Loading ...
By Connor Gillooly ’14 | Staff Writer
When a layer of snow falls and covers the frozen ground, Grosse Pointe South students grab their gear and disperse to ski areas across Michigan.
The state of Michigan is home to 51 ski areas comprised of about 1,000 downhill runs, according to www.michigan.org.
Jacob Bucior ’14, a 9-year-veteran snowboarder, said he finds himself grabbing his board and hitting the slopes quite often.
“If the weather’s nice and I have time, I drive out to Pine Knob with some friends,” said Bucior. “It’s really cool that I can hop in my car and an hour later I’m sitting on a chairlift.”
Bucior said that most winter weekends he finds himself at the window forking over 41 dollars for a lift ticket. Similar to nine percent of South students surveyed, Bucior usually takes his business to Pine Knob.
“If I wasn’t so close to some hills I definitely wouldn’t board as much, or even at all,” said Bucior. “Snowboarding can get expensive but Pine Knob’s one of the cheapest around and it’s the closest to Grosse Pointe.”
While some students stay relatively local, others such as Audrey Hass ’16 said she prefers to head north.
“I really don’t like skiing at places like Pine Knob and Mt. Holly,” said Hass. “They’re small and the price difference doesn’t make it worth it.”
For Hass, quality is more important than quantity when it comes to her ski outings. Corresponding with 47.17 percent of students, Boyne Mountain is her preferred destination.
“It takes some time to get there,” said Hass. “But, it’s always worth it. The snow is well maintained, there’s a good amount of runs, and it never gets too crowded.”
Founder of the Ski Club, Conrad Schaitberger ‘14 thinks that the large number of ski spots in Michigan has impacted the culture in the state.
“Having dozens of ski resorts only a car drive away is rare,” said Schaitberger ’14. “Living near ski areas is a great opportunity to do something fun during the winter and I think many people take advantage of that.”
Nubs Nob in Harbor Springs is the third most visited destination by surveyed Grosse Pointe South students.
“I’ve been skiing there my entire life. It’s most definitely my favorite place to ski in Michigan,” said Schaitberger. “I prefer Nubs over other places because the snow and runs there are the best.”
Over Mid Winter Break, several ski areas will play host to special events, including Burton Mountain Festival at Boyne Highlands and a big air contest at Nubs Nob.
102 Grosse Pointe South students were surveyed on their location and trait preferences. Graphics by Connor Gillooly ’14.
