Porkies hosts Snowburst Carnival

By P.J. GLISSON

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SILVER CITY - Saturday's Snowburst Winter Carnival could not have had more perfect conditions at the Porcupine Mountains Ski Area in Silver City.

Sunny, mild weather and newly fallen snow worked together to draw dozens of people happy to participate in a full schedule of activities.

"Holy moly!" shouted one delighted celebrant from the midst of the crowd, which included a persistent, long line to the chair lift, along with a constant flow of skiers and snowboarders moving down the hills.

"Super fun" is how Maria Eskola described her day on the hill with her partner, David Storm. They are both students at Michigan Technological University in Houghton.

Brian Poellinger and Bryan Tomczak, both of La Crosse, Wisconsin, had just reached the bottom of the hill when they spoke with The Globe.

"I'm a former SAM student," said Tomczak, referring to the Ski Area Management program at Gogebic Community College in Ironwood.

He added with a smile that he wanted to visit his "old stomping grounds."

"We went to Mount Bohemia yesterday," said Poellinger.

Nicole Pepin, a park and recreation supervisor for Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, referenced the conditions, calling it a "beautiful" day.

"The cardboard sled races were awesome," she said, adding that kids also enjoyed a treasure hunt, wherein they found plastic eggs and then redeemed them for prizes.

Other daytime activities included a costume contest, silent auction and ski lessons on the bunny hill.

The chalet was full of people enjoying the opportunity to warm up, snack and visit with companions.

Among them was a group of adolescents from Greenland who claimed they were there "pretty much every weekend."

They included twins Connor and Gracie Guzak and brothers Klayton and Kole Kin, along with Reggie Trainer and Skyler Sanchez, who is a cousin to the twins.

Despite the full chalet, Michelle Laprad of Irons, Michigan, was reading a book as she sat on a bench next to one of the fireplaces. Although she and her husband, Jeff, live downstate, she said, "We love the Porkies."

A fire pit also provided warmth on the deck outside, and even the parking lot was dotted with grills, where people were cooking lunch or just taking a break.

Saturday evening's events included supper, live music, a lantern-lit trail and a fireworks finale.