It’s not the end of the Earth — but maybe you can see it from there

Today I was at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport when I heard the “last call” for a flight to Hancock, Michigan.

“Hancock, Michigan? There’s no such place,” I thought, drawing on my nearly 30 years of living in the state. Then I realized my mistake: There certainly is a Hancock, and it is the second city in the twin cities of Houghton-Hancock. It’s a small combination, to be sure, with a combined population of less than 15,000.

Houghton is known for two things. One is a state university. The second is that it’s the closest “big” city to Mt. Bohemia, a sparse “resort” yet another 40 miles north. In Michigan, the Upper Peninsula (UP) is remote. Jutting into Lake Superior from the main part of the UP is the Keweenaw peninsula. More remoteness. Bohemia is about 12 miles from the end of the Keweenaw–literally, the end of the road. Still more remoteness. By car, it’s about 8 hours from both the Saint Paul-Minneapolis and Chicago metropolitan areas, and 5 hours from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Ordinarily, ski areas in this part of the country live and die by their ability to make snow and groom it well. Bohemia does neither. Destination ski areas such as Boyne Mountain or Crystal Mountain build spas and fancy hotels. Bohemia doesn’t. Further, its “slopeside lodging” resembles a cross between a hostel and camping out, and the on-mountain dining facility resembles a factory lunchroom more than a fancy restaurant.

On the other hand, Bohemia claims “triple black diamond” lines with cliffs and chutes, as well as significant powder and tree skiing.

Now I’m telling you all this based on what I’ve read in various publications. I haven’t been to Mt. Bohemia but if you head to company web site, you can find a collection of some of the reviews.

One of the active participants of the Grays on Trays discussion board went there last season. He wrote, “The real reason to head here is the trees …. I would guess 80+% is all covered, some gladed, some not.” He’s on the younger side of our board membership (about 30), which probably means that he fit right in.

Still, you don’t have to be a hard-charging youngster to enjoy Bohemia. That’s what I take away from an article by a middle-aged skier who wrote about Bohemia in MyNorth.com. After reading about Bohemia’s business model, I’d have to say that it just might make sense.

Last call for Hancock? Maybe I’ll be on that plane myself sometime, just to check it out.