{"id":1950614,"date":"2026-05-23T04:37:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T01:37:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1950614"},"modified":"2026-05-23T04:37:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T01:37:33","slug":"how-boyne-mountain-mi-built-the-victor-glacier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1950614","title":{"rendered":"How Boyne Mountain, MI, Built the Victor Glacier"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_406581\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-406581\" style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-406581 lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAHfAQMAAAD6M\/vfAAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAADxJREFUeNrtwTEBAAAAwqD1T20KP6AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA4G6XjwABKUtdlAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"479\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/700293675_1393882042780157_1755139808491208922_n.jpeg?resize=640%2C479&amp;ssl=1\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/700293675_1393882042780157_1755139808491208922_n.jpeg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/700293675_1393882042780157_1755139808491208922_n.jpeg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/700293675_1393882042780157_1755139808491208922_n.jpeg?resize=1200%2C899&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/700293675_1393882042780157_1755139808491208922_n.jpeg?resize=768%2C575&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/700293675_1393882042780157_1755139808491208922_n.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1150&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/700293675_1393882042780157_1755139808491208922_n.jpeg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"640\" data-eio-rheight=\"479\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-406581\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/700293675_1393882042780157_1755139808491208922_n.jpeg?resize=640%2C479&amp;ssl=1\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"479\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-406581\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This Memorial Day Weekend has three more days of lift laps and the latest closing date in Boyne Mountain history. | Image: Boyne Mountain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\" style=\"margin: 8px auto;text-align: center;clear: both\">\n<!-- GAM 71161633\/SNWBR_snowbrains\/article_hrec_1 --><\/p>\n<div data-fuse=\"article_hrec_1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"29\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boynemountain.com\/\">Boyne Mountain<\/a>, located in Northern Michigan, is turning the 2025-26 ski season into the longest in its history.<\/strong> The resort will still offer skiing and snowboarding this Memorial Day Weekend on what has been dubbed the \u201cVictor Glacier.\u201d The feat has people\u2019s heads turning within the ski industry. On its website, Boyne Mountain released an inside look into how skiing and riding until late May was made possible.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"29\"><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/snowbrains.com\/boyne-mountain-resort-keeps-michigan-skiing-alive-into-may-with-victor-glacier\/\"><em>Boyne Mountain Resort Keeps Michigan Skiing Alive into May with Victor Glacier<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"29\"><strong>It is a behind-the-scenes look at everything it took to ensure Victor Glacier and Boyne Mountain would still be operating with challenges like warmer temperatures and rain that occur during the Spring.<\/strong> The process actually started two seasons ago, according to Chris Adams, Vice President of Mountain Experience, and Bruce Farr, Grooming Manager. It is a long, expensive, and labor-intensive process to build a glacier, so why do it? \u201cTo show our commitment to our season pass holders that we have the best snowmaking system and are committed to using it for them,\u201d Adams said. \u201cAnd \u2014 for want of a better wording \u2014 it\u2019s a flex to show what we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"603\" data-end=\"631\"><strong>Prepping Victor Glacier<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"633\" data-end=\"915\"><strong>Building a glacier at a ski resort doesn\u2019t happen in one week; a lot of preparation and planning goes into turning it into a reality.<\/strong> The time, technique, process, equipment, and manpower needed to make all this happen began with ensuring Victor Glacier had enough snow. It sounds simple enough, but it\u2019s something that many ski resorts do not do (outside of Killington and Camelback Mountain). \u201cIn my mind, the snowmaking upgrades that were done two summers ago are the true \u2018start\u2019 of the Victor Glacier,\u201d Farr said. Long-term planning is what allowed this historic season to happen at Boyne Mountain. Having the insight to know that the ski resort needed to upgrade its snowmaking capabilities set up the success it is having now.<\/p>\n<h3 data-section-id=\"1lcqcck\" data-start=\"1597\" data-end=\"1625\"><strong>Building Victor Glacier<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>It takes a long time to establish a base on a ski run to last until the end of May, and that process started after the holidays. <\/strong>Building Victor Glacier takes thousands of hours, a small army of people, and snow guns that barely get a chance to cool off.\u00a0Like Killington and Camelback Mountain, Boyne started blasting as much snow on the glacier as possible to get bases from 124 to 260 inches deep. This also means taking every opportunity and snowmaking window that Mother Nature would allow. Boyne Mountain uses SMI Super Pole Cat snow guns on the slopes, and they blanketed those on Victor Glacier to bury the run. The ski resorts received\u00a0around 170 inches of natural snow on the mountain this season,\u00a0 setting up a strong foundation to build\u00a0 Victor Glacier on. \u201cLots of technological advances within snowmaking and grooming equipment, lots of hours and long nights from our teams on the ground, cooperation from Mother Nature, and of course a little bit of luck,\u201d Farr said.