If you were ever at Boyne Mountain during the winter season, you probably saw Helga Altenberger here or there.  
Even if you didn’t, you did.
And while we’re at it, even if you weren’t here in winter you’ve seen her too - in one way or another.

I know it.

As director of the Snowsports School and an instructor at BOYNE, the cheerful Austrian with the blonde mane seemed to be everywhere.  She focused on the children’s programs and is largely responsible for growing it into one of BOYNE’s proudest traditions and biggest assets. 

Helga was such an esteemed member of the BOYNE team that she held the honor of leading us in a traditional snow dance during our annual season kick-off celebration. This is no small thing in an organization dominated by a "snow farmer" ethos.

We all love teachers.  They introduce worlds of wonder to generations of children.  Helga did that.  She did that with a graciousness and warmth that was all her own.  
It takes a special person to convince a child to ignore their survival instincts and relax in a world gone suddenly slippery.  Helga did that. She did that as well as she eased parent’s paternal instincts to keep their children warm and close.

It takes real empathy (not to mention legs of steel) to hunch down and have conversations with little people who are feeling irrational. Helga did that- all day long. It takes iron resolve to keep an organization laser focused on creating magical moments day-in and day-out.  She did that day after day, season after season. She did it with a generous, easy friendliness.

I was one of many fortunate enough to consider Helga a friend.  I made the mistake of telling her that I had taken two years of German language classes in college.  The teacher in her couldn’t control itself and all email that followed was “auf Deutsch”.  It was a hassle and the lazy part of me didn’t want to bother with translation, but just like all the children who had been blessed by her tutelage, I went along with her despite my objections. “Das ist su viel arbeit!  Aber ich will schreibe auf Deutsche fur Sie…”

I wish that were all of the story, but unfortunately the best part ends there.
A couple summers ago we lost Helga.  While vacationing back home in Austria, she took a break from a bike ride to pick some mountain berries and died of a brain aneurism.  Her loss was as sudden and unexpected as it was tragic. It left an irreparable void. The healthy, vibrant woman who had seemingly been everywhere is now gone.

But strangely, even with her gone, I still see her all over the place. 

Whenever my kids click into skis and duck waddle along without poles, I see her.
Whenever parents drop kids at the ski school and try to covertly sneak a peak at the lesson or return to a breathless, run-on report of the child’s adventure,
When I see heavy November skies requiring a little motivation to drop their payload,
When I see the walkie-talkies of the ski instructors or their super hero-like uniform- 

SHE’S THERE. 

I see her in this picture- even though it's not her.

If you’ve seen a kid who has learned to ski in the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s you’ve seen Helga. Easily tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of children who learned to ski have been in some way touched by Helga. The self confidence and esteem these youngsters absorbed in her presence has carried over to the other avenues of their lives. You can see it and when you do, she's there.

But she isn’t there when I walk past the Ski School desk even though I constantly catch myself getting ready to wave hello and say something intelligible “auf Deutsch”.

The way I see it, there isn't a better definition of a person as an institution. When you have established such a presence and personality in a place that you are there...even when you aren't.

The BOYNE ski school has a storied history. A stout foundation has been laid by legendary names including Stein Eriksen and Othmar Schneider, but the house as it stands now has has been largely shaped by Helga and she gave it the warmth of a home.

That is why it is fitting and proper that the new children’s ski school, playcare and lesson rental facility constructed this summer at the base of Boyne Mountain has been named in her memory. I hope you get to enjoy this new place and that your time there is as unforgettable as the woman to whom it stands in tribute. If you pay attention, you just might catch a glimpse of her. I know that there won’t be a day that I walk by and don’t expect to see her smiling face.

-JJ
 

You may not know this, but BOYNE is celebrating it’s 60th anniversary this year.
During that time a lot of people have fallen in love. Some fell in love with skiing. Some fell in love with the place.

The really lucky ones fell in love with somebody.

Everett Kircher wrote this about Boyne Mountain’s lodge and Trophy room in his biography

“(it was) destined to become the site of many memorable apres’ ski parties; a place where boy meets girl, boy dates girl, then, boy marries girl. Their grandchildren are now Boyne skiers.”

60 years is traditionally the diamond anniversary and we’re looking for some diamonds from you. If you have a story to share, we’d love to hear it, especially if you met your spouse, got engaged or even married here.
Please, post it here.

My story doesn’t exactly fit the mold, but here it is anyhow:
It was April 1997.  I was an assistant manager of a ski shop down state.  The winter had been pretty strong and spring skiing was holding up well. The reports from Boyne were too good to pass up, so a buddy from the shop and I decided to take advantage of a shop pass and a shared midweek day off to get in one last day on the hill.

The girl I had been dating for a long time was a nurse and as luck would have it, she too had the day off. This posed a potential conflict. More...

If you aren’t living HD yet you’d better get a move on before you miss the show.
For many, that means weekends of bonding with HD TVs. Football season is in high-gear and that means HDTV at its’ best.
But it doesn’t come close to this.

