Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums banner

The Official Michigan Winter Thread

490K 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!
 
#7,479 ·
So last week my daughter and I got to Boyne before Dave and we were lapping the Meadows lift, that one with the conveyor belt. One one ride up we were with two other skiers and we got to chatting. Somehow the talk got to passes and I was griping about the price increases and how outrageous it was for a junior pass to go from 189 to 357. The guy bristled and I could tell he was uncomfortable with the conversation. It nagged me, like why did he do that? The more I thought about it, the more I wondered if he was one of the Kirchers.

Welp, I went to LinkedIn tonight and sure as shit it was him, I was bitching to the owner of Boyne Resorts- Stephen Kircher- about their pass increases. LOL
 
#7,485 ·
GAAAAAAAAAAAH.

It's up in the air for me right now. If it snows half as much as they're calling for, the drive up on Sunday AM will be in the 4-hour range for me probably. I hate that shit. But I also love pow. But I really wanted to ride park this weekend. Wife doesn't want me to go (of course hahaha) but she'll get over it, eventually. Though I should probably make up my mind one way or another...
 
#7,489 ·
Yeah I'm honestly stumped. The storm is completely missing the keweenaw peninsula (bohemia), which is very odd. They're also forecasted to get very high winds and I know they like to put their lifts on wind hold. So, boho is out.

I'm honestly not feeling the drive all the way to Brule, especially with the storm trending toward sunday with the heavy stuff.

I'm leaning toward Searchmont, but I can't tell if it's snowing there now either.

I wanted to hit Boyne on the way back down on Sunday, but as you say, it may be an ice rink.
 
#7,490 ·
Searchmont update for you guys, we got about 5-10 cm of snow yesterday. Some melted, not all. Searchmont is only open on Sat - Sun. So whatever they got won't be touched. The big snow event is happening on Sunday, but there's so much snow out there right now Saturday will also be great. Sunday is calling for 15 - 25 cms, which is about 6-10" I think
 
#7,494 ·
Thanks for the heads up! I'm planning on heading back down Saturday night anyways due to the weather. Mostly to get back across the bridge (Mackinac) before the winds really pick up early Sunday. Do not want to get trapped on the north side of the bridge if they close it.
 
#7,496 ·
Probably would've been good all weekend thru today. Warming up tomorrow into the low 40s with full freeze/thaw in effect through the foreseeable future, I wouldn't bother with it unfortunately -- aside from the legality of it, conditions won't be very good even with tons of snow. That stuff starts melting, you end up with an inch of hard crust on top, heavy snow or powder still underneath, etc. No bueno.
 
#7,498 ·
Finished up at Boyne Mountain on Saturday. It was a gorgeous day. Snow was pretty damn decent for Mid April in Michigan. Had a good time messing around in the trees near Disciples and bombing DD. It got pretty sticky around noon so we called it and had one last drink at the Trophy Room. I think that's all she wrote for this awesome season.
 
#7,502 ·
Take it for what its worth but another weather prediction for the upcoming winter:

Unlike other news stories predicting a warm, wet winter, the Farmers' Almanac predicts a "colder-than-normal" season, stretching from the Continental Divide to the Appalachians.

“Contrary to the stories storming the web, our time-tested, long-range formula is pointing toward a very long, cold, and snow-filled winter," said editor Peter Geiger in a statement on the company's website.

The popular forecaster said frigid conditions are expected in mid-February across the New England, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and the Midwest.

Above-normal snowfall is predicted for the Great Lakes, Midwest, New England and Pacific Northwest, they said.
 
#7,506 ·
....aaaand once again, the midwest gets fucked out of what could have been a great deal! :mad:

I see where Boyne joined the Ikon pass group but for only limited access. 7 lousy days. That's pretty much worthless to those of us who actually ride during the season.

