Detroit Lakes, MN – Since 2002 residents of the Fargo, N.D. metro area have had to travel more than 80 miles to the nearest alpine ski hill.

That’s the year that Detroit Mountain, in nearby Detroit Lakes shut down operations after an accident forced the ski hill’s uninsured previous owners to sell off some of its assets. There’s a move afoot, however, to try to reopen Detroit Mountain by 2014.

Following a failed effort to develop the property into a residential community, a group of area citizens formed the non-profit Detroit Mountain Recreation Area, Inc. (DMRA) in 2010 to explore possibilities of reopening the dormant 200-acre, 186-foot vertical drop ski area on 1,624-foot Detroit Mountain. An independent feasibility study was conducted by the Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corporation (MMCDC) in June 2012, reviewing six ski specific areas in the Midwest to establish financial metrics. The study concluded that despite the high cost of the property Detroit Mountain would not require ongoing public subsidy to be successful, largely due to a population base that numbers 360,000 within a 60-mile radius. Project backers estimate that conservatively the ski area, first opened in 1958, will draw 25,000 skier visits annually.

Only two of the site’s original five ski lifts — a handle tow and a T-bar — remain operational today. Following a fundraising campaign the group is now only $500,000 short of its $7.5 million target. Ground has been broken on a new 9,500 square-foot base chalet and plans call for snowmaking, two new chairlifts, a tubing hill and a large terrain park, along with an expansive learning area and cross-country trails. Mountain biking and a campground will anchor the ski area’s list of summer activities.

DMRA’s fundraising efforts continue to close the final gap on its plan, although the city of Detroit Lakes has already contributed $300,000 to the effort. The state has also provided over $1.2 million in low-income community tax credits. When the mountain reopens plans call for the city to own the property and lease it to DMRA, which will operate the resort. DMRA has committed to covering any financial losses during the ski area’s first five years of operation.