Marquette Mountain
Encyclopedia
Marquette Mountain is a winter sports area for skiing
and snow boarding, located a few miles south of Marquette
, Michigan
, the major city in the state's Upper Peninsula
. In the summer, Marquette Mountain offers activities such as mountain biking
, and volleyball
. The base area's parking lot is adjacent to highway M-553
.
Popular from the start, the ski area opened in 1957. It was originally known as Cliffs Ridge, as it operated on land leased from the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company
of Cleveland
, Ohio
. The first chairlift
, a Riblet
double, was installed on the skier's right side of Rocket Run in the fall of 1972. Prior to that there were 2 T-bars (the original Constam on the skier's left of Rocket and a newer Hall Ski-Lift
on the skier's left of Snowfield) and several rope tows
. The ski area was renamed "Marquette Mountain" in 1982.
Marquette Mountain is host to alpine race events for numerous clubs, as well as their own race program. They also host NASTAR
races.
The hill has a summit elevation
of 1357 ft (414 m) above sea level and a vertical drop of 600 ft (183 m). It has three chairlift
s and a rope tow, snowmaking
, night skiing
, and receives an average of 210 inches (533 cm) of snowfall annually, the grateful recipient of lake effect snow
from nearby Lake Superior
, prominently visible to the north and northeast. The shore of the lake's Marquette Bay is just two miles (3 km) to the northeast. Ten miles (16 km) to the south is the extensive runway of the county's Sawyer International Airport
; it opened in 1999 on the site of the former K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base
, which closed in 1995.
The National Ski Hall of Fame
is in Ishpeming
, about twelve miles (20 km) west of Marquette.
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
and snow boarding, located a few miles south of Marquette
Marquette, Michigan
Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, the major city in the state's Upper Peninsula
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
. In the summer, Marquette Mountain offers activities such as mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
, and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. The base area's parking lot is adjacent to highway M-553
M-553 (Michigan highway)
M-553 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The trunkline was originally Marquette County Road 553. It is the main highway connection between the US 41/M-28 corridor and both the Sawyer International Airport and Gwinn.M-553 was given its...
.
Cleveland-Cliffs
Cliffs Natural Resources , formerly Cleveland-Cliffs, is a Cleveland, Ohio business firm that specializes in the mining and beneficiation of iron ore and the mining of coal. The firm is an independent company whose shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The firm has stated that it had...
of Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. The first chairlift
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
, a Riblet
Riblet
The Riblet Tramway Company was once the largest ski chairlift manufacturer in the world.The Riblet Tramway Company was founded by Byron Christian Riblet. Riblet was born in Osage, Iowa, in 1865 and earned a...
double, was installed on the skier's right side of Rocket Run in the fall of 1972. Prior to that there were 2 T-bars (the original Constam on the skier's left of Rocket and a newer Hall Ski-Lift
Hall Ski-Lift
Hall Ski-Lift was a New York based ski lift manufacturing and installation company. Popular because of pricing and durability, Hall's lifts sold by the hundreds between 1955 and 1982, ranging from T-Bars to fixed grip quad chairlifts...
on the skier's left of Snowfield) and several rope tows
Ski tow
thumb|right|A rope tow or ski tow.A ski tow, also called rope tow or handle tow, is a mechanised system for pulling skiers and snowboarders uphill....
. The ski area was renamed "Marquette Mountain" in 1982.
Marquette Mountain is host to alpine race events for numerous clubs, as well as their own race program. They also host NASTAR
NASTAR
NASTAR is the world's largest known recreational ski and snowboard race program. It allows ski or snowboard racers of all ages and abilities, through a handicap system, a way to compare themselves with one another and with the national champion, regardless of when and where they race...
races.
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 1357 ft (414 m) above sea level and a vertical drop of 600 ft (183 m). It has three chairlift
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
s and a rope tow, snowmaking
Snowmaking
Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun" or "snow cannon", on ski slopes. Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. This allows ski resorts to improve the reliability of their snow cover and to extend their ski...
, night skiing
Night skiing
Night skiing is the sport of skiing or snowboarding after sundown, offered at many ski resorts and mountains. There are usually electric lights along the piste which allow for better visibility...
, and receives an average of 210 inches (533 cm) of snowfall annually, the grateful recipient of lake effect snow
Lake effect snow
Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when cold winds move across long expanses of warmer lake water, providing energy and picking up water vapor which freezes and is deposited on the leeward shores...
from nearby Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
, prominently visible to the north and northeast. The shore of the lake's Marquette Bay is just two miles (3 km) to the northeast. Ten miles (16 km) to the south is the extensive runway of the county's Sawyer International Airport
Sawyer International Airport
Sawyer International Airport is a public airport located south of the central business district of Marquette, a city in Marquette County, Michigan, United States. The airport is publicly owned by Marquette County....
; it opened in 1999 on the site of the former K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base
K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base
K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base is a decommissioned U.S. Air Force base in Marquette County, Michigan, south of the city of Marquette. The base, near the center of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, closed in 1995. The county airport, Sawyer International, now occupies a portion of the base and has scheduled...
, which closed in 1995.
The National Ski Hall of Fame
National Ski Hall of Fame
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum is located in the City of Ishpeming in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States...
is in Ishpeming
Ishpeming, Michigan
Ishpeming is a city in Marquette County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,686 at the 2000 census. This is down from a higher population in the 1950s and 1960s when the economically supportive iron ore mines had a much higher employment level...
, about twelve miles (20 km) west of Marquette.
External links
- Trail maps from MarquetteMountain.com
- Article on Marquette Mountain, by Freida Waara from SKI Magazine
- Marquette Mountain at Weather.com
- Marquette Mountain Racing Team
- Topographic map of Marquette Mountain from USGS via Microsoft Research Maps
- Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc.
- DH Race club - hundreds of photos of the mountain