Our favorite time of year to ski is the beginning of April,” Kindler says. “There’s lots of snow. It’s warm out. Everyone’s coming out from the winter chill, and a lot of community members up here, even people who don’t ski, come out to the hill too, to hang out. And so it’s always been a really fun time up here.”

You don’t only have to take Kindler’s word for it, though — Lutsen Mountains has put out a snow guarantee through April 12, meaning at least 80% of the runs will be open, he says. 

In addition to skiing on the mountain, there will be plenty more going on throughout the weekend. Frost & Flame kicks things off with a BBQ lunch on Friday, April 10, followed by a dance party featuring DJ Ty Jordan on Saturday and a breakfast tailgate on Sunday. There are also morning yoga sessions designed to prepare skiers for a full day on the slopes. 

Kindler was excited to share the news that they had acquired the services of DJ Ty Jordan. Ty is not just a veteran DJ or a veteran skier — he’s a veteran LGBTQ+ ski weekend DJ, having performed at similar events around the world. 

In addition to his remarkably relevant experience as a DJ, Ty’s connection to the Twin Cities community was a huge help to Kindler and Plaas in turning Frost & Flame from vision to reality. 

“The hard part for us is like, we’re not as connected to the Twin Cities as we used to be,” Kindler says. “Now that we’re paired together [with Ty], and we’ve been working, it’s a lot easier, because we know everyone. We know the spaces. We know the managers. It’s a lot easier for us to get something done up here, and it’s a lot easier for him to get stuff done down there.”

The connection between Kindler and Ty, Lutsen and the Twin Cities, isn’t the only one skiers can take advantage of over the weekend. Frost & Flame is on at the same time as Mountain Meltdown, another ski event on Lutsen Mountain. Kindler expects there to be some crossover between the events, with Frost & Flame attendees able to experience parts of Mountain Meltdown like live music performances. 

And that’s still not all the weekend has to offer — there’s more, even for those who don’t ski. 

“If people want to come up and they don’t ski, come up!” Kindler says. “There’s so many other things to do. That’s what McCabe and I, my husband that runs the resort with me, that’s what we love with guests, is showing them other places in the county that a lot of vacationers never go to.” 

“It’s going to be waterfall season,” he continues. “With the snow we have, there’s gonna be some awesome waterfalls going. And so if you don’t want to ski, we’ll help people come up with other things to do during the day. We also are 25 minutes away from Grand Marais, which is, of course, the most beautiful small town in America.”

However they spend their time, Kindler is confident that once people experience April in Lutsen, they’ll want to come back for more — and bring friends, too.

“No matter how many people are here, I think it’ll definitely grow next year, once people have the chance to be up here for a spring ski weekend,” he says.

Greater numbers won’t be the only change next year. Kindler says that going forward, Frost & Flame will take place the first weekend in April. They went with the second weekend for the inaugural event because Easter falls on the first weekend in April this year. 

For this first event, Kindler’s excitement for himself and attendees is the same — spending time with friends and experiencing the magic of Lutsen in spring. 

You can learn more about Frost & Flame and book your tickets at lutsenfrostflame.com.