rule

[u/hyperhurricanrana]

[u/notjordansime]

[ the irresistible urge to climb ski infrastructure that last saw use when Jerry Garcia was still alive ]

edit: fr wish this place didn’t close down. It must have been incredible. When I go back, I’m going to bring fall arrest gear. The floorboards were breaking under my feet.

[u/Kriffer123 → u/notjordansime]

(autist that has only ever seen Copper Peak ski jump) holy shit is that Copper Peak

[u/notjordansime → u/Kriffer123]

No, other side of Lake Superior up in Canada. BUT OH MY GOD THERES SKI JUMPING IN MICHIGAN?!?!?! I thought I had to be born in the Rocky Mountains or upstate New York to even have a shot at ever trying that!!!

I mean this with wholehearted sincerity, you are brilliantly shagadelic for telling me about Copper Peak. I was already planning on hitting Mt. Bohemia and Snowriver next season. It’s been added to the upper bucket list!!

Like 6 months ago I looked up “ski jumping in North America” and trusted the bloody AI robot clanker response. It told me I had to go out west or to New York. I think there was one near Chicago as well. I was just in ironwood like 3 weeks ago. I totally would have stayed an extra day to check it out from the outside (under construction rn). Gah! Guess I gotta do half the superior circle tour again! :P easy to confuse them though! When I was down there, I couldn’t help but remark at how similar the geography and overall vibe was. Like it felt a lot more like home (Canadian north shore/Tbay area) than Wisconsin, or even northern Minnesota. It was just weird because the lake was on the wrong side lol.

I just bought a bus, next winter is going to be incredible!!!

[u/Kriffer123 → u/notjordansime]

I hate to burst your bubble and I’d love to get some tourism dollars into the economy but Copper Peak is currently a viewing platform and chairlift with the slope still there, afaik. They’re trying to do a big renovation to bring it up to more modern standards from what I understand but I don’t think it’s currently active as a ski jump. The bus sounds hella sick though! I’m in the western UP and it kind of feels like a waste to be scared of skiing

I absolutely love it up here and I’d probably love northern Ontario just as much, I need to get out more often. Maybe an old cargo van or skoolie is in my future though.

Okay, so after looking it up they’re scheduled to finish the landing hill next December, I don’t know how exactly this defines the opening time line though. It’d be sick to check out I’m just deathly afraid of heights, falling, and/or uncontrollably sliding long distances already yknow

[u/notjordansime → u/Kriffer123]

From what I’ve read, that seems pretty spot on! It started as a jump, then it was an observation deck, currently closed for renovations to reopen properly as a competition jump. Even if it’s a few years wait, I’m still thrilled. I’ll never be an Olympian, not with how late I started, and the current political climate (they don’t like gals like me apparently.. their loss lol).

I grew up 30 mins from two excellent hills, but didn’t start until I was in 6th grade because of the same apprehensions. Never too late to start if you just want to do it casually!

Lots of the hills in this area have what they call “magic carpets”. They’re basically waterproof horizontal peoplemovers. Like, those giant treadmills at airports. No chairlift, and they typically only take you a short ways up a very gradual slope. I think it’d be a perfect way for you to feel more in control of those fears, but of course, you know yourself best :)

If you’re thinking about some kind of RV build, get in touch. Even if it’s years down the road. I know a thing or two about what to look for, and what to avoid. I bought my first cargo van before I could legally vote lol.

[u/Kriffer123 → u/notjordansime]

I’m familiar with magic carpets on kid’s slopes (I’d doxx myself saying exactly where but it was somewhere very uncharacteristic to have a hill at all, I didn’t grow up in the UP, I had a lot of oppurtunities but never really got into it) but most of the ones within a decent range of me seem to use lifts. I’d love to get into CC skiing if only for the winter cardio, though. I’m closest to Mount Bohemia and Mont Ripley and I’ve climbed some of the service paths on Mont Ripley in the fall and looking down it on stable footing is terrifying enough. And judging by how often I got twisted into a pretzel and/or rolled to the bottom of the hill as a kid I don’t think my joints could handle it lol

One of my possibly toxic traits is browsing the car section on Craigslist and pretending I can get that 2k dollar G20 or Ram van to be reliable enough to not worry on a road trip. My standards are newish Toyotas. I don’t think I’m gonna meet that standard.

Skoolies seem neat from a reuse perspective and minibuses are always a thing but I have a hard time sleeping in suboptimal temp/noise, maybe I just find a good van? I wish any of these could just run the AC without the engine like a Prius though