Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
HANNA MOTT, left, is being coached by Joe Tuzee. The pair is from Green Bay Wis. and decided to hit the hill while visiting family in Ironwood on Saturday.
By BRYAN HELLIOS
Wakefield - People hit the slopes at Indianhead Mountain on Saturday trying to squeeze in a few more runs before the ski resort closed for the season.
B.J. Westfahl, from Fox Point, Wis., said he and his family traveled about five hours to ski the final weekend.
"It's nice to get the last run in before winter ends," he said.
Westfahl said the snowfall this week kind of "pushed" them "over the edge" which helped their decision to make the trek a little easier.
"You got snow, we got nothing, we got grass," he said.
Westfahl said Indianhead is a "nice place to hang out with the family" and is glad temperatures are "warmer then zero."
"It's nice to be able to ski in April," he said.
Tim Moon, general manager for Indianhead, said it has been an "amazing season and record year" for the facility.
He credits making snow early in the season helped build a solid base for natural snow. Colder temperatures prevented thawing plus the amount of natural snow this season allowed the slopes to open early and close later, he said.
"Mother nature definitely participated and helped us out tremendously," he said.
Moon said although the winter season is finished, there is always maintenance to be done and future projects to complete.
He is excited about partnering with the Lac Vieux Desert Tribe and he said they are working to develop more opportunities for year round activities.
"This summer we're hoping to start breaking ground and develop some Mountain Bike Trails," he said.
Starting with a 10-mile loop this summer, building trails every year would be the foundation to developing a "nice little mountain bike network" at the resort, he added.
Moon said he is also looking into the prospect of installing zip lines, mountain coasters or a ropes course.
"We want to diversify the activities for summer," he said.
Moon said his goal is to host events which are larger than the resort's capacity so surrounding area businesses generate revenue, too.
"Anytime we get stronger and have more events going on," he said, "the whole community, whether it be gas, hotels, food or beverage, receives a trickle down effect."
