Each year the coming of winter evokes different responses. At the sight of snow many mutter expletives about the cold or shed tears at the painful death of fair weather. There are those who crawl into tanning beds or hole up in balmy bedrooms plastered with palm tree posters, attempting to exist in an alternate reality until the onset of spring.

For others however, the reaction to the drop in temperatures is much more enthusiastic: time to seek out some classic winter fun at the ski hill. Where to go? There are two convenient ski areas near Grand Rapids that allow snow-goers to get their frigid kicks.

Cannonsburg Ski Area is located a few miles northeast of Grand Rapids on Cannonsburg Road. The hill boasts 3 chairlifts that serve a handful of runs, including a terrain park that features several rails, boxes and other hits for those who like a challenge.

Cannonsburg regularly hosts both high school and adult ski racing leagues, with races taking place on the hill’s front face. Annual events such as Rare-Air Fest, a freestyle competition for skiers and snowboarders, liven up weekend activities at the hill. Beginners have their own easy-going runs serviced by three rope tows. Snow tubing is also offered.

The area has a ski shop and offers both ski and snowboard rental equipment. For those wishing to take a break, Cannonsburg has a large, full service cafeteria and a second-story bar for the over-21 crowd.

As much fun as a downhill outing can be, time spent at the “Burg” is not without its drawbacks. Lifts are often crowded during the evenings, especially Friday nights when scores of young children flock to the slopes. In addition, the hills can get quite windy after sunset, creating icy conditions and necessitating warm dress by patrons.

Hours of operation for Cannonsburg are 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m.-10 p.m. on weekends. Lift tickets cost $25 Monday-Friday and $32 Saturday-Sunday, though college students can buy them at half the price by showing a valid student ID.

Pando Winter Sports Park is located a little ways north of Cannonsburg on Belding Road. Unlike Cannonsburg, Pando has no chairlifts, but a number of roptows facilitate access to its six hills.
Though it is the smaller of the two areas, Pando is certainly not short on fun. Numerous terrain features such as wallrides and rails can be found on the open runs as well as hidden away in the woods.

While many prefer the comfort of a chairlift to the energy-demanding roptow ride to get to the top, the speed of the roptow allows one to get in a lot of runs in a short span, freeing up more time for skiing or snowboarding, or snow tubing. The absence of lifts may help explain why Pando is thankfully free from crowds.

“From the base Pando doesn’t look big, but when you start to ride around you discover there are a lot of features,” says local snowboarder Jake Richardson.

Pando has hosted snowboarding events such as the ever popular rail-jam competitions; for the last two seasons it has held a pre-season rail jam in the middle of October with the help of “snow” imported from local ice-rinks. Both October rail-jams were attended by over 100 spectators and participants.

Throughout the regular winter season, which typically lasts from late November or early December to mid-March, Pando is open from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. weekends. Lift tickets cost $12 Monday-Friday and $17 Saturday-Sunday. On Wednesday nights students can ski or ride for $6 with a college ID. Pando’s lodge also features a small grill area for snacks and a rental area.

Those wanting to try other ski areas may want to head 40 miles south on US-131 to Bittersweet Ski Area, north of Kalamazoo. A few hours worth of driving north from Grand Rapids on that same road brings one to areas such as Nub’s Nob and the Boyne resorts, which have higher ticket prices but offer greater vertical drop, more acreage, and more snow.

Regardless of where one goes, area ski hills offer an opportunity for winter-time fun that extends beyond the momentary joy of sledding behind Regina on a “borrowed” cafeteria tray.