Why We Ski: Community

A ski hill is more than a place to slide down the snow. As this "MASH pole" shows, it is a whole community of people working and playing together. You can rent equipment, get a lesson, have some great soup, and enjoy a drink at the end of the day.

Advice from the Purple Chair: Black Diamonds

At ski resorts, hills with a green circle on their signs are the easier hills, blue squares are more difficult, and black diamonds denote the hardest hills. Here is a six-year-old student I had yesterday just before skiing her first black diamond. She did great! Before we skied Smokey, I had her follow me on one of Nub's Nob's hardest blues, Southern Comfort. Although not as steep as Smokey, it is narrower and therefore a good test hill. If you can make it down Southern Comfort in control, you should be able to ski Smokey. On both hills we made turns that took us back and forth across the hill. On black diamonds, falling is okay, but losing control is not. My final advice for skiing black diamonds for the first time is to do it in the morning. Legs will be stronger, snow will be softer, and the hill will be less busy. Have fun!

In Your Pockets: Lip Stuff

Even with last week's mild weather, you should have something with you to protect your lips. They can become chapped from the cold and wind or burned by the sun. I like this type of Dermatone because you can use it on your skin as well. Put some on in the morning before you go out and reapply throughout the day.

ChairTalk: Pintail Peak Warming Hut

In 1995 Nub's Nob swapped land with the State of Michigan and in 1997 Pintail Peak opened. It wasn't until the warming hut was built in 2003 that I started taking lessons out there. I never wanted to risk a lesson out there in case they got cold or had to use the restroom. With the warming hut, it is now the perfect place for intermediate lessons. Most of the slopes are wide blue hills serviced by quick chairlifts that usually have shorter lines. The warming hut has a fireplace, restrooms, a view of Little Traverse Bay, and a cafeteria that serves soup and sandwiches. On weekends and holiday the vintage Sno-Cat above brings up the food and supplies. The building's official name is The Pintail Peak Warming House, but I like to call it The Outback Jack Shack! By the way, that makes the wooden item to the left the Outback Jack Shack Rack!