ChairTalk: New Chairlift!

If Nub's doesn't open for Thanksgiving weekend, a lot of times it might be the Friday after. I have missed skiing those days while teaching elementary computers and library classes. Now that I have retired, I don't have to miss! This year it was extra exciting with the inaugural riding of new green chair! I knew I wouldn't get the first chair (rumor is those guys were there at 6 am!), but I was excited to see it off and follow soon after! 

You can see the announcement of the new chair and why Nub's chose to keep the fixed grip style here.

Signs of the Season: Thanksgiving Weekend

The goal at Nub's is to open Thanksgiving weekend, but mother nature doesn't always cooperate. That is the case this year. A nice tradition that has developed over the years is the lodge opens even if the slopes aren't ready. I think it started with the office and spread to the Guest Services building and General Store. Now you can even get some of your favorites from the kitchen and a drink from the bar the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after Thanksgiving. Although skiing would be the best thing to do, eating curly fries comes in a close second!

I'm Back!

I took a break from this blog a while back, but now I hope to pick it up again. Last June I retired from teaching library class at Charlevoix Elementary School. After 36 years of instructing on the side at Nub's Nob, I am so excited to have it be my one and only job! I will be working Fridays and Saturdays and one or two other days each week when they need me. Ski ya soon!

Opening Day!

Usually I don't like the opening day of ski season. Mediocre snow and too many people on just a few hills. This year is going to be a bit different! Nub's Nob has received over 30 inches of natural snow so far this winter and will open with over 30 runs on Saturday, November 22! Ski ya' out there!

Chairtalk: Around the World

Nub's Nob is off to a great, possibly best, start! Most of the front and a few of the back hills are now open!

Today I was able to complete a modified* "Around the World" challenge. Around the World is where you ski every hill. To make it more interesting, you try to never take the same chairlift twice in a row. This screen shot from my Ski Tracks app shows how I got around. Obviously they are using a satellite picture from a different time of year!

*No black diamonds, glades, or race area for me. As Dad would say, I am acting my age!

Why We Ski: Milestones

There are many significant birthdays: 16 to get your driver's license, 21 to purchase alcohol, 35 to be able to run for president. Although I am not rushing it, I look forward to turning 70. Skiers 70 and over can get free daily ski passes at Nub's Nob. Just come to the ticket window, show your ID, and away you go! If want to skip the first steps, you can spend $25.00 for an Unlimited Season Pass. While some local resorts raised the age for free passes to 80, I am thankful that Nub's Nob keeps it at 70. Now, I just have to wait 26 years!

By the way, the 70+ ticket is $22.50 and all season tickets are 10% off for one more day. Order now!

Signs of the Season: Last Day

It was a great year, but sure went fast. Here I am on the last day riding the purple chair. Nub's Nob closed with plenty of snow, but it is time to move on to spring and the activities that go along with it. I kind of feel like a super-hero giving up my powers and retiring to my secret identity. All the amazing things I can do as a skier and instructor have to go into hiding. Never fear, though, winter will return before you know it!

I want to thank everyone at Nub's Nob and the Winter Sports School for a great season. It was an honor to work with you. Also, thank you to all of my amazing lessons! I had so much fun and learned so much. I hope you did, too! Ski ya' next year!

Signs of the Season: Mardi Gras

After last year's had to be cancelled due to lack of snow, this year's Mardi Gras was going to be twice as great! I spent most of the day on Big Time helping with the Silly Slalom and Crazy Couples races. It was a lot of fun! Every kid racer received a prize and my friends Eric and Ali won the couples race. Many thanks to J. P. Adams, Chief of Course (of course)! My one suggestion for next year? Less inflatables! I think it took us two hours to pack everything up!

Back to Nature: Sunsets

This part of Michigan is know for great sunsets. I have certainly seen my share, but my favorites are from the ski hill. I managed to get out to Nub's Friday night, and it was another amazing view!

It may seem like the sun is setting on the season, but Nub's Nob still has four more weeks left. Right now I am only scheduled for Mardi Gras on March 23, but if there is interest I could meet a lesson during Spring Break, March 29 - April 7.

ChairTalk: Off-Hill Jobs

I am constantly amazed at the talent of my fellow instructors. They are all wonderful skiing and snowboarding ambassadors, but they have many other talents, too. This spectacular picture of my goggles and the front hills of Nub's Nob was taken by photographer/winter sports instructor Josh Angel. When you ask an instructor about their off-hill careers, don't make the mistake of saying "What is your real job?" Instructing is a real job and a tough one at that! We just make it look easy :) Instead, try asking if they have another career or what they do in the off-season. You might find out some interesting things.

Why We Ski: Togetherness

Last weekend the Winter Sports School celebrated Bob "Papa Panda" Mogford's 69th birthday. Bob runs the children's Panda program and came up with the idea for the new run PandaLand. The event reminded me of how visitors and employees become a family out at the ski hill celebrating, working, and playing together. For three or four months we see each other on a regular basis and know each other's ups and downs. When the season ends I don't see many of my skiing friends until the lifts start up again. The great thing is it is like we haven't missed a day!

