The Blackjack Ski Resort

Welcome all, The Brave Ski Mom asked me about my favorite Midwestern ski resort and I chose that as Blackjack Mountain which is just across the border into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula along the HWY 51 corridor. I ski at this resort typically once or twice per year maybe more depending on many factors, namely how cheap they sell their season’s passes for which for the next snow season they are selling for $99 this month only.

So what about the skiing and the rest of the place?

Blackjack Ski Resort — The Riding

Blackjack is one of the bigger ski resorts in the region, both in terms of vertical and acreage. It has runs that can challenge most skiers and snowboarders from simple green groomers to tightly treed glades, to mogul runs, to terrain parks, to steeps.

The resort’s snow is usually in great shape (though nature does not always cooperate) and Blackjack grooms most of the runs, but as I state they do have a few they will let get wild. This is the resort I nearly achieved a speed of 60 miles per hour, if you look at the photograph on the right, you see the one trail divided by the lift, the left side (as you are looking at it) is the run I nearly hit that speed on. The day I took this photo I was taking a break from skiing and spending some car time with my wife who does not ski. We drove up to Copper Peak ski jump and took some photos of that as well.

Blackjack Ski Resort — Staying and Dining

One thing I neglected to mention in my response to Brave Ski Mom is that a great place to get breakfast is a place called Ma’s Place. Ma’s Place is on the eastern side of Wakefield just off of US HWY 2 on the highway’s north side. I order the logger’s omelet which you can get stuffed with cheese, your choice of ham or sausage, and onion. However, that omelet (which I guess is a four or five egg omelet) is then stuffed into a wrapping of hash browns.

Take that with a glass of juice, your coffee, two slices of toast and you will not have to stop to eat for the rest of the day, and the price on that is very reasonable.

Where do we stay? At Indianhead Ski Resort. Indianhead has the best lodging available, the hotel has a modest pool, a big hottub, and eating and night life facilities attached. I am mostly after the hot tub and pool. If you go in the middle of the week do not be afraid to negotiate, the last time we were there (mid-week), the place was empty and we received a 50% reduction in the room rates.

We have also rented an Indianhead condominium which was nice, but only had a sauna and there was no hot tub in that deal and I prefer hot tubs over all other forms of heat. However, we are just as likely to pickup after a day of skiing and return to our cabin which is about a two hour drive and puts in a good place to pickup some of that good pizza from Conover’s Log Cabin.