This little ski & snowboard destination is a hidden gem. Tucked away in the beautiful upper…read morepeninsula (U.P.) of Michigan, by the Portage Canal, overlooking the city of Houghton and the campus of Michigan Technological University, this ski hill remains my favorite in the country. I've been to places like Snowbird and Brighton, but Ripley just has that charm you can't find elsewhere.
It's small. The vertical is just over 400 ft, has about 25 trails and only one chair lift and a T-bar.
Now the exciting stuff. The hills are shaped like a ski-jumping ramp. It's steep near the top, and flattens out near the bottom (where the bunny hill is). This means you can acquire speed very quickly - enough speed to hit the quarter-pipe, tabletops, and other fun stuff in the terrain park on your way down. There're quite a few black-diamond runs, and a double-diamond. For adventurous skiers/snowboarders, there're plenty of woods in between trails. There's even a small cliff, just to the right of the T-bar on the way up, for powder-day audacity. I'm a snowboarder and by nature I tend to explore the roads less traveled. This place is perfect for exploration. In addition, given its small size, your knees can get the rest they need between runs, and get ready for the next adventure. This is especially true for snowboarders. When your muscles are fatigued, you can't initiate turns and can easily end up in the patrol room.
Ski patrol. I used to patrol there for five years, and Ripley has the highest patrol-to-customer and lowest accident-per-day ratios I've seen. The patrol body consists of local old-timers as well as Michigan Tech students. It's extremely well-organized, well-trained, well-disciplined, and of course, friendly :)
Kids. I think I've seen more kids there than adults - and most kids are really, pretty good! Lessons, either in groups or one-on-one, are available to people of all ages and skill levels.
The trail conditions. They make snow prior to the start of the season, so there's always plenty of base. The U.P. gets more than 200" of snow on average, so you can count on many powder days with pristine snow. Most trails are groomed and they groom it well. Night skiing is available daily, and trails are well-lit.
The view. One of the reasons I love this place so much is the ability to scan the entire horizon as you look down from the hilltop. Ripley faces south, meaning it gets plenty of sunlight. Few things beat the view of a quiet sunset from a mountain top.
There're special events throughout the season, e.g., Winter Carnival in February, Slush Pit (there's a funny youtube video) in March, and various ski & snowboard races and competitions like Big Air.
All these make for a perfect place for both beginners and experts. And when you're done for the day, head to any of the local microbreweries!
