It's easy to picture ski resorts in the northern Appalachian Mountains or the Rockies or the Cascades, but can downhill skiing prosper in the small rolling hills of the midwest? That's exactly what happened at Boyne Mountain, a testimony to the power of positive thinking of Everett Kircher, who built this area from scratch, beginning in 1947.

Today this area, plus a nearby sister resort, proves that downhill skiing can flourish despite the physical limitations of the geography. Unlike some midwestern ski areas, this one isn't close to major population centers. Detroit, for example, is about 250 miles away.

Imposing size and the faux-alpine exterior of the Boyne Mountain Grand Lodge are the first two things that impressed me upon arrival at Michigan's biggest ski resort.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

But thousands come to enjoy about 500 vertical feet, serviced by 10 chairlifts -- including a high-speed six-pack! -- and a suite of accommodations and amenities that rival any in ski country.

Riding the six-pack chairlift at Boyne Mountain, Michigan's biggest ski resort.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

My westward Odyski landed me at Boyne on Monday night, and I skied the mountain yesterday. Boyne Mountain itself won't impress anybody, and the scope of the operation -- including a massive commitment to lifts and snowmaking -- seems almost comically disproportionate to the size of the hill.

View from the summit of Boyne Mountain in Michigan. Note the size of the Mountain Grand Lodge in the background.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

But the sprawling complex of hotels, condos and ski houses near the base tell another story: Boyne attracts hundreds of thousands of people who drive long distances to stay and play.

Why's this important to a Maine-based Ski Bum? Simple: The people who created Boyne now own Sunday River and Sugarloaf. And Boyne's excellent physical facilities -- plus the positive thinking that created them -- bode well for the future of Maine's two premier ski resorts.

Let me share a few observations:

Keystone of the snowmaking operation is the company's proprietary Low-E snowguns, which save about 40 percent of the energy requirements over conventional systems.

Boyne's proprietary Low-E snowguns comprise the keystone of its vast snowmaking operation.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

Architectural and thematic harmony is omnipresent, from a European clock tower to the Swiss-maid uniforms worn by the waitresses in the main restaurant of the Grand Lodge.

Architectural unity includes multiple complexes of private ski houses that sprawl around the base of the mountain.

Boyne attracts families. Kids especially like the indooor water park. I wouldn't be surprised to see one soon at Sunday River.

Boyne founder/builder Everett Kircher was posthumously elected to the National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame (which I'll visit tomorrow as the Odyski continues westward) but the business is carried on by his two sons and two daughters. Soon after Boyne bought Sunday River and Sugarloaf, I interviewed Stephen Kircher, who heads the company's eastern operations.

My positive impressions from that interview have certainly been reinforced by very positive personal observations at the company's original resort.

E-mail this entry to a friend