Timber Ridge Mich 2/25/22

[ciscokid]

Had a nice dry 3” and the sun came out( rare thing here in Mi) and wife was going shopping and she said get out and go skiing. Before I invited myself to crash my daughter’s and grandson’s party at C burg Monday I had thought of going south to 60 year old Timber Ridge just northwest of Kalamazoo.
Booted up an hour after opening bell and there was still plenty of ungroomed to go around. Even if it’s only a few inches it’s still a pleasure.

In parking lot, Hemlock albeit short a nice pitch

Bittersweet ten minutes north is 40 years old and part of a Wisconsin conglomerate and has one of the shortest vertical High Speed Quads in the state. TR has a 51 year old Heron Poma floating bullwheel that turns like a champ

View attachment 13286

There were few rope tows and jumps and also tubing and baby magic carpet

After innumerable runs I was told the old Hall quad would open and I wanted first chair for 3 inches of fresh, in the meantime the Hall triple would have to do rotating a few Hemlock wake me ups.

Waiting until four took forever so I decided to have me. Bells two hearted

First in line for the quad and some nice first tracks

How’s these seat?

But new grips

Had a nice day on another 225’ bump but getting old isn’t all that bad here, half price tickets over 60. I can handle $22.50. Hill juts up from the flat cornfield.

Skiing anywhere is better than not

 

[ciscokid]

Here’s a comparison with local competitor Bittersweet

Going Further Afield: Two Dueling Michigan Areas

Robbie Allen enjoys traveling the midwest, sampling smaller ski areas across the country. In his latest story (and as DCSki's newest Columnist), Robbie finds two nearby Michigan areas -; Timber Ridge and Bittersweet - that remind him in ways of the past rivalry between Liberty and Whitetail.

www.dcski.com

 

[Brownski]

New grips are great but some steel wool and paint might be in order as well

 

[tirolski]

Waiting until four took forever so I decided to have me. Bells two hearted.
Had a nice day on another 225’ bump but getting old isn’t all that bad here, half price tickets over 60. I can handle $22.50. Hill juts up from the flat cornfield.

Bells is tasty.
Same tint as yer googles too.
A couple of those and it might be more than yer lift ticket though with tip.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Fascinating how these tiny hills have chairlifts. They could've easily gotten along with t-bars.

 

[MarzNC]

Fascinating how these tiny hills have chairlifts. They could've easily gotten along with t-bars.

Back 40-50 years ago, I would guess the market for a tiny hill in the midwest or southeast included a lot of beginners. While a beginner can learn to use a rope tow or J-bar or T-bar, any place that made the investment in a chairlift would be way ahead of the competition. Everett Kircher guessed in the late 1940s that people would make their way to Boyne Mountain if there was a chairlift so he bought one from Sun River.

Massanutten slopes have been around for 50 years. Started with three chairlifts I think . . . for perhaps 40 acres, about 700' vert. Plus a J-bar for the beginner terrain. No magic carpets back then.

 

[Warp daddy]

Nice report Cisco .These small places serve a great purpose for their local market and offer decent value and any skiing is better than not having access.

I often visit a 350 vert ski bump complete with Vintage Hall chair whenever my wife chooses to shop at a Regional Mall an hr away. Hell I can get 30 runs in twoand half hrs for a pittance .

Life is whatever ya make it .

Again great report

 

[Warp daddy]

Here's my speed bump i mentioned above : DRY HILL , Watertown, NY

 

[jasonwx]

Fascinating how these tiny hills have chairlifts. They could've easily gotten along with t-bars.

Or a staircase
Love these reports