Local Business Spotlight: Ski Hill Cabins

Inspired by their unique A-frame house tucked into the ski hill landscape at Lutsen Mountains, McCabe Plaas and Patrick Kindler embarked on a journey in 2019 to own and operate a small boutique resort in Lutsen.

The venture resulted in the creation of Ski Hill Cabins, four Scandinavian modern-style chalets on their 20-acre Lutsen property, which caters to larger groups and includes private saunas.

Plaas and Kindler designed the unique spaces with architect Carl Gauley of GraySpace Architecture.

“You’re coming up to stay in kind of like a piece of art in the woods,” said Plaas. “It’s very aesthetically pleasing to your eye.”

Plaas said each cabin can accommodate 8-10 people and features a big gathering room with a fireplace, loft space, and a main bedroom with a private patio. Given the proximity and accessibility to the nearby ski hill, Plaas said the cabins are ideal for families visiting the North Shore to ski.

“Winter in Lutsen, for sure, is the draw,” said Plaas. “The tourism in the winter in Lutsen is where it’s at.” Although Ski Hill Cabins experienced a slower booking season during the 2023-24 winter due to the minimal snow, he said overall, it was still a good year.

Looking towards the future, Plaas and Kindler hope to add more cabins and have begun working with their architect to explore adding smaller units. “We are interested in adding a little bit more,” Kindler said. “We don’t want to become some huge resort.”

“We want to stay small and boutiquey. And we like interacting with our guests. We like sharing our interests on the shore and our experiences on the shore with them. And I think if we got bigger than that, we couldn’t really continue to do that,” Kindler said.

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with McCabe Plaas and Patrick Kindler, owners of Ski Hill Cabins in Lutsen, for the latest edition of the Local Business Spotlight. The audio from the feature is below.

The Local Business Spotlight highlights our local business community’s economic strength and innovation. This feature is brought to you in partnership with Visit Cook County and the Cook County Chamber of Commerce.

Kalli Hawkins September 11, 2024