Whither halfpipes in the Midwest?

Midwestern ski areas, lacking the vertical of their western or even eastern counterparts, need to offer skiers and riders some options, including terrain parks. But where have the halfpipes gone?

I actually prefer them to some of the standard terrain park features, especially rails.  The thought of falling off a rail makes my kidneys hurt: A blow from a thin, hard object is not good to the body. As for pipes, it’s possible to ride partly up the wall of a pipe, and then back down, perhaps progressing to the point of riding up the entire wall. This isn’t to say that halfpipes lack risk; freestylers certainly can get hurt in them. But for some reason, the prospect of getting injured is, irrationally perhaps, more serious with a rail garden. And jumps? Let’s just say, landing on Midwestern ice is not a pleasant experience.

Despite their advantages, halfpipes in the Midwest are much less frequent than jumps, rails, and other “hard objects.” In Minnesota, Welch Village used to have a pipe, but has not had one for several years. In Iowa, Sunburst will host several freestyle events this coming season–but not halfpipe.

Why the shortage of pipes? A conversation with an official at one resort, which does not have a pipe, provides this clue: A pipe often costs a resort too much money and provides too little benefit. A halfpipe requires an expensive, specialized piece of equipment to maintain, and customer’s image of an “ideal halfpipe” keeps becoming more demanding over time, thanks to the exposure of the Winter X Games and Olympics. So that’s the cost. As for the benefit, at some resorts that have had halfpipes, the pipes have been largely unused.

By contrast, it’s easier to move rails and jibbing equipment around, and create the piles of snow required for takeoffs and landings.

To be sure, there are some exceptions in the Midwest, such as Buck Hill and Spirit Mountain (Minnesota), Tyrol Basin (Wisconsin), and Boyne Highlands, Boyne Mountain, and the Otsego Club (Michigan).