Latest post fire update on the news page.
June 7th Update
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June 7th Update
Summer has arrived quickly, it has been just over one month since we were skiing and there was still ice on the lake! The forest has filled out completely with each wildflower blooming a record crop. Consistent rainfall has brought the woods to a vibrant and lush state.
We have begun our summer grooming on the trails preparing for the ski season and continue trail maintenance on the mountain bike trails which remain open for mountain biking. We always enjoy seeing people out challenging themselves on our natural/classic trail system.
We have also transplanted tamarack trees to the property. One idea we plan to implement is planting 10 trees in memory of Maplelag guests that have passed in the year. We are saddened to hear of the passing of long time guests these past few months and keeping all family and friends in our thoughts and prayers.
As far as the rebuilding plans of a new lodge, we are still in a holding period as we await final insurance claims and also look for new insurance which, as expected, has been difficult. Until these two components are settled, we can not move forward with a rebuild of a lodge. However, we will continue with trail and grounds maintenance and have the trails open for day use. Other summer projects on select cabins include exterior painting, new flooring, new mattresses and resort upkeep. Even though we will not be hosting the Concordia Language Villages, unfortunately, we will be very busy with our skelton staff of family and the “machine” Keith.
We hope to begin taking reservations for fall or winter rentals late summer for select cabins we are making improvements on.
We will have camping available for the Laddies Loppet Mountain Bike race weekend. It was great to attend one of the series race last weekend and see many of the faces that come to Maplelag and get ideas for our new one day event this year.
In closing, we want thank everyone who continues to reach out to us and see how we are doing. It is still hard to believe the fire event on October 10th and process what has happened. It is a long road to recovery and the future of rebuilding.
Have a safe and enjoyable summer and we will touch base mid summer with another update!
March 31st Rebuild Update
We know that people are eager to hear what the future plans are on rebuilding a new lodge after a fire destroyed the main lodge on October 10th, 2022. To keep it simple and to the point, we are in a constant state of planning and seeking the best path forward. Still to be determined. We have tossed around a full variety of ideas. Having the energy, desire and passion to do what we feel is best will in the long run be the most successful for Maplelag and ensure the guests have the best experience possible. We are so blessed to be in the deep northwoods surrounded by the beauty of nature, no mater what time of year and we look forward to sharing this special place with our guests.
Maplelag is a large property with many buildings and structures. We may decide to not build a new lodge, but in place, update some cabins and build around a slightly different business model. We find that some buildings were not used to their full potential and nearly all the buildings need improvements, upkeep and changes.
At this time to rebuild a new lodge for the winter season 2023/24 is not possible. One of the biggest restrictions is financial. The hospitality industry along with many other industries were hit hard during the COVID years. We did everything we could and utilized all the resources to keep Maplelag. We are very grateful we were to remain open when so many businesses were forced to close permanently after being shut down during the restrictions.
The past month we’ve been fortunate to visit Nordic centers and trail systems, both locally, and east and west. These visits have been most valuable and inspiring to garner new ideas, rejuvenate and build energy for our future.
Items of discussion in our planning for next season and moving forward:
Ski Rental: We hope to have ski rental available for 2023/24. It would be on a advance reservation system so everyone is fitted proerly.
Website: We are in the process of creating and building a new website. Since we are doing this in house, this will be a lengthly process and a work in progress as the new business model comes to life.
Reservation program: Hard to believe but our old reservation program “GuestTracker” served us very well for nearly three decades. We had a backup we were able to restore but will transfer all the data to a new system. We hope to make the reservation process much more user friendly and easy to make and pay for reservations online.
Asado: The asasdo or Argentinean bbq was used sparingly and we are looking for ways to use it more in the late summer and fall. This is attached to the warming house which will see some changes in the future as well.
Cabin Rentals We fully intend to have cabin rentals available for the winter season 2023/24. What units and the time frame will be available as soon as we make final decisions.
Cathouse Many of you will remember the cathouse as a meeting point after the first lodge burned in December of 99. We have been cleaning in this building to make it more efficient and safer. We call it the “Cathouse” as it stores man of the “cats” The snow cat, BobCat skid steerer and Arctic Cat snowmobile to name a few.
Thanks again to everyone for their support as we navigate the next steps forward for Maplealg. Love and peace to all.
February 21st Post Fire Update
Recently we completed phase 1 of the debris removal and clean up from the fire on October 10th, 2022 that destroyed the main lodge at Maplelag. Thanks to all of the large excavating crew members. We were very fortunate to have had such good weather which allowed us to get to this point. We also want to thank the crews for their flexibility so we could host the ski meets this ski season. In the spring/summer we will continue with phase 2 of the clean up.
All the debris was taken to four different sites where we salvaged and recycled as much as we could. The excavating, combined with the fire fighting expenses was something we were not prepared for.
We continue to have many conversations, processing thoughts and ideas as we search for clarity and direction on the next steps of Maplelag. The cost is something we have to deeply consider in our rebuilding process. We want to make it clear that we are not asking for any donations to move forward. Since day one, we have taken pride in being a family owned and operating resort with no outside ownership. With that said, we are very grateful and humbled by all of those that have given so generously.
Moving forward we want to be certain the decisions we make are the right ones for our health, well being and future success of Maplelag. To be honest and transparent, the fear of going through this again, is very real and something we are working through every day. As many of our family of guests would understand, the lodge was an extension of our home, business and everyday life. And that is gone. It has only been four months and we are not ready to make any decisions. We need to take our time, research, and rebuild ourselves before we commit to rebuilding a new lodge. We will continue to keep updating our website with the latest plans.
Last week, we hosted the Section 8 Nordic Ski Championships. This years section meet was extra special, as it gave us something to look forward to. We have forged many relationships with coaches, staff and volunteers that have been involved for decades. The Section 8 community is a very special one and we are grateful to be a part of it.
Section 8 Nordic Ski Championships
A fantastic two days for the Section 8 Nordic Ski Championships. Incredible weather and racing. Thanks for all those that helped make it a great two days and to all the skiers competing hard. Photos and results posted on Skinnyski.com