If I could give more than 5 stars, Winter Walden definitely earned them from our family this year!…read more My 7 & 9 year old kids joined their cousins as guests one weekend, and in 4 short hours our 7 year old daughter was navigating the chairlift like a pro and using controlled techniques to ski down intermediate runs. Paul and his excellent instruction staff did what my husband and I could not, and we had the best time for the rest of the season skiing as a family. We decided to enroll both kids for full membership, only to see on the website that they were full for the 2020-21 season. I sent an email describing our daughter's progress in just the one session and our desire to see how much more she and our son could make, and then crossed my fingers. As the saying goes, "flattery will get you everywhere" (all of it was true!), and Paul let us join a little late. I am so glad he did. The kids loved hitting the slopes, and had great instruction to make sure they learned their new skills with the proper form and technique, and could demonstrate proficiency before moving through the ranks. The staff love what they do, and the enthusiasm is contagious for all their students. This year in particular it was such a blessing and a relief to have something fun and new to look forward to each weekend. We will definitely be enrolling next year, and in a timely fashion too!

From the owner: Winter Walden students are placed in small classes with a qualified instructor who is trained to…read moremake the experience fun and safe. Students are evaluated in every class and advance to the next level as soon as they are ready. "Learning by Doing" is the Winter Walden method. Our weekend day trips take place during the winter at Pine Knob and Mount Holly resorts.

I may have bought my first skis in 1977 from MC Sports or something like that and have since always…read moregone to a ski shop for my gear. The Ski Co. is one of the best out there. The staff is very knowledgable of the equipment they sell and they take the time to hear what kind of skier you are and recommend the proper gear. If your feet are not comfortable then you will hate skiing! Mick at The Ski Co. and some of their other staff are pros at tuning your boots. I have purchased 2 or 3 sets of boots here and always pay the extra $ to get custom footbed inserts. It presses your feet up into the top of the boot to get rid of any slop and stop your foot from moving forward and jamming your toes, that hurts! I have purchased skis, poles and garments here and have never been unhappy with the product or service received. If you are really into the sport don't waste your time at the big stores like MC, etc. go to a ski shop even if it is not The Ski Co. you will be glad you did. You may pay a bit more but in the long run you will be so happy!

Best ski shop in the area. Their youth ski rental program is great for kids who can take advantage…read more After taking advantage of the program for many years with both my boys, because my son is a harder than average skier, we decided he needed more aggressive equipment than was offered in the program. The Ski Company usually has a few pairs of higher end demo skis (very gently used factory demonstrators) available and that's what we opted to buy instead for a price well below list. I have also bought quite a few pairs of skis for myself based on thier recommendations, and couldn't be happier. Prices are always fair. This is the only ski shop I will buy from in MI.

Mt. Holly is definitely up there with the best skiing/snowboarding hill in Southeast Michigan…read more Yes, the hills aren't the longest or highest but they're well taken care of and there are some glades/trees. The terrain park is cool too if that's your thing. Also, it's a bit more advanced than other hills close by to here. The VALUE definitely gets worse year by year and I see genuine reactions from complete strangers to the price when they hear their totals at the register, always like "What!? Is this right?!" The service is good and quick from what I've experienced.

A very fun afternoon with the family and friends. Not much else to say the scene is snowboarding…read morethere is always enjoyable, I would say that there is probably better places but, not as convenient as Mount Holly. We went as a family, spent the entire day, drinks in the lodge, and we actually got some very outstanding Pizza. I wouldn't say it was the best pizza, but I would say it was one of the best pizzas I've had that had a thick bread crust (not Detroit style, more along the line of DiGiorno).

I'm a first time skier. I had a great time getting the gist of the whole process of learning how to…read moreski, especially on the magic carpet. It started becoming more and more easier as I kept going. So I've decided to try the bunny hill with the chair lifts. It was becoming difficult with the speed control and I almost hit the staff's wife when I was going down the slope. The guy just comes up to me and starts scolding me for laughing at the fact I almost hit his wife! He clearly took it to the next level of immaturity! I was laughing due to be scared that I was going to fast down the slope. Anyway, I'm on the ground in a little pain and I kept saying that I'm sorry! He just walks off like nothing happened. I really think that Pine Knob needs to hire staff that are more mature and actually know how to do their job! I've been hearing that the majority of the staff are pretty rude and after what happened pretty much sums it up.

Our family had a fantastic time at Pine Knob -- our first time visiting! We were visiting relatives…read morein Michigan for the holidays, and elated to spend the day here. My three children took snowboarding and skiing lessons, and their instructors were fantastic. It was their first time snowboarding/skiing, and they loved it! We rented our equipment, and the entire rental/return process was smooth and easy. All of the staff we interacted with were courteous and helpful. We arrived at 9 AM and stayed until 5:30 PM -- definitely a wonderful and fun day.

