Duluth’s Parks and Recreation Division is preparing Chester Bowl Park for a new “fun slope,” according to a news release issued today.
Crews will be out clearing out a section of the hill within the ski area in preparation for the upcoming winter season. The new “fun slope” with gentle waves of snowy berms for skiing was identified as a desired addition to the park in the Chester Park Mini-Master Plan, approved in November 2014.
Crews will be working this week into next during daytime hours, but the public should not experience any interruption in their use of the park spaces or trails. The area will be covered with wood chips to reduce erosion and smooth out the area winter operations.
Here is a map and excerpt from the mini-master plan document regarding the fun slope:
Downhill Ski Run Improvements
A desire for additional ski runs was identified during the Mini-Master Plan process. Proposed alignment would complete a new run starting from the top of the lift and connecting to the existing trail just above the bottom of the ski lift. In addition to a new ski run, three areas are identified as locations where tree removal would allow for the widening of an existing ski run and the addition of a “fun slope.” The fun slope area fills a void left by the removal of “Little Chester” ski jump and is to initially be built with snow, but ultimately may be constructed with earth and a new light pole to replace the one removed with Little Chester. Final alignment of the new ski run will have to be field verified to minimize vegetation removals and assure it meets the required slopes.