For those of us who try to plan a western vacation (...or two) along with our usual trips north,... that Ikon pass could have been a MAJOR $$ saver. :facepalm3:
 
#7,507 ·
Yeah man, I couldn’t believe it when I saw that. With 14 days at the Boynes you’re STILL paying over $70/day at the $1000 price point. Sure it goes down a bit if you get out west but not by a ton and most people won’t use it enough to justify the huge cost.

I don’t know wtf Boyne is doing with pricing for the upcoming season. I hope that they get their asses handed to them and learn a lesson.
 
#7,509 · (Edited)
You make a decent point. Especially for you guys who are closer to Cab & Crysyal and can ride there relatively easy. (...no 4-5 hour drive that is.)

Out of my 36 days last season...

10-11 were out west. Maybe 4-6 or 7 days @ Boyne Mtn. (...I only ride BM early or late when Highlands is closed.)

So roughly 13-18 days or so were done during peak times (No Xmas or holidays so blackouts not an issue.) @ Highlands with a scattering of days @ Holly & PK.

I went with a Boyne Silver & Epic pass for that last season. I think it cost me about $11-$1200 total for both. (...all my CO riding, 10-11 days split between Copper & Steamboat were covered except my 1 day @ Luv!)

So I guess it was only a slightly better deal than what you outlined, in that I rode Highlands a lot during peak times instead of late spring.

If I wanted to ad unlimited PK or holly to the mix Im looking at another $600+ to that.

Damn,... Riding the Midwest is expensive!!! :eek:

>:)
 
#7,510 ·
You make a decent point. Especially for you guys who are closer to Cab & Crysyal and can ride there relatively easy. (...no 4-5 hour drive that is.)
...

I went with a Boyne Silver & Epic pass for that last season. I think it cost me about $11-$1200 total for both. (...all my CO riding, 10-11 days split between Copper & Steamboat were covered except my 1 day @ Luv!)

So I guess it was only a slightly better deal than what you outlined, in that I rode Highlands a lot during peak times instead of late spring.

If I wanted to ad unlimited PK or holly to the mix Im looking at another $600+ to that.

Damn,... Riding the Midwest is expensive!!! :eek:

>:)
Holy Crap! So that is why there are so many MI bowlers instead of ballers...(ya'll are the dirty ballers of MI....drivin, $ and how much vert?....RESPECT)

Guess, I've nothing to complain about and will just stick to my little hill.
 
#7,513 ·
Being 4hrs from Blue Mountain and both Boynes I would of bought the Ikon pass when it first came out and was cheaper but oh well, maybe next year. This year we're going with a Shanty season pass cause it's not much more than the full Cab pass and we did that one last year. If it wasn't for that park at Shanty we might of went back to Cab but my kid lived in there last year when we went for March break and I had a blast riding the trees so no complaints from me. Also, there's way more lodging options for me at Shanty and we always go 2-3 days at a time.
 
#7,514 ·
Yep I've got no complaints about Shanty, it's not nearly as much vertical as Caberfae or Boyne but the terrain there is generally just as enjoyable , it's cheaper than Boyne, better terrain parks than Caberfae. I'd consider it for sure if it was closer to me but Shanty is nearly as far from me as Boyne (2h15m vs 2h25m) and Caberfae is *much* closer than either of them :D
 
#7,517 ·
You "Park" guys have different criteria for what makes an acceptably ridable resort. ;) :laugh: I don't do park. So a small resort (with a decent park) that takes hours to get to??? Not really worth the time & expense even if it's discounted.

...to make matters worse, looks like this year I won't be buying any passes @ the early bird price. I wont know until the seasons right about here if Im gonna be able to ride at all this season.

And even then, Cab is still about a 3 hour, give or take, drive for me depending on weather. I've Only been there twice around 4-5 years apart. Iir, It's ok, but it seems to me like it's still a long assed drive and for not a whole lot more vert & terrain than PK or Holly.

Highlands just feels bigger & more resort like to me. (...of course I haven't really had a chance to ride Cabs "Backcountry" trails tho!) :shrug:
 
Top