Ski Brule: Finding Gold among Iron
Photo From Ski Brule’s Website skibrule.com
There are few places in the ski community that can say they have a day pass under $100 and have also produced a 5-time winter Olympic athlete. Lucky for the Midwest, Ski Brule in Iron River, Michigan is a part of that elite club, and offers similar comforts to resorts out west like an on-hill chalet.
North American resorts are known to be some of the most expensive lift tickets in the world. Even in the midwest you will find day passes upwards of $200+. There aren't even real mountains here.
But Ski Brule offers great terrain, modern amenities, and even some comforts you would find at resorts out west in the Rockies for an extremely affordable price as ski standards go. The most you will pay for a day pass at Ski Brule is $75. And they offer some unique and somewhat fuzzy on-mountain views.
Unique Views
Picture this, you are moseying down a green groomer, looking for the on-hill chalet for a light lunch, you head left towards the building and you zoom past another smaller building surrounded by a wood fence. And within that little fenced area you find about half a dozen fluffy pygmy goats.
NO idea why they are there, but they look like they are living their best lives next to the on-piste chalet. The miniature goats were there looking cozy with their fluffy coats and standing in straw as deep as their tiny legs, keeping them warm in the blistering cold snap the entire country seemed to be experiencing while we were visiting.
We never made it to the chalet for lunch, we spent too much time riding past the goats, figuring out the terrain, and trying to stay warm.
Olympic Dreams
This ski resort might only offer 350 feet in vertical but it was enough of a platform for local legend Nick Baumgartner. At his most recent 2026 Milan/Cortina winter Olympics he competed in the Snowboardcross - Men and Snowboard Cross Team - Mixed events and finished 7th and 14th place. After previously winning Gold at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games with his partner Lindsey Jacobellis. The 2026 Milan/Cortina winter Olympics made it Baumgartner’s 5th Olympic appearance.
Midwesten Terrain
As far as terrain goes, it was your typical Midwest ski area. This is a family-centered resort with a tubing area and night skiing, and is definitely geared toward an all-ages hill. Ski Brule has 11 lifts that cover 150 acres of skiable terrain, including 17 trails and 3 terrain parks. Brule offered just the right amount of variation of terrain within their runs to keep intermediate skiers busy for a really fun afternoon.
2026 marks the 69th season for Brule, as a resort whose promise to the local and ski community is to be the first to open and one of the last to close, and with this resort being on the [26-27] Pass again there is no doubt that going back for their 70th season will be a must. But mostly just to visit the goats again.
