Midwest Powder Skiing Mecca Begins Work On Chairlift Rennovation
Mount Bohemia, MI is considered the 'Midwest Powder Skiing Mecca'. It earned that title by averaging nearly 300 inches of dry, lake-effect snow each season.
The ski area has two lifts, and just announced that work is beginning on the frontside triple chair that services the majority of terrain. Check out the photo below, keep scrolling for more details about the project:
Mount Bohemia is upgrading their aging triple chairlift in a three phase approach with Skytrac, a subsidiary of Leitner-Poma.
The first phase is currently underway with the replacement of the lift's bottom terminal. The triple will run with the new bottom terminal along with the old chairs and towers next season.
Skytrac will then replace the upper terminal, chairs, and lift towers in phases 2 and 3 which are expected to begin next summer.
The new lift, once fully constructed, will increase Bohemia's uphill capacity by roughly 50%.
For those unaware, Mount Bohemia is a special place. The mountain doesn't groom terrain, doesn't make snow, and is known for powder tree skiing.
By all stretches of the definition, Mount Bohemia is an oddity not only in the Midwest, but in the world.
One of those oddities, if you will, is that Mount Bohemia's current triple chairlift is normally loaded as a double. Why? You might ask.
Well, it comes down to demographics. Bohemia tends to draw a mostly-male crowd of powder seekers from places like Chicago, Minneapolis, and Wisconsin.
Due to the mountain's 'No Beginners Allowed' policy, and lack of groomed terrain, kids and intermediate skiers are typically hard to come by. This leads the average weight of a chair at Mount Bohemia to be pretty heavy.
Simply put, the current triple chair can't withstand being fully loaded with 180+ pound Midwestern dudes. Hence the upgrade.
Along with the renovation of the triple chair, Mount Bohemia has teased other upgrades like a chairlift in the 'Haunted Valley' zone on the backside of the mountain.
It's safe to say that you never know what Bohemia's owner Lonnie Glieberman will do with his Midwest powder skiing gem.
You just know he'll figure out someway to make it work. No matter the odds.
Mount Bohemia Stats/Info:
Vertical: 900 ft. (tallest in the Midwest)
Skiable Terrain: 585 ac.
Average Snowfall: 273 in. (most in the Midwest)
Lifts: 2
Trails: 70+
Snowmaking: NO
Night Skiing: YES (on select days)
Mega-Pass: NO
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