Lutsen Mountains says its 2026-27 season will kick off on Thursday, November 26, putting opening weekend right in the middle of Thanksgiving week. The North Shore resort is also making a bigger leap this winter: becoming a full partner in the Ikon Pass network for the first time, a first for any Minnesota ski area.
Per lutsen.com, “Opening Weekend kicks off Thanksgiving week on November 26!” The resort, which sits along Lake Superior in northern Minnesota, advertises 95 runs spread across four peaks, along with ski-in/ski-out lodging and live music scheduled seven nights a week throughout the winter. Bring Me The News reported that the resort's lift tickets and stay packages come with a shifting set of discounts tied to how early guests book.
Lutsen's current Early Bird Sale ends October 31 at midnight, according to the resort's lift ticket page. Guests can also save 25% off with a qualifying discount, though that offer is subject to blackout dates and eligibility requirements, and the resort notes that online lift tickets are date-specific and cannot be transferred to another day. Tots and guests 80 and older always ski free, a standing policy unrelated to the seasonal promotions.
Holiday Ski-and-Stay Deal Runs Through Christmas
Once the season gets underway, Lutsen is offering a notable holiday incentive: 50% off holiday-rate lift tickets and lodging for guests who book a 3- to 5-night ski-and-stay package between opening day and December 25, with extra savings on rentals and lessons, according to Ikon Pass's lodging discounts page. The same page lists matching deals at two sister resorts under the same ownership — Granite Peak Ski Area in Wisconsin and Snowriver Mountain Resort in Michigan's Upper Peninsula — each offering the identical 50% break on holiday-rate lift tickets and lodging for the same booking window.
All three resorts are owned by Midwest Family Ski Resorts, a detail the Minneapolis Star Tribune laid out in its coverage of the Ikon Pass partnership. Lutsen Mountains itself cautions that, as with any Minnesota ski resort, all operations are subject to change pending weather and conditions, per the resort's hours of operation page.
Minnesota's First Full Ikon Pass Partner
The bigger structural shift for Lutsen this season is its new status as an Ikon Pass partner. The Star Tribune reports that the northern Minnesota ski area is the first in the state to become a full partner in the Ikon Pass network. Standard Ikon Pass holders will get seven days of access to Lutsen Mountains, Granite Peak and Snowriver Mountain Resort without blackout dates, the paper notes.
The move was previewed back in March 2025, when Visit Cook County announced that Lutsen Mountains, Granite Peak Ski Area and Snowriver Mountain Resort would be joining the Ikon Pass for the 2026-27 season. Midwest Family Ski Resorts also rolled out a new unlimited pass covering all three of its properties with no blackout dates this year, according to the Star Tribune's reporting.
For skiers weighing their options this winter, the combination gives Lutsen a wider reach than in past seasons — tying a classic North Shore destination into a multi-state pass network while still running its own home-grown discounts for lift tickets, lodging and ski-and-stay packages. Whether opening weekend actually arrives on schedule, of course, still depends on conditions at the mountain itself.
