Boyne Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa History
Boyne Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa, opened in May 2005, is one of the newest additions to the Boyne Mountain Ski Resort, located in Boyne Falls, Michigan.The resort is 252 miles, or a four-hour drive, northwest of Detroit and 162 miles, or a three-hour drive, north of Grand Rapids.
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Origins
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Boyne Ski Resort was founded by Everett Kircher in 1947. He bought the land for only $1.
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In Demand
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As the popularity of the resort grew, there was a need for a faster way to get skiers up to the runs. In 1964, Boyne Mountain installed the first four-person chair lift in operation. In 1992, in response to increased demand, Boyne Mountain also opened the country's first six-person, high-speed lift.
Supplementing the Snow
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Not always wanting to depend on Mother Nature, snowmakers are on standby for leaner snow years. The Boyne Snowmaker was invented by Kircher. It was more efficient than existing equipment because it was able to produce more snow with less energy.
Adding the Ski School
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Kircher invited former Olympic skiers Othmar Schneider and Stein Erickson as instructors for his ski school, combining Austrian and American techniques. Today the school is known as the SnowSports Academy.
Expanding into Golf
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Golfing at the resort came about because Kircher did not want to lay off his staff between ski seasons. He started out with a nine-hole course that he carved himself with an old Ford farm tractor. Today there are six world-class courses ready for play.
Still Growing
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Boyne Mountain Grand Lodge and the Solace Spa are two of the most recent additions. The Avalanche Water Park was also open in 2005; it is the largest indoor water park in Michigan.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit "snow seen" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: jenny downing (jenny downing) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
