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A community-run downhill ski program at an iconic Duluth city park, where generations of children have learned to ski, plans to begin construction on a new chalet next year, following this winter’s ski season.
The nonprofit Chester Bowl Improvement Club, in conjunction with the city, is building the more-than-$3 million facility at the bottom of the 175-foot ski hill at Chester Park in the center of the city.
The three-story chalet will be built on top of the foundation of the 50-year-old current building, which club and city officials say is deteriorating, energy inefficient, inaccessible and simply not large enough to accommodate the thousands of kids who participate in Chester Bowl’s year-round programs.
The new, sustainably designed building will nearly double the chalet’s square footage, and it will include a viewing deck along with an accessible elevator and restroom facilities.
“The reason we're doing this is to make sure that next generation has the same resources to be able to participate in park programming and the good work that happens here at Chester Bowl,” said Dave Schaeffer, executive director of the Chester Bowl Improvement Club.
The project was awarded a $2.3 million grant from the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, which invests a portion of state lottery proceeds into environmental research, education, habitat protection and outdoor recreation projects around the state.
The Chester Bowl club has raised about $1 million from the community to help cover remaining costs. Schaeffer said the club still needs to raise roughly another $250,000 to complete the project.
If all goes as planned, demolition of the existing chalet is scheduled to start next spring. The new building is expected to be completed by late 2026, said Duluth senior parks planner Katie Bennett.
The city of Duluth ran the ski program at Chester Bowl for several decades until the financial recession of 2008, when the city laid off dozens of park staff.
Since then, the Chester Bowl Improvement Club has run the ski program and additional programming, including a summer camp, fall festival and summer concert series. The city maintains park infrastructure.
Every winter, nearly 2,000 kids and their families buy season passes to ski and snowboard at Chester Bowl. Most families volunteer making snow, selling concessions and overseeing youth races to help defray the costs of the passes and seasonal equipment rentals.
A family of four can ski and rent gear for the entire winter for about $800. Scholarships are also available.
That’s made possible by a strong partnership between the city and the nonprofit club, said Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert. He said that’s also key to building a new chalet, which neither entity could likely have done on its own.
“So that everyone in our community can have an opportunity to access our outdoor amenities and do things like learn to ski, which you ought to be able to do in a Northland city,” Reinert added.
That applies to people of all ages. Katie Bennett, Duluth’s senior parks planner, said she learned to snowboard at Chester Bowl shortly after moving to Duluth as an adult. It’s the first place she ever rode a chairlift.
“And that first winter when I came here, I just remember thinking of how magical this place felt. I don't think there's another place like this in the world,” Bennett said. “It’s really special.”
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