This is High Definition Living brought to you by BOYNE.  It’s full of life-defining moments and the picture is so crisp and clear, it’s like your right there…because YOU ARE.

Now showing: Fireworks in Slow Mo
It’s that time for our annual spectacle of the spectrum.  Step right up ladies and gentlemen. A colossal collision of color awaits.
The world is turning…orange and gold. Erupting in Reds and yellows.
Boom.
Ahhh!

Kapow.
OOOHHH!

Trade in that trusty recliner for the best seat in the house- a chairlift seat.
How about that 360 degrees of vision and an immersive sound system?

Too “Type A” for slow mo?
Try an early morning run or strap on a helmet and blur all the colors together as you tear down the bike paths and trails.
 
Do I even need to mention the golf?
The turf grass is talking. If you listen, it will gush in cool greens. It's all a little greener, especially when set against a raging inferno of color. And remember, this is HD LIVING.  You can reach down and touch it, but please replace your divots.

Unfortunately, you can’t set TiVo to record this for you while you waste time doing other things.
This season is brief and there are no reruns.  You might want to tune in quick.

-JJ

Sunset on Summer- as seen through a summer brew.

It seemed that this picture of the sun disappearing into my cup of Oberon really captured the bittersweet essence of late summer at BOYNE. This is an everyday scene during the golden hour at Boyne Mountain's Deer Lake Beach.

It’s going fast, but not gone...yet.
I’d suggest drinking it in while you can.

-JJ

It's hard to find a better way to spend a summer day than relaxing outside the Inn at Bay Harbor.
BE CAREFUL. If you're carrying a camera, you may find yourself a slave to all the great photo opportunities.

As fancy and formal as the Inn's architecture is, there is a relaxed, informal vibe that kids seem to capture:

A T-Shirt is worth a thousand words.

I couldn’t find a better way to sum up the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life imitates art.

A pleasant walk down the beach from the Inn yieled this photo opportunity.
It’s amazing what kids will do when they know a camera is rolling and that ice cream cones are a possibility. (Thanks to Joefish D. of Canton, MI for the cooperation.)

I'm all for sharing, but maybe it would be better if you got out here and captured some photos of your own.  If you feel like sharing them, shoot me a note. 

-JJ

If you haven’t been around to experience it, the weather report in Boyne Country has been sounded like it was scripted by Rain Man. 

"82, 82, 82."

No storm clouds and no toothpicks, just day after day of 82 degree highs and blessedly cool evenings. The clouds here are just artistic flourish. Happy little puffs punctuate the horizon and high altitude snake tracks give a little visual interest to brilliant canvas of blue.

These are days where you hear people saying “Now this is golfing weather!” only to wrap the night up with “Now this is sleeping weather!”. Turf grass and golfers are smiling all day and recovering blissfully at night.

What a miserable time of year to do things like home improvement projects…Trust me.  Also take this little piece of advice: Be careful when dealing with hammers, chisels and window casings.  One slip and the little bones in the hands can give just like a toothpick.  Nothing rains on your golf game like a fracture of the metacarpal below your left thumb.

On the bright side, a hand fracture also puts the kibosh on home improvement projects and BOYNE is so much more than just golf. I’ll leave the courses for you to enjoy for a spell while I do my rehab workouts on the trout streams and hiking trails. Enjoy this time.  I know I will.

-JJ 

There’s a conspiracy afoot.
It starts with a little mystery.
What’s missing in this picture?

Skiers and Riders should know the answer. The pic was taken at the bottom of Meadows. (I wonder how they came up with the name?)
Snowsports geeks might be answering “SNOW!” But no.  That’s not the point that I’m driving at today…come on it’s still July.

What?
How could they?
That was my favorite chair!  (It really was my favorite chair.)

Sorry folks.  
It’s gone.
Kaput.
Bye bye.  
Here’s a pic of one of the uprooted and diced up towers to drive the message home.



I think the people in charge of Solace Spa are to blame. Any investigator worth his salt will tell you that the key to figuring something out is to follow the money. Apparently, it really is all about the Benjamins.

Here’s how I see the Spa’s diabolical plan working.
1. Remove old chairlifts.
2. Replace slow chairlifts with NEW FASTER DOPPLMAYR CHAIRS like the one going in at Meadows in the coming weeks.
3. Watch as skiers and riders spend more time riding downhill and less time resting while getting back up hill.
4. Quietly chuckle as they tire in half the time
5. Sell sports massages and foot treatments to the expressly-exhausted masses.
6. Count the money.

If it’s not the spa people, it’s the restaurateurs. Do you think an extra 15-20 runs over the course of a ski day would get you to eat a little more?  

Clearly, somebody wants to get you past the mainstay activities so you can enjoy all the other things there are to do here.

Come to think of it, this vast conspiracy may have infiltrated golf too.  How else do you explain the fastest round of golf world record just set at Boyne Mountain’s Monument golf course?

It definitely is not about providing even more value to skiers and riders further solidifiing your resort's position as the gold standard.  
Nah. That would be too simple an explanation.

I'll keep digging around and will let you know what I find out.

-JJ