Marquette Mountain
Marquette Mountain is a winter sports area for skiing and snow boarding in the north central United States, located within city limits a few miles south of downtown Marquette, Michigan, the major city in the state's Upper Peninsula.
In the summer, Marquette Mountain formerly offered activities such as mountain biking, and volleyball; however, as of summer 2018 new management has fenced the ski area off to non-employees during the off-season. The base area's parking lot is adjacent to highway M-553.
Popular from the start, the ski area opened in late 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. Previously, there were 2 T-bars and several rope tows. The ski area was renamed "Marquette Mountain" in 1982.
Marquette Mountain has hosted alpine race events for numerous clubs. Current general manager Frank Mallette has eliminated the ski area's former NASTAR race program, which will be handled by an independent LLC in the 2018 season.
The hill has a summit elevation of above sea level and a vertical drop of. As of the 2018/2019 season, snowmaking has been limited to the west side of the ski area only. It has three chairlifts and a rope tow, night skiing, and receives an average of of snowfall annually, the 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 to the northeast. Ten miles 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 west of Marquette.
