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The Official Michigan Winter Thread

491K views 8K replies 153 participants last post by  sabatoa 
#1 ·
Alright everyone since Summer is over, fall has just begun and we've already had our first rail jam of the year, it's time to start a new thread for the 10/11 winter.

Last year we had the "Southeast" michigan thread, but I think we should do all of Michigan. Sure, most of population lives in S/E michigan but we all ride the same resorts in the LP and even the UP if we get a chance, so we should have one thread to bring everyone together.

Cheers everyone we're probably only like 70 days from open resorts!
 
#5,841 ·
The pics are from Maine.

My friends said Boyne had great conditions, especially Sunday.

Out of bounds: I would stay out of there there was very little snow that fell up north in general. Lots of stickups. Sorry about your friend.

I'm riding again this weekend at Boyne hope someone makes it up.
 
#5,846 ·
TBH by the time we get on the slopes even if they get 12"+, it's probably going to be pretty tracked out. What does work in our favor, though, is that tourist season is over, and it's mid-week and late-season, so even the "locals" may not show up in numbers.

Burritos says it's pretty rocky right now though, so even a foot of snow will be navigating shark fins left and right lol.
 
#5,848 ·
Public Sevice Announcement

I've been told Boyne will close next Sunday, April 19. The Hemlock Open, where you race two runs through the gates and golf 9 holes, will be Saturday the 18th.

It's going to be a long summer and fall unless you're going to Windells or Chile, so my suggestion would be to get after if. I'll be there both days, next weekend Saturday then the Joe Bonamassa concert.

I missed 4 weekends since Thanksgiving. No regrets.
 
#5,852 ·
That's All Folks

I have heard that, since the temps are going to be in the 60's this week, yesterday was the last day for Boyne besides the Hemlock Open.

I got up there Saturday AM at 11:00 and the hill was already piled and tracked. found firm in the shade lines and the ungroomed snow on Meadows.
Figured it would be crap yesterday, somehow it set up during the night after grooming. Spectacular conditions until about noon. High hit 70.

Carly Shorr was hitting kickers in the park yesterday getting footy, ex K2 pro Morgan LaFont was in the house.

It was a great way to end the season. She's all over.
 

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#5,855 · (Edited)
Check to make sure.

You guys can check if you want for next weekend, but all the lifties and folks I know that work at the mountain said that since there is not much base what's left won't survive the temps this week. Highs in the 60's.

It was cool talking to Morgan. Old school Betty from the '90s. She lives up there. Google her exploits

And there is always the Hemlock open you can race through a slalom course torching the 2 plankers. Then 9 holes on the Reserve course. It's a nice course.

I also made Boyne's Facebook page Saturday in shorts and t shirt
 
#5,857 ·
:WTF: Damn! So you're obviously posting from the ER,..! What's the prognosis?? Are you gonna b alright, or will you be riding the "short board" bus from now on! ;) :lol:
 
#5,860 ·
My initial thought was sticky landing rag-dolled myself over the nose of the board. That's what made sense given the mostly slushy conditions if I had come down too nose-heavy in a soft spot.

Turns out we have some of it on video but not enough to be conclusive, just the approach, but reviewing that i think what happened was I washed a bit, board drifted slightly heelside, may or may not have nicked a piece of shrubbery with my heel edge (which may or may not have made a difference) about when I was trying to correct for the slight change in direction when I should've been loading up the ollie... whatever happened I didn't get a controlled pop over the edge. I am fairly sure kept my feet under me but slipped out on the landing and whiplashed myself in to the ground.

It was really a bummer, about 230pm on our last day I was hoping to get a few more good lines before the end of the trip. It wasn't even that big, like, this one I had hit literally 1 minute before, was bigger:



Or this one from the day before, which is hard to see from the perspective but it required an early ollie and about an 8' gap -- that rock was like a giant shelf that I had to gap over just to get to the "drop":



So, it's disappointing that it was a smaller hit. I was honestly ready to attempt a spin or a grab or something on my next lap when instead I just knocked myself out.
 
#5,863 ·
It's always the routine shit that gets you..
Like lift dismounts,.. right? :facepalm1: ;) :laugh:

….unrelated, I just got an email from Crystal Mountain announcing six new runs and a triple chair in an area they're calling "the backyard".

Looking at a map the area sits between the Ridge triple and the north face quad.
LoL! I just got the very same email 2 seconds ago! Haven't looked at it closely yet. I will now!
:hairy:
 
#5,862 ·
I got the email from CM but haven't opened it yet...

IDK if I'd call it "routine" but yeah I feel ya, it's usually that stuff that's "no big deal" that ends up hurting ya. I still don't think there was really anything I could've done differently, short of not hitting it at all, which is stupid. I went at it from a virtual standstill; pulled up on top of it just to make sure the landing was clear (and also, sometimes that stuff looks way gnarlier from on top of it, than it does from the chairlift!) and once I saw it was clear, I just scootched my way towards the drop and that's when the edge slipped on me. Nothing I could do to prevent that, I don't think.
 
#5,865 ·
Just gonna put this out there...

https://www.themaxpass.com/

This pass allows you 5 days each at 22 different resorts. The two in MI are Boyne Highlands and Mountain. $699 is not chump change but if you ride those 10 days the pass basically pays for itself. Then, go out to Big Sky, or Steamboat and Copper, or head east to Sunday River...
 
#5,867 ·
I might actually get down on that Max Pass... I don't ride up north as much as you (sam) or Chomps, so realistically 10 days at Boyne is plenty. I know I can get cheaper pass to Crystal or waaaay cheaper to Cab, but Boyne has the water park and I have a 3-year old, so...

But then I'm looking at another $650 for the Pk/Holly pass and all of a sudden I'm pushing $1300 for lift tickets for the season. SMH man...
 
#5,868 ·
In your case it's worth it if you can get your 5 days in at Highlands (where there is no water park), I don't think you will have too much problem getting 5 days at Mountain and then you're gravy train for out west.

Even if you don't get 5 days at Highlands but you get a couple decent trips out west it's worth it.

In my case, it's 20-some days at Boyne in Michigan and maybe 3-4 days out west. So a $250 upgrade is worth it but no way at $699.
 
#5,869 ·
@Sam you should look in to that Mountain Collective pass. it's not as expansive as the MAX pass, but also not as expensive. The kicker though is you only get 2 days per mountain (but 50% off additional days). If you buy early you get one bonus day to be used at any of the mountains, so arguably you can get 3 days at one spot, and 2 at the others. it's definitely worthwhile if you do 2 trips west. but even if you were to do 1, say to Aspen:

$379 is basically the price of 3 single-day lift tickets, so you can break even in just 3 days. Then of course if you take another trip, it's 2 free days and 50% off extra days, etc.

Something else to think about, if you're heading west again.
 
#5,871 ·
Well haven't been here in a while. Read your trip report Sab, sorry you didn't get better snow, it's always hit or miss and seems like it always misses more than it hits. You didn't mention anything about Lone Peak, were you able to at least go up for the view? I stayed at Buck T4 lodge as well and that breakfast is awesome, but you didn't mention the hot tubs the size of small pools! Did you stop at the lone peak brewery right down the road?

Trapper, where is your update on how your trip was???
 
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