Snowcat Skiing in Michigan?
Michigan’s Ski the Porkies adds 100 acres of snowcat skiing and a ton of fun for skiers and snowboarders.
The headline will give anyone pause. Well, anyone who’s not from the Midwest. Snowcat skiing in Michigan? But, there it was, as real as the rain outside my window—a news release in my e-mail stating just that.
It said:
Ontonagon, MI - Ski the Porkies, hard by the shoreline of Lake Superior on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, will expand into 100 acres of snowcat skiing and snowboarding this winter.
Runs of up to 575 vertical feet are possible within the new terrain, dubbed "Everest," located just west of the existing ski area. The Everest Expedition Snowcat features a passenger cabin on the back, just like snowcat skiing operations in the western U.S. and Canada. The cleared runs span a half mile of the mountain's ridgeline.
Unlimited snowcat rides will cost just $15 in addition to a lift pass. Ski the Porkies is operated by the same management team that owns and operates the U.P.'s Mt. Bohemia, known for steep backcountry-style skiing and riding.
Now, everyone knows that snowcat skiing is the "poor man’s" helicopter skiing. And, everyone knows that snowcat skiing takes place amidst vast acres of remote locales’ snowfields in the Rockies, the Sierra Nevadas, the Wasatch and unheard of sites in Canada.
You don’t snowcat ski/ride in Michigan.
But, apparently, you do.
Ski the Porkies, a.k.a. Porcupine Mountains in Ontonagon, Michigan, lays claim to 42 runs, 787 feet of vertical and two chairlifts, one of which doesn’t operate on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
This isn’t Snowbird.
What it is, however, is a small ski set way up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that’s making the most of what they’ve got. And what they’ve got is 100 acres right next to their lift-served terrain that’s perfectly skiable. Except it doesn’t have a lift.
Chairlift? Who needs one? Just run a snowcat.
Anyone who’s ever cat skied knows that it’s a singular experience. Cats move so few skiers up the hill per hour that even the most limited operation can provide plenty of untracked sliding. If it doesn’t guarantee powder, it comes close. And it certainly guarantees unfettered, uncrowded riding.
So, why not do it in Michigan?
Absolutely no reason at all.
Especially for a mere 15 bucks.
This is a great idea.
