Blackjack & Inidanhead — The Conditions

I went Upnorth this weekend to ski.

Most notably the resorts we skied at were Blackjack Ski Resort and at Indianhead, both around Ironwood/Bessemer Michigan. In short summary, the conditions were great but read on for the nitty-gritty.

The Weather

The weather service I frequently used called for a high in the 20s on Saturday and colder temperatures on Sunday. They got it reversed or maybe their last revisions were more accurate, but the weather on Saturday was cold, I don’t think it got into double digits and the weather was grey and light and steady snowfall.

Sunday, started cool, but warmed up nicely with more light with clouds coming and going. So at times we had bright sunshine and at times bright and cloudy. The temperatures were upper 20s. I eventually removed the sweater I was wearing as it was warm enough, it was nearly warm enough for cap and sunglasses.

The Snow

The snow on Saturday as one can expect with the temperatures I describe above was squeaky underfoot, but it was not all that bad to ski on. I had hot-waxed our skis the night before so that helped, but I chose the wax based on my weather expectations. I noticed after inspecting my skis today that the wax did suffer and I suspect it was due to Saturday’s cold and abrasive snow.

Sunday’s snow was SWEET. Firm, but a lot closer to that 32 ° F happy spot. The snow was fast, and while I did find some ice on Blackjack, but it was not much (though in the spot where you have to be braking hard).

The Crowds

Were thin, lots of room to ski and to attack the runs, no need to worry about keeping to a pattern. Lift lines were at times long but nothing bad and usually at around the end of the day when lifts were closing and the skiers were concentrating at the still operating lifts.

The Next Week

Looking at the forecast it appears the next week will bring weather very favorable for skiing in Big Snow Country.