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2240\" data-end=\"2291\"><strong>The weekly schedule of Victor Glacier during this process was done methodically and intentionally.\u00a0<\/strong>Sunday through Thursday midday, the snow guns were on as much as humanly possible, while the snowcats stayed off Victor Glacier. These days the run belongs to the snowmakers, to do their magic to make those huge whalebacks needed to establish the base. On Thursday night, the grooming team rolls would push out the piles of snow and smooth out the whalebacks. The goal was to spread the snow wide enough on Victor Glacier so it would be in great condition by Friday morning.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3529\" data-end=\"3700\"><strong>There is a lot of science and thought that goes into where to blow snow on a mountain.<\/strong> Many ski resorts do a great job at it, while some do not. Snowmaking is an expensive operation, and not wasting it by blowing snow at the wrong place leads to poor conditions and shorter seasons. Boyne Mountain stockpiled snow and whalebacks on Victor Glacier at the top of Aurora and Piersons. This is a common technique that a lot of groomers use to push the snow from the top and not from the bottom of the slope. It is done this way because as skiers and riders hit the slopes, they push the snow down the mountain. Therefore, caching snow at the top of the mountain ensures groomers have stockpiles ready to push out on the slopes.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"6273\" data-end=\"6296\"><strong>Giving Credit to the Ones Who Made Building Victor Glacier Possible<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"5557\" data-end=\"5676\"><strong>Building Victor Glacier is a team sport, and the team is the only reason it exists, according to Adams and Farr.<\/strong> They both expressed their deep thanks to every person who made it possible. From the entire snowmaking and grooming crews, Ron Rose, Snowmaking Manager \u2014 the engine room of the whole operation, Victor Hart Jr. \u2014 for pushing out and smoothing the run for almost every weekend of the season, and\u00a0Ryan Bezemek \u2014 for holding it down on the Glacier the past couple of weekends.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"6188\" data-end=\"6271\"><strong>Goal Achieved<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"4285\" data-end=\"4401\"><strong>This Memorial Day weekend marks the final stretch of what is now the longest ski season in Boyne Mountain\u2019s history.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4403\" data-end=\"4573\"><strong>After months of sustained snowmaking, planning, and favourable conditions, skiers and riders are still able to access top-to-bottom lift-served terrain on Victor Glacier.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4575\" data-end=\"4659\"><strong>\u201cAnything\u2019s achievable. It just depends on how much you want to commit,\u201d Adams said.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4661\" data-end=\"4782\" data-is-last-node data-is-only-node><strong>Victor lift will operate Saturday through Monday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., bringing the resort\u2019s historic season to a close.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_406583\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-406583\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-406583 lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAGrAQMAAABqgLQIAAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAADhJREFUeNrtwTEBAAAAwqD1T+1tB6AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADgDIcbAAEnbF1FAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"427\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/704586805_122302700402198855_606121502348778562_n.jpeg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/704586805_122302700402198855_606121502348778562_n.jpeg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/704586805_122302700402198855_606121502348778562_n.jpeg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/704586805_122302700402198855_606121502348778562_n.jpeg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"640\" data-eio-rheight=\"427\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-406583\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/704586805_122302700402198855_606121502348778562_n.jpeg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"427\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-406583\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Saturday, May 22, at Victor Glacier. | Image: Michigan Enjoyer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This Memorial Day Weekend has three more days of lift laps and the latest closing date in Boyne Mountain history. | Image: Boyne Mountain Boyne Mountain, located in Northern Michigan, is turning the 2025-26 ski season into the longest in its history. The resort will still offer skiing and snowboarding this Memorial Day Weekend on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,267],"class_list":["post-1950614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-snowbrains-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1950614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1950614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1950614\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1950614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1950614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1950614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}