14 jr'1'

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Crystal Mountain Resort,
Thompsonville

Pack up the kids for some frozen fun at two of Michigan's award-winning ski resorts.

L

By Lynne Konstantin

et it snow! Looking for a
weekend on the slopes (plus
tons more family-friendly
fun), but don't have the time
or inclination to head to
Gstaad, Aspen or Vail? No
need. Two of the country's
top-rated ski resorts are right
in our own backyard.

CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN RESORT &
SPA, THOMPSONVILLE, MICH.
Spread out along 1,500 acres of exquisite
rolling terrain and deep peaks and val-
leys, Crystal Mountain is just four hours
northwest of Metro Detroit and two
hours southwest of Charlevoix and offers
250 hotel rooms, suites, condos, town-
homes and resort residences, most with
in-room whirlpools, to suit each family's
needs.
Opened in 1955 as a community ski
area, Crystal Mountain has been fam-
ily owned for almost 50 years, with new
additions and enhancements (including
a widely lauded "green" initiative) added
to lure travelers looking for charmingly
comfortable and spacious accommoda-
tions and snow-filled adventure set amid
a pristine Northern Michigan backdrop.
And the additions have paid off: The
resort was named one of Conde Nast
Traveler's 50 Best Places to Ski and Stay
in North America in 2011 and voted
by Parents magazine as a Top 10 Snow
Resort for Families.
Thrilling guests from avid skier and
seasoned snowboarder to novice and
snow enthusiast, Crystal Mountain's pris-

42 January 2013

I RED THREAD

tine terrain offers 375 feet of vertical drop
down 45 downhill slopes (27 lighted for
night skiing) plus eight lifts and a glade
area, 25-plus miles of groomed cross-
country trails and
more than 80 acres
of wooded valleys to
explore. Plus, a new-
this-year 600-foot-
long snowmaking
pipe provides more
snow with less energy
and significantly re-
duces water friction
losses.

doesn't take to the skis, Crystal offers Ad-
venture Care childcare for kids up to age
6, plus loads of activities and adventures,
including Play and Paint, Kids Night Out

(with pizza and play), a Night Owls snow-
shoe hike under the winter's night sky,
plus pizza and snow games (ages 9-12)
and Crystal Quest, an enchanted journey

FOR THE KIDS
If you're craving a
little powder action
unencumbered (read: without kids),
sign them up for one of Crystal's many
options: Full-day, half-day, group and
private ski and snowboard lessons with
intensively trained cherry-picked instruc-
tors for all levels, beginning at age 3 (if
potty trained and willing) and through
grade 12, are available at Totem Park's 2
acres of beginners-only groomed slopes.
Innovative teaching aids, including the
fan favorite Wonder Carpets Surface Lifts
(which effortlessly transports skiers and
snowboarders uphill), engage kids and get
them moving immediately.
Check out Crystal's Nanny McSki
Doorstep Program: An elite instructor,
certified by the PSIA/AASI and trained in
childcare, will pick up three kids in simi-
lar ability from your doorstep, feed them
breakfast and lunch and lead them in a
day of hitting the slopes. If your child just

www.redth read magazi ne.com