Porkies Ski Area opens new season

ONTONAGON - A new season kicked off last Friday at the Porcupine Mountains Ski Area in Ontonagon, and skiers and snowboarders were more than ready.

"So happy to have the hill open," said Sherrie McCabe of Ontonagon, who added on Saturday that she hits the slopes "every chance I get."

McCabe's friend, Winnie Huron of Ontonagon, said she was on the hill all day Friday and then returned for more fun the next day.

"It's lovely, especially in the gladed runs in the woods," she said. "There's just a ton of snow."

Huron, who has been a season pass-holder for years, said she and others helped a first-time skier from Puerto Rico on Friday. She said he'd never even seen snow before and added, "We spent a lot of time with him on the bunny hill."

She added, "By the end of the day, he was going on the chairlift. He just loved it. He was a fast learner."

Keeley Collins of Owenton, Ky., was another tourist who was skiing for "my first time ever."

She said she had a lesson first and then avoided the more advanced or expert hills. "It was awesome," she said.

Collins noted that her aunt, Karen Cropper, and her mother-in-law, Kami Kattelous, also of Kentucky, travel here most years at this time, and she decided to tag along this time. She said she now plans to return with them in the future.

Other local folks also were excited to hit the slopes. Kristi Pestka of Ontonagon was there with her grandson, Mason Pestka. "It was wonderful," she said of their experience on Saturday. Mason said Agate Hill is his favorite run.

Meanwhile, nine members of Ontonagon's Lund family were snowboarding.

Alex Dembraski, who was operating the chairlift, said "a steady stream of people" were keeping him busy. He said they included a variety of folks, including from nearby urban centers such as Duluth.

"We're pleased with how it's going so far," said mountain manager Bill Perrin, who talked to the Globe by phone on Monday.

Perrin said all 15 runs are open, along with four wooded trails.

He said the wooded trails are always ungroomed and that some regular runs also are left ungroomed. That way, he said of the loose snow, "People can play in it."

A unique feature of the Porkies area is the view of Lake Superior from the crest of the hill.

"We're probably 900 feet above the lake-maybe even 1,000 feet," said Perrin. "The view from the top is phenomenal in the winter time. It's stunning. I see it every day, and I never get tired of it."

Perrin said the slopes also offer natural snow because there are no snow-making machines on the property.

"We don't make snow here," he said. "It's all natural."

He said installing snow-making equipment would require a million dollars to set up the necessary pumps and high-voltage electricity.

The manager said natural snow has the disadvantage of breaking down faster, but he added that many skiers prefer it. "Typically, it's much nicer skiing on natural snow," he said.

Perrin said he expects activity to increase even more soon. "It really starts ramping up after Christmas," he said, adding that more snow no doubt also will come soon.

Gogebic Community College operates the Porkies Ski Area, which is part of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.