The snow has melted from the slopes, but "POWDER" magazine just published "The Best East Coast Colleges for Skiers" and Northern Michigan University was among the top-five selections featured. Even the editors acknowledged the geographical conundrum of including NMU in the same category as colleges in eastern states such as Vermont and New Hampshire.
"Now I know what you might be thinking: a Midwest school? On a list of best colleges for skiers? Take one trip to Northern Michigan University, however, and you'll see what we're talking about. NMU sits on the shores of Lake Superior that whips up a whole lot of lake effect snow during the winter months, leaving the campus snow-covered more months than not throughout the year."
The article stated that Marquette Mountain Marquette Mountain is less than a 10-minute drive from campus, making it possible to "get in some turns during your lunch break, or after hours, with lifts open until 8:30 most nights of the week." It also praised Mount Bohemia as one of the Midwest's "greatest untouched treasures," boasting the only true Midwest powder skiing with an average of 273 inches a year across the entirely ungroomed hill.
"The Midwest doesn't offer a ton of solid options for dedicated skiers," said NMU student Parker Genau in the article. “But winters in the U.P. are full of fresh snow and super cold temps and snow sticks around until late April and sometimes even early May, so there’s a bunch of time to go shred. Weekends at the mountain are a blast just getting to hang out with a bunch of other college students doing what we love to do, ski.”
NMU is also perfect for those looking to venture into multi-sport days, the story stated, being the second school on the list with close access to surfable waves and one of the only consistent Midwest surf spots on mighty Lake Superior.
The East Coast installment is the first of three top college selections "POWDER" will publish, sorted by region. To see the full story, click here.