I bet there's a bunch of skiers just chomping at the bit to get going on the slopes. This photo from Mark Pontti will get you that much more anxious to get out there and glide gracefully down the hills.... or in my case, not so gracefully!

MTU's Mont Ripley ski hill has a site where you can check the current conditions before planning on heading out. Don't forget to wax your skiis... or do you just wax cross country skiis? I forget...

I haven't visited the Guest Gallery for awhile. Over 5,100 photos!! Great stuff from the U.P. - - and a few other places, too.

Got a kick out of Mark's album - - and the sight he apparently spotted downstate when the Lions beat the Packers:

Oh, MY... you mean it finally "froze over"!!!!!!!!

We have posted the photos which the people living around the UP area may like.

http://www.cutonion.com/

Please check it out!

Must have been a "Cold day in Hell"

YSI workers (Keweenaw Academy) were notified this morning that they would be laid off in 30-60 days. What a shame, with about 50 employees displaced it will be a rough time for them to find another job. The old Calumet Air Force Station, once again will be shut down.

The picture looks more like Marquette Mtn. than Ripley. Ragardless, I would take either one of those two hills any day over some of the more "commercial" hills below the bridge. Simple and subtle, just the way I like it!

Hell has frozen over before :)

http://wausaudailyherald.packersnews.com/archives/news/pack_13391345.shtml

MKA:
That is why my family made the trek down here in troll-land many years ago. It was a sad day when we had to leave the beautiful area but it was a much needed-to-do thing. Too bad the work industry up yonder is null and void or I'd be back up there.

Looks like Blackjack to me.

It's definately Marquette Mountain but Ripley is open too!

At BlackJack isn't the lodge at the top of the mountain? If so then people wouldn't take their skiis off at the bottom of the slopes...

Dave, the ski hill with the lodge at the top of the mountain is Indianhead. This was the first big time ski resort in Big Snow Country. Western end of the U.P.

pikkuleipa, you made my day. Thanks.

well this has got me thinking and that is bad thing, the copper country could be a very viable area for economic development, there are two things holding it back, how do you export goods economically? by air, expencive and limitted. By rail, best way, but all rail lines have been removed. By truck, expensive and limited. By water, Freighters required and they are avalible but slow. Number two on the list, work force would have to import work force as the area is under populated for industry. Raw materials, number 3 what is available in the area cheaply, snow, rustic beauty, short summer as a drawback. I have come up with the -'s where are the +'s to bring business in. #1cheap labor force as a job is hard to come by. #2 rebuild at least one rail line to chicago. Advertise the area and make it appealing to industry and the recreation industry, the govener has a gold mine, she just dosen't know it.

One more challenge: How to develope a beautiful area without destroying it? How much of the seemingly still rather pristine conditions (in spite of former economical highdays) up there are people willing to sacrifice for what advantages?
Decisions, decisions.
In the meantime, enjoy the snow. ;-)

Where is Hell? I looked it up in my Rand McNally International Atlas, 1990 and could only find Hell Norway. Everyone at work got a kick out of this.

Hell, Michigan, is a little village near Pinckney, a town northwest of Ann Arbor.

Surely many of you have heard the joke about getting married in Paradise and spending the honeymoon in Hell!

Yes, I must add the photo is from Marquette Mtn., of grandpa and his granddaughters...but truly represents the fun we still have during the winter months in the U.P. (even if it lasts 6 months).

The Senior Classes from Adrian used to walk to Hell every year, just to say they did. Used to earn a t-shirt too. One year musta got rowdy and the folks from Hell told them not to come again. Who said you can't be too rowdy for Hell? Then where do ya go?