Although they sit only a few miles apart, and one lift ticket is all you need to ski or snowboard at both Boyne Mountain and Highlands, they really are as different as night and day.
The Mountain, often referred to as a "skier's mountain," has the reputation for being a little tougher skiing with more advanced runs, but that's somewhat of a misnomer. The Highlands offers such a generous mix of terrain that people often give it a short shrift, which it doesn't deserve.
It's a cruiser's mountain with lots and lots of blue boulevards, some nearly a mile long, and that's what skiers tend to remember. It also has great beginner's terrain such as Valley View and Maple Alley, which snake easily through the trees. But, it also has some great advanced terrain if you search it out.
The narrow stair steps of Rob Roy have always been one of my favorite Lower Peninsula runs. Next to it are precipitous plunges Olympic and K2, which will test the mantle of any skier or rider. One slope over from that trio is South Challenger, which has been the scene of many a pro race, and North Challenger, its twin slope provides plenty of its own spunk. This quintet of expert slopes is slippery enough to provide plenty of challenge.
The Mountain may have the reputation, and with its new glass and chrome hotel, the Grand Mountain Lodge, and Avalanche Water Park, it's at the forefront of modern ski and snowboard resorts; especially in the Great Lakes Region. But, I like the timeless more traditional atmosphere of the Highlands.
Built on a classic Michigan moraine ridge, bent and folded by retreating glaciers 10,000-some years ago, the ski hill offers a visual distinctiveness with varied slopes and contours that are rare for this region. With 55 named runs and trails, multiple terrain parks, and an Olympic-sized halfpipe spread out over nearly 500 acres with a 550-foot vertical drop, it's one of the few Midwest areas where you really need a trail map to get around; especially the first few visits.
The North Peak area, almost like a separate ski hill, with hardwood-lined trails -- mostly intermediate -- and some nice glades, is the place to head on a powder day. With the even pitch of the slopes, wooded terrain and lack of housing and lodging at the bottom of North Peak, you feel like you are on the backside of Keystone's powdery Colorado slopes. You're just missing a couple thousand feet of vertical. On snowy days it's the last place they groom and the last to get skied off, according to knowledgeable lift attendants.
The classic Bavarian-themed main lodge and hotel with its ivy covered walls completes the picture as you first pull into the parking lot and look up at the Highlands; an appropriate name for a timeless resort.
New this year at the resort is the Highland's Aonach Mor Moonlight Dinner, which is a great way to top off a day on the slopes. The evening begins at 6:30 p.m. when you are transported by sleigh from the Slopeside Lounge to North Peak's beautiful day lodge with wall-to-wall windows and soaring pine ceilings. Upon arriving, you are greeted by a crackling bonfire and on clear nights, the lights of the Mackinac Bridge 30-some miles away.
Inside, tables are adorned with white linens and candlelight while an acoustic guitarist strums tableside. A kettle of French onion soup and assorted breads start the dinner. Garlic roasted mashed potatoes and a medley of vegetables served family style follow along with roast tenderloin. A Michigan apple and raspberry crisp topped with vanilla whipped cream rounds out the menu.
The sleigh rides are Saturday nights during the ski season, but private evenings can be reserved any other day of the week. Reservations are required as space is limited to 24 guests. To make reservations, call (231) 526-3021.
Many resorts out west offer similar dining experiences, but this is the only Midwest ski area that I know of that offers this very western-like experience.
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