Mont Ripley facts for kids
Mont Ripley is a fun ski hill located in Franklin Township, Houghton County, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It's just outside the towns of Hancock and Houghton. Michigan Technological University owns this ski area. It was started in the early 1900s by Fred Pabst Jr.
Mont Ripley is known for its exciting ski runs and great views. From the hill, you can see Houghton, Portage Lake, and the Huron Mountains. Many ski racers also use Mont Ripley for practice and competitions. Since 2000, the hill has had snow making machines. This helps them open for skiing from late November until late March or early April.
History of Mont Ripley
Mont Ripley first opened its slopes in 1934. Then, in 1944, Michigan Technological University took over running the ski hill.
In 2006, a new building was added to help with crowds. This new chalet has a cozy gas fireplace and more places to sit. It also has extra lockers for skiers and snowboarders. This building is often used for special events like ski races and parties. Around the same time, Mont Ripley bought eight more snow making machines. This helped them get all the ski runs ready earlier in the season.
Also in 2006, a second chair lift was bought. It was named the "Copper Hoist." This new lift was built on the east side of the hill in 2007. It made it much easier for skiers and snowboarders to reach those runs. This brought the total number of lifts to three: two chair lifts and one T-bar lift.
On June 17, 2018, a big flood caused damage to two ski runs. These were the Powderstash and Deer Track Trail on the eastern side of the hill.
How Mont Ripley Has Grown
Mont Ripley has been a part of Michigan Tech since the early 1940s. This makes it the oldest ski area in Michigan! It's an important place for fun and recreation in the Houghton-Hancock area. The ski hill has changed and improved a lot over the years. It continues to be a modern place for skiing and snowboarding.
Here are some of the ways Mont Ripley has changed:
- 1936: Mont Ripley started its own local Ski Patrol.
- 1938: The Mont Ripley Ski Patrol became part of the National Ski Patrol.
- 1941: Alpine skiing became a varsity sport at the Michigan College of Mining (now Michigan Tech).
- 1945: The college leased land from the Quincy Mining Company for only $1.00 a year. This helped them make the ski area bigger.
- 1948: Six bright lights were put up to light the tow line for night skiing.
- 1965: A T-bar lift was installed. This lift is still used today!
- 1965: A company was hired to build a main chalet building at the bottom of the hill.
- 1971: The first chairlift was installed on the west side of the T-bar. It could carry 1100 skiers every hour. This lift is still working and is called the Husky Chair Lift.
- 1997: A new lighting system was put in place. This allowed for skiing all over the hill at night.
- 2007: The second two-seat chairlift, called the Copper Hoist, was installed. It was bought from a ski resort in California and fixed up.
