First Tracks
From Buck Hill to the U.P.
At 23 years old, I forced myself to learn a new skill. After spending most of my life being the most unathletic, least coordinated person you’ve ever met, somehow… I found skiing.
Learning Something New as an Adult
I was lucky enough to live in an apartment that looked out at Buck Hill, where I spent most of my first season. My biggest barriers to entry were financial limitations and my own insistence that I was way too old to start something like this. But I stuck with it.
I skied more than 50 days that first season. Forty-two of those days were at Buck Hill. The last eight came from a place I didn’t even know existed until I visited a friend at college.
The Trip to Michigan
I distinctly remember heckling her for choosing Northern Michigan University in Marquette because she’d “get lost in all the snow.” And she did, a few times. But when I visited her senior year, everything changed. I stopped at every resort on the way there and again on the way back for a second go. That visit completely shifted how I looked at winter. I felt like I was in a snow globe, time slowed down, and winter finally felt like winter again.
After visiting her, I was humbled and amazed. Ski resorts that mimicked the ones out West. Lake-effect snow that created the best powder stashes. Empty slopes that made learning feel effortless. And, maybe most importantly, people who turned out to be some of the kindest souls you’ll ever meet. Ironically, the snow I teased her about ended up being one of the main reasons I eventually moved to the U.P.
Chasing Snow
Driving four-plus hours to the U.P. became a regular thing in my second season of skiing, and by my third season, I had spent more than half of my ski days somewhere in the Upper Peninsula. It became about the joy of the chase.
Chasing snow every weekend turned into a game. No one ever knew where I was going, but they always knew I’d be skiing somewhere. Because of where the ski resorts sit across the U.P., they get these massive dumps of lake-effect snow that mimic the fluffiest powder days out West. We got addicted, and spent every weekend there that time would allow.
Becoming Full-Time Ski Bums
Which brings us to this year, and this blog, and the why behind it. After car-camping for the last three seasons to score the best powder, it was time to cut out the middleman and just live in Michigan. After only three amazing seasons, it felt right to become full-time ski bums and make something of life. And by that, I mean exercising free will to create as much happiness as possible in this non-stop, insufferable world and feeling joy in the best way I know how. By skiing, chasing the perfect snow-globe winter, and writing about it to share with others, especially those who think I’ve lost my marbles.
What You’ll Find on This Blog
• Ski resort reviews
• Restaurant and café reviews
• Pro tips on the best Midwest ski resorts
• Insider insights on the Midwest lifestyle
• Plenty of “day in the life of a ski bum” content
Finding My North
People love to ask, “Who willingly moves to the U.P.?”
People who crave real winter, but without the crowds and high cost of places like Colorado or Montana. Truth be told, we’re missing a few modern conveniences, and sometimes I miss my hometown in the suburbs of the Twin Cities. But feeling life slow down makes my secluded ski town the best place in the world to be.
With a slogan like “Find Your North,” moving to this little ski town might just be the greatest adventure yet. And I cannot wait to share it with you.