Signs of the Season: Sun on Smokey

Due to the tilt of the earth, the sun is low in the sky when Nub's Nob opens each year. The north facing front hills are in the shade all day, everyday, until the end of January. A sure sign that we are coming out of the dark is when Old Smokey starts to have sun from top to bottom. The sun makes it easier to see changes in the terrain, and checking your shadow is a good way to check your form. Enjoy!

Hill Names: Duck Soup

Did you know that a pintail is a type of duck? Pintail Peak at Nub's Nob was named after a boat owned by Walter Fisher. When the land was acquired a lot of names were bandied about. Pintail Peak had a really nice ring to it. When naming the hills, the resort tried to stick to the wildlife theme: Goosebumps, Whitefish, etc. What did they decide upon for the long, flat hill leading back to the area? Duck Soup of course! No one seems to be sure where the saying "easy as duck soup" comes from, but for this hill, it fits!

Advice From the Purple Chair: Nights

Do you ever avoid heading to the ski hill on weekends or holidays because you think it will be too crowded? The answer is night skiing. At night hills are always quieter than during the day, and lift lines almost disappear. Another advantage is the slopes are freshly groomed. On weekends and holidays Nub's Nob shuts the lifts down at 4:30 and sends out the fleet of Pisten Bully snow cats. They groom all of the lit runs before the lifts reopen at 6:00, leaving a smooth, soft carpet of snow to ski on.

ChairTalk: Webcast!

After three years I finally made it onto a Nub's Nob Webcast! A student and I can be seen at about 1:15 into Season 4, Episode 5.

Back to Nature: Panda Land

This year Nub's Nob has a new hill: Panda Land! It is a green circle hill just off of Pleasantview after the orange chair. Panda Land is named after our Winter Sports School children's program, but you won't find pandas. Instead, there are five life-size statues of Michigan wildlife: a moose, a cougar, an eagle, a deer, and my favorite, a bear! The hill was the idea of our resident Papa Panda, Bob Mogford. It is a fun detour and now part of my teaching repertoire. It is a great way to practice turning and learn about nature.

Signs of the Season: Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Purple Chair! Last week Nub's Nob received 15 inches of snow and has been making snow like crazy.  We will be 100% open on Wednesday. Over Christmas week I am available for lessons December 26-28, and 30-31. Call soon for reservations! You can even call Christmas day. During the new year I will be out there every Saturday through March 2, and then back again March 23, for Mardi Gras.

Signs of the Season: A Chance to Say Goodbye

Probably the hardest part of the sudden end of last ski season was missing out on the chance to say goodbye. Goodbye to that last grilled cheese sandwich, goodbye to that last run down Smokey, and goodbye to friends. Unfortunately it took away a chance to say a final goodbye to Frank Couzens. My earliest memory of Frank is feeling disappointed to find out we weren't related. At that young age I seemed to be related to most of Grosse Pointe, and with a name like that, Frank had to be a relative, right? I don't know what his official title at Nub's Nob was, but the closest I can think of was Frank was our Skiing Ambassador. When I think of Frank I don't see him skiing: I see him shaking hands and talking skiing in the locker room, shaking hands and talking skiing in the lodge, and shaking hands and talking skiing at the bottom of the Nastar hill. Also, he was a master at stacking chairs. He kept the lines moving fairly, filled every chair, and made everyone feel privileged to be there. Thanks Frank.

We also missed the chance to say goodbye to master ski patroller Dan Somalski and former ski instructor and ski school director David "Zetti" Kondziela. I would have let Dan take me on a sled anywhere (even down Twilight!), and Zetti was an instructor and boss with an amazing sense of humor that fit into any situation. These three men gave back to the sport in levels I can only hope for and they will all be terribly missed.

Saturday is the annual Open House at Nub's Nob. Don't go for the discounted season pass, the lift rides, the ski swap, or even the free food (which are all great). Go to say hello to friends you haven't seen for seven months. You never know when you may miss the chance to say goodbye.

ChairTalk: The Season That Was

Some would say this was the season that wasn't. It had a slow start and too fast of a finish. But as Warren Miller said, "The best place in the world to ski is where you're skiing that day," and thanks to the crew at Nub's Nob we had a lot of great days. One thing skiers like to do is reminisce. Quite often I am in a group and past years come up: "Remember the year the temperature never went above zero?" or "How about that Christmas when it snowed 80 inches in two days!" Now we can talk about the year it was in the 80's for a week in March and there wasn't enough snow for Mardi Gras! For now I have cleaned out my locker and hung up my beads, and I remind myself that next year's skiing and celebrations will be twice as sweet!

Signs of the Season: President's Day

It has been a strange winter. I think I have seen my lawn more than I have seen snow covering it. Thankfully that has not been the case at Nub's Nob. Thanks to the snow-making and grooming crews and the Pisten-Bully groomers it has been amazing skiing, as always.

President's Day for some reason feels like the beginning of the end of winter, but there are still seven more weeks of the ski season. Unfortunately for me, I am only instructing two more Saturdays: next weekend, February 25, and Mardi Gras, March 25. Things are going to be too busy at school next month for me to commit to any more days, so call the Winter Sports School if you want to get a lesson in with me before the end of the season.