Up for the holidays from out of state and booked kids (10,13 and 14) at ski school for the day…read more(10am-3pm). Kids had an amazing time and now hooked on the sport. Staff patient, kind and fun! Grill reasonably priced, great food and strong drinks. Here were the pros, a few shout outs and suggestions: The day before we found out it would rain on our scheduled day. Called and found out policy that we had to send an email. Emailed around 3pm the day before. The manager responded almost immediately (learned through subsequent emails he was off site but continued to respond to us). Gave us options. Ultimately we kept our date since the other dates were booked up. Day of lesson they walked us through the process. Staff helped kids but let them "do" it (ex sat watching patiently as kids laced us snowboarding boots but tightened and checked at the end). Kids loved instructors and cup of hot chocolate at end of lesson. Edward (kids ski group) was wonderful (fun and really nice). It rained and kids soaking wet. I went to check the shop and Deanna helped me find gloves that would work for them. We hung out at the Grill for the five hours. Great view of the slopes so we could get pictures of kids. Really good food. Apple flatbread was amazing. Reasonable prices, good size portions. Julie took great care of us checking in often. Nice ambiance with large fire pit. My oldest son fell and hit his head hard towards the end of the day. Instructor addressed it immediately, I was concerned and asked for first aid. Ski patrol came to us, checked him out and gave us next step instructions. Impressed with their knowledge and concern. Suggestions: really bad 80's music (maybe update). Parents splurge for ski pants even for one day (Target a mile down the rd with large selection of Champion ski pants, water proof gloves and puffy jackets). Great place for kids lessons. They cater to both the kids and parents!

I love skiing here with my family. They have an elevator for people with mobility issues to get…read moredownstairs. They have an adaptive ski program here and the volunteers are great. They have a nice bar and separate restaurant where you can have a drink and watch people ski.

My friend has a pass here and I've been wanting to get back into skiing so I booked a lesson with a…read morefriend. We got there early and was out with coach Tom. He was awesome! He showed us the basics and knew we had a little bit of experience before (over 12 years for me) but we wanted to start at the beginning. After we got the basics down, we were heading up the bunny hill. It was scary at first, but having coach Tim in front showing us what to do, made me feel confident. Before I knew it I was going down the blue hill! We had gone down probably 5 times at this point and we had to check out hr après ski life. We ordered a drink and the bartender had me turns onto a 007! It was a perfect light and flavorful drink! I loved their featured menu but man that drink was delicious. Before we fully warmed back up we were back in the slopes. After a few more times down and my friend was trying out her tricks, we had worked up an appetite. We went down to the food area and we ordered at the window. I asked the gentlemen behind the order window and he said the while was a must try. So we ordered the fries and chili and man was he right. The chili was AMAZING! All the food was delicious. It reminded me of a good bar food menu. The place has a ton of space for everyone and the slopes and lifts themselves were clean and beautiful. It's a great place to start learning or for the more advanced skier/boarder. Amazing place! If you're coming do lessons, ask for coach Tom!

Let's start off by calibrating this review to local/nearby Michigan slopes. Not trying to compare…read moreto the ski mountains in CO, CA, etc. With that level set, Alpine Valley was a great experience! Lift tickets and rentals here were a good amount cheaper than nearby Brighton, and easy to get walk up (I actually don't think they do online pre-sales). We went on a Saturday after a Fool's Spring week here (ie it was very warm all week with no snow), and I was decently surprised by the snow they had created there. Was a little disappointing that they hadn't put out fresh snow overnight, so it was getting thin and a bit slushy in some areas (especially on the blue runs), but black runs were still fluffy. Not a lot of lift/run options but there is something for everyone from brand new beginners to more advanced things like a slalom course, moguls, and ramp things (clearly I am not an advanced skier). Nothing is TOO hard. I'm a beginner and can pizza and turn my way down the blacks here. Especially as there weren't too many people the day we went. I would come back for more practice! Cafe and bar options are solid. Typical American food, but the chili cheese fries are actually really good. Also got a hot dog and a beer that was very refreshing. Indoor and outdoor options for seating. They had a shop onsite as well in case you forgot or needed some gear, and convenient/easy parking.

I've been in real estate for over 40 years and have taken more continuing education courses than I…read morecan count -- but Jack Waller of NCI Associates continues to set the gold standard. His depth of knowledge, ability to explain complex topics clearly, and genuine care for his students is unmatched. I've attended his classes many times over the years and refer his services every chance I get. He's not just a great instructor -- he's the best. Trust what time has endorsed! Rick Landuyt CRB Senior Associate Broker Coldwell Banker Professionals

Jack Waller is top notch. Jack's class is the only one I look for when it comes time for my annual…read moreCE. Thank you for the many years you've been doing this.