If I could give more than 5 stars, Winter Walden definitely earned them from our family this year!…read more My 7 & 9 year old kids joined their cousins as guests one weekend, and in 4 short hours our 7 year old daughter was navigating the chairlift like a pro and using controlled techniques to ski down intermediate runs. Paul and his excellent instruction staff did what my husband and I could not, and we had the best time for the rest of the season skiing as a family. We decided to enroll both kids for full membership, only to see on the website that they were full for the 2020-21 season. I sent an email describing our daughter's progress in just the one session and our desire to see how much more she and our son could make, and then crossed my fingers. As the saying goes, "flattery will get you everywhere" (all of it was true!), and Paul let us join a little late. I am so glad he did. The kids loved hitting the slopes, and had great instruction to make sure they learned their new skills with the proper form and technique, and could demonstrate proficiency before moving through the ranks. The staff love what they do, and the enthusiasm is contagious for all their students. This year in particular it was such a blessing and a relief to have something fun and new to look forward to each weekend. We will definitely be enrolling next year, and in a timely fashion too!

From the owner: Winter Walden students are placed in small classes with a qualified instructor who is trained to…read moremake the experience fun and safe. Students are evaluated in every class and advance to the next level as soon as they are ready. "Learning by Doing" is the Winter Walden method. Our weekend day trips take place during the winter at Pine Knob and Mount Holly resorts.

Best ski shop in the area. Their youth ski rental program is great for kids who can take advantage…read more After taking advantage of the program for many years with both my boys, because my son is a harder than average skier, we decided he needed more aggressive equipment than was offered in the program. The Ski Company usually has a few pairs of higher end demo skis (very gently used factory demonstrators) available and that's what we opted to buy instead for a price well below list. I have also bought quite a few pairs of skis for myself based on thier recommendations, and couldn't be happier. Prices are always fair. This is the only ski shop I will buy from in MI.

I would give this place 4.5 stars if it was an option. The service was good. I was helped by…read moresomeone who was passionate about snowboarding/skiing who actually wanted to teach me about everything down to what interests me to try and figure out what type of snowboard would suit me best. The service was awesome! I love passionate employees they are THE BEST. Also, the inventory was a bit slim when I visited in January, which the employees mentioned was a time when they are moving and have moved/sold most of their product for the season. For the most part the value was great. They even worked out a deal for me when I put together a big order, so the value was also good on snowboard gear. Thanks for the assistance.

A very fun afternoon with the family and friends. Not much else to say the scene is snowboarding…read morethere is always enjoyable, I would say that there is probably better places but, not as convenient as Mount Holly. We went as a family, spent the entire day, drinks in the lodge, and we actually got some very outstanding Pizza. I wouldn't say it was the best pizza, but I would say it was one of the best pizzas I've had that had a thick bread crust (not Detroit style, more along the line of DiGiorno).

Mt. Holly is definitely up there with the best skiing/snowboarding hill in Southeast Michigan…read more Yes, the hills aren't the longest or highest but they're well taken care of and there are some glades/trees. The terrain park is cool too if that's your thing. Also, it's a bit more advanced than other hills close by to here. The VALUE definitely gets worse year by year and I see genuine reactions from complete strangers to the price when they hear their totals at the register, always like "What!? Is this right?!" The service is good and quick from what I've experienced.

Our family had a fantastic time at Pine Knob -- our first time visiting! We were visiting relatives…read morein Michigan for the holidays, and elated to spend the day here. My three children took snowboarding and skiing lessons, and their instructors were fantastic. It was their first time snowboarding/skiing, and they loved it! We rented our equipment, and the entire rental/return process was smooth and easy. All of the staff we interacted with were courteous and helpful. We arrived at 9 AM and stayed until 5:30 PM -- definitely a wonderful and fun day.

Not impressed with this place at all. Everything is very old, they should definetly invest some $$…read morein modernization. Inside there is a musty smell that reminds me of school gym. The rental facility is a joke, they should be ashamed for taking money for some of the stuff. Skis have some damage and they were not sharp at all. Helmets were falling apart and boots are very old. I won't be renting any equipment from them anymore as it is terrible. I didn't had a chance to eat anything but I doubt they have anything vegan. Slopes are OK, mostly for the beginners but if you are an experienced one you can have some fun too. We don't have much else in Michigan except Boyne Mountain which is a drive so for a quick run to get some air and exercise it's ok.

I love skiing here with my family. They have an elevator for people with mobility issues to get…read moredownstairs. They have an adaptive ski program here and the volunteers are great. They have a nice bar and separate restaurant where you can have a drink and watch people ski.

This place was absolutely amazing. The instructor for our snowboarding class was fantastic. There…read morewere plenty of slopes open and this place is seamless and runs like a well oiled machine. It's a fantastic place to start and learn but also a wonderful place to play around, that's in south Michigan. I have wanted to visit here for so long and after being here I cannot believe I waited so long. We had a blast!

My friend has a pass here and I've been wanting to get back into skiing so I booked a lesson with a…read morefriend. We got there early and was out with coach Tom. He was awesome! He showed us the basics and knew we had a little bit of experience before (over 12 years for me) but we wanted to start at the beginning. After we got the basics down, we were heading up the bunny hill. It was scary at first, but having coach Tim in front showing us what to do, made me feel confident. Before I knew it I was going down the blue hill! We had gone down probably 5 times at this point and we had to check out hr après ski life. We ordered a drink and the bartender had me turns onto a 007! It was a perfect light and flavorful drink! I loved their featured menu but man that drink was delicious. Before we fully warmed back up we were back in the slopes. After a few more times down and my friend was trying out her tricks, we had worked up an appetite. We went down to the food area and we ordered at the window. I asked the gentlemen behind the order window and he said the while was a must try. So we ordered the fries and chili and man was he right. The chili was AMAZING! All the food was delicious. It reminded me of a good bar food menu. The place has a ton of space for everyone and the slopes and lifts themselves were clean and beautiful. It's a great place to start learning or for the more advanced skier/boarder. Amazing place! If you're coming do lessons, ask for coach Tom!

Let's start off by calibrating this review to local/nearby Michigan slopes. Not trying to compare…read moreto the ski mountains in CO, CA, etc. With that level set, Alpine Valley was a great experience! Lift tickets and rentals here were a good amount cheaper than nearby Brighton, and easy to get walk up (I actually don't think they do online pre-sales). We went on a Saturday after a Fool's Spring week here (ie it was very warm all week with no snow), and I was decently surprised by the snow they had created there. Was a little disappointing that they hadn't put out fresh snow overnight, so it was getting thin and a bit slushy in some areas (especially on the blue runs), but black runs were still fluffy. Not a lot of lift/run options but there is something for everyone from brand new beginners to more advanced things like a slalom course, moguls, and ramp things (clearly I am not an advanced skier). Nothing is TOO hard. I'm a beginner and can pizza and turn my way down the blacks here. Especially as there weren't too many people the day we went. I would come back for more practice! Cafe and bar options are solid. Typical American food, but the chili cheese fries are actually really good. Also got a hot dog and a beer that was very refreshing. Indoor and outdoor options for seating. They had a shop onsite as well in case you forgot or needed some gear, and convenient/easy parking.

Great little shop with all of your boating needs! Ted is very helpful & will point you in the right…read moredirection if he doesn't have what you're looking for!