January 8, 2003

Backyard skiing sensation

Hickory Hills provides 125-acres of skiing fun for local residents

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
       Hickory Hills lured Sandy Blumenfeld to Traverse City four decades ago.
      The ski area that was already a Traverse City icon by the early 1960s sparkled like a jewel under a bright winter sun on Blumenfeld's first trip to the area. The beautiful hills and runs changed his college plans from Northern Michigan University to Northwestern Michigan College, where he skied on the school's team.
      "Jack Bensley invited my dad and me to come up around 1962," recalled Blumenfeld, a native of Holly and a lifelong skier. "He called the hill and they opened it early and just the two of us went out and skied."
      "After that, I decided to bag Northern and never looked back," he noted. "Hickory Hills was the hook and I've been here ever since."
      Altering the lives of countless children is the legacy of Hickory Hills, a 125-acre ski area operated by the City of Traverse City. The ski area began in 1950 with just 12 acres, adjoining acreage has been added over the years. The idea was the vision of Gerald "Buck" Williams and a group of other Traverse City luminaries, including Glenn Loomis, Loren Bensley and John Norton.
      Buck's Lodge was built in the mid 1950s, featuring a snack bar and fireplace that continues to provide respite and refueling for skiers today. Snowmaking machines were added in 1985, serving four of the area's eight runs. Cross country ski trails, downhill levels ranging from beginning to advanced and night skiing are additional highlights of the facility. A 24-hole disc golf course is available during the summer while many hikers come to roam the hills.
      The Grand Traverse Ski Club is an integral component of Hickory Hills. The club provides a feeder program that trains young skiers. The myriad classes the club offers are led by adult volunteers, many of whom skied there as children and who now bring their children there to learn.
      The club also hosts races on Sundays and participates in competitive ski meets around the region. Last year the club had 120 racers ages 4-15.
      Matt Madion is president of the Grand Traverse Ski Club's board and a long time volunteer at Hickory Hills. Madion grew up skiing there with his seven siblings, many of whom went on to ski competitively. These days, Madion takes his three children to ski there as much as possible, where they join with hundreds of other children throughout the three-month season.
      "Tonight we started our clinic sessions and we had 100 kids between ages 4-8, it was incredible," he said. "The Grand Traverse Ski Club is basically a starter program for just about any other competitive ski program."
      Madion believes the facility, with its old-fashioned rope tows, is a boon to young skiers because they get more exercise and runs per hour.
      "An hour and a half of skiing at Hickory Hills gives the kids more vertical time than at Crystal Mountain or Boyne," said Madion. "That's one of the reasons we've been so successful in the club, because we get a lot of time on the hill."
      Proximity to town is another factor. Being centrally located enables many kids to ski three, four or five days a week.
      "The other thing is how many people are going to take their five year old out to Crystal four days a week to ski?" Madion said. "But my seven year old can ski five days a week because I can just drive across town and drop him off. By the time he is ten, he is going to have a lot more skiing than someone who is 17."
      Barry Smith considers himself lucky to be the manager of Hickory Hills. A skiing enthusiast, Smith joined the city staff as a recreation specialist two years ago in large part because of the ski area.
      "It's different, I've been skiing all over the United States - Colorado, Vermont, Pennsylvania - and this is unique," Smith said. "The way it is geared to the children and families and such a learning environment."
      "This is one of the secrets of Traverse City and a lot of people don't even know it is here," he noted. "I've seen eagles out here, lots of wildlife; it is wonderful, a nice gem."