Did you ever wonder how many ski resorts there are in Michigan?

 

By David McClelland

 

Would you believe that there are 53 ski resorts in Michigan that have at least one ski lift?

Of those, 16 have at least 9 lifts and are considered major ski resorts. Those are:

Resort Name/Location/Lifts          

Alpine Valley/White Lake/14; Big Powderhorn/Bessemer/10;Bittersweet/Ostego/12; Boyne Highlands/Harbor Springs/11;Boyne Mountain/Boyne Falls/12;Cannonsburg/Cannonsburg/10; Crystal Mountain/Thompsonville/9; Indianhead Mountain/Wakefield/9; Mt. Brighton/Brighton/11;Mt. Holly/Holly/13;                        Nub'sNob/Harbor Springs/10;Pando/Rockford/10; Pine Knob/Clarkston/12; Shanty Creek/Bellaire/12; Ski Brule/Iron Mountain/12; Timber Ridge/Gobles/11.                                    

The smaller ski areas are:

 

Al Quaal/Ishpeming/2; Apple Mountain/Freeland/5; Big Valley/Newberry/2;                                

Blackjack/Bessemer/6; Caberfae/Cadillac/6; Challenge Mountain/Boyne City/1;                             

Copper Peak/Ironwood/1; Covington/Walton/1; Crystella/Crystal Falls/1;

Double JJ Resort/Rothbury/1; Gladstone Sports Park/Gladstone/6;

Hanson Hills/Grayling/5; Hiawatha Slopes/Chatham/1; Hickory Hills/Traverse City/5;                          

Homestead/Glen Arbor/5; Marquette Mountain/Marquette/4;

Missaukee Mountain/Lake City/3;Mont Ripley/Houghton/3;Mount Bohemia/Houghton/3;        

Mt. Holiday/Traverse City/6; Mt. Mcsauba/Charlevoix/4; Mt. Zion/Ironwood/4;                             

Mulligans Hollow/Grand Haven/5; Norway Mountain/Norway/6;

Ostego Ski Club/Gaylord/6; Petoskey Winter Sports Park/Petoskey/1;

Pine Mountain/Iron Mountain/4; Porcupine Mountains/Houghton/2;

Sault Seal/Sault Sainte Marie/3; Silver Mountain/Saint Ignace/2; Snowsnake/Harrison/7;

Spring Hill Camps/Evart/1; Spring Valley/Caspian/1;Swiss Valley/Jones/7;                                    

Timberlee Resort/Traverse City/1; Tower Mountain/Greenville/1;

Treetops Resort/Gaylord/6.

 

Outside of Michigan, we have skied in Colorado and many of the resorts surrounding Lake Tahoe. In Michigan, we have skied some of the above, but certainly not all. We have enjoyed skiing Caberfae, Crystal Mountain, Homestead, Shanty Creek and the three resorts discussed below.

 

Our family takes a three-day ski trip to Harbor Springs every year between Christmas and New Years Day. During those trips, we have skied Boyne Mountain, Boyne Highlands and Nubs Nob. In recent years, we have skied exclusively at Nubs Nob and prefer it. They have the most snow making equipment, continue to expand the number of runs (29 last year) and have a good mix of Beginner, Intermediate and Expert runs. We love to go to the base of the mountain by the lodge after dark on New Year's Eve to watch all of the Ski Patrol personnel ski down some of the Most Difficult slopes carrying lighted torches. At first, the mountain is totally dark. Then, we can begin to see a glow at the top. Eventually, we can see little lights at the top and finally we see the skiers with their torches, two-by-two, skiing down the mountain. Once they are all at the bottom, they take the lift back to the top and all ski down a second time to the applause and cheers of all of us who have been watching in amazement. In all of the years that we have witnessed this event, we have never seen a single skier fall. If you ever around Harbor Springs on New Years Eve, plan to attend this Free event. It is memorable and the kids love it too.