Best skiing in Midwest
 

We are from Minneapolis and looking for the best skiing in the midwest. I'd like to get reader ideas, as ski magazines largely omit the midwest.<BR><BR>Our travel range is Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Northern Michigan. Thanks.

As an Ohio skier, I pity you having to suffer with Midwest skiing! But, gotta practice someplace before you get to the 'real' slopes! And maybe Min/Wis/Mich have a little more vertical than Ohio? Don't know!<BR><BR>Anyway, while I have no personal knowledge of ski areas in those states, I would suggest you try www.goski.com and www.skitown.com, which will give you information on ski areas in those states, as well as reviews posted by people who have been to the various areas. Good luck in your search!

Take a look at Lutsen Minnesota. Far northern Min, overlooking Lake Superior. A beautiful area any time and pretty good vertical slopes.

I don't ski myself so I don't know what the best is but I was looking for Xmas presents and found this deal: Ski Brule in the UP of MI has $20 paid in advance lift tix good through 4/03. You can get them on the net at skibrule.com. It is a ltd time offer.

Definitely Buck Hill...

BUCK HILL????<BR>You must be kidding!!! Only if this is your first time on skis.<BR>Paul--spend the money on a train ticket to Montana

I clicked on this topic as I had no idea that there was skiing in the midwest. Since most of my skiing is in CA and nearby idaho and CO I don't imagine I'd ever venture to the midwest to ski. It does, however, make me feel sorry for those who live so far from the slopes.

My pick would be Boyne Mountain/Boyne Highlands near Petoskey, MI.

x, there's skiing all over the north part of the United States. Vermont has some good slopes too. WI, MI, MN is no comparison to CO, but when the urge arises, it's a quick fix and pretty much does the trick.

We in the midwest are humble enough to admit that our skiing pales in comparison to the rockies. But there are a handful of respectable slopes.<BR><BR>My choice is Lutsen, which has a vertical drop of 1100 feet and would be comparable to 2nd-tier Colorado hills like Monarch (1170 ft) and Eldora (1400) near Boulder.

Yes Mary there is some good skiing in the north east that I am aware of but had not considered the midwest. Do those midwesterners find that the slopes are dominated by locals? Do others travel to the midwest to ski? I'd be interested to know about this subject.

I highly doubt people that want to ski would choose WI, MN, or MI. Unless they were from, perhaps, Illinois and wanted to drive up. I would think those that utilize these slopes are local or at least &quot;semi&quot; local. Like I said before, there really is no comparison to the slopes of CO and the likes. I have a couple of friends (brothers) that spend a month each year in CO just to snowboard. So for them, Wisconsin just doesn't cut it. It's definitely worth the trip.

In response to the last question, I think you would find that the slopes are mainly dominated by people from the area. Much like people from NYC and Boston go up the Vermont to ski, the residents of Chicago, Madison, Ann Arbor, or Minneapolis have their favorite slopes. Of the midwest slopes, I'd say only 3-4 are for serious skiing, the rest are basically bunny hills.<BR><BR>I, for one, have made many trips to the rockies to ski but have never thought of travelling to New England to ski. I would guess that is how outsiders think of the midwest ski resorts as well.

toppin', baby

Most of the resorts in the Midwest are locals and weekenders who love to ski but because of expense, lack of vacation time etc. can't afford to go out west. I usually ski one week out west each season and several weekend trips to places like Boyne Higlands, Holiday Valley, New York, Snowshoe, WVA. True the vertical isn't like out west, but it gets one out and skiing and the apres-ski and commraderie among skiers is great. Helps make the winter go faster...