Mont Ripley Ski Area

Michigan, US — size XS · 5 km of trails · 131 m vertical · 4 lifts · light snowfall

Open it on the map mtu.edu/mont-ripley

North America
New York City — town, pop. 8,804,190Los Angeles — town, pop. 3,820,914Toronto — town, pop. 2,794,356Chicago — town, pop. 2,664,452Mont Ripley Ski AreaNew York CityLos AngelesTorontoChicago
Michigan
Thunder Bay — town, pop. 108,843Marquette — town, pop. 21,297Big PowderhornCamp 10 Ski AreaLoch LomondLutsen MountainsMarquette MountainMount Baldy Ski AreaNorway MountainPine MountainSnowriver Mountain ResortWhitecap Mountains ResortMont Ripley Ski AreaThunder BayMarquette
Within 30 km
Houghton — town, pop. 7,970Atlantic Mine — town, pop. 2,082Laurium — town, pop. 1,941Mont Ripley Ski AreaMont Ripley Ski AreaHoughtonAtlantic MineLaurium

Closed today

Season: usually early December - late March.

26/27 Passes

PassWhat it grantsBlackouts
Indy Pass2 daysblackout calendar not published
Indy+ Pass2 daysno blackout dates

The mountain

Trails
5 km — size XS
Vertical
131 m
Summit
329 m
Base
198 m
Lifts
4
Trees
1.9 km, 38% of mapped runs plus 2 ha of zones — Buddha Bowl, Cannonball, Copper Chute Glades
Region
Franklin, Michigan, United States

Typical Snowfall

Our take: ❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎ Light

Measured, 10-season mean
152 cm — OnTheSnow
Snow-day share
37% of December–March days — a centimetre or more; ERA5 model
Longest snowy stretch
7 days — consecutive days with a centimetre or more, typical winter; ERA5 model
Model climatology
210 cm — ERA5 model, ~10 km grid

The Season

Snow on the ground model
255075100 cmOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJun
Snowfall, season to date model
100200300 cmOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJun

middle half of winterstypical (dashed: model)2025/26

Snow on the ground: model (ERA5 at mid-mountain), 10 winters; reads low
Snowfall: model (ERA5 at mid-mountain), 10 winters, scaled ×0.72 to OnTheSnow 10-season mean
Natural snow; a groomed base runs deeper.

Character

2 of its 4 lifts are surface tows, and there is no gondola or cable car — the lift fleet says small hill more plainly than the trail count does. It is a small hill: 5 km of trails, against 19 km for the median North American resort on a pass. Most of what the independents' passes sell is this size.

Terrain

  • easygreen circle1.5 km · 9 runs
  • intermediateblue square2.8 km · 10 runs
  • advancedblack diamond0.9 km · 6 runs

North American grading.

Lifts

  • 2chairlifts
  • 1T-bar
  • 1rope tow

Nearby

ResortDistanceTrailsSnowfallPasses
Marquette Mountain111 km10 kmlightIndy Pass, Indy+ Pass (shared)
Snowriver Mountain Resort122 km—lightIkon Pass, Ikon Base
Big Powderhorn136 km13 kmlightIndy Pass, Indy+ Pass (shared)
Loch Lomond142 km8 kmlightIndy Pass, Indy+ Pass (shared)
Pine Mountain148 km7 kmlightIndy Pass, Indy+ Pass (shared)
Norway Mountain158 km8 kmlightIndy Pass, Indy+ Pass (shared)

FAQ

Is Mont Ripley Ski Area on the Indy Pass?
Yes. The Indy Pass grants 2 days at Mont Ripley Ski Area for 2026/27, with blackout calendar not published.
Is Mont Ripley Ski Area on the Indy+ Pass?
Yes. The Indy+ Pass grants 2 days at Mont Ripley Ski Area for 2026/27, with no blackout dates.
How much snow does Mont Ripley Ski Area get?
Mont Ripley Ski Area has light snowfall by our banding, averaging 152 cm a season over the last ten measured seasons.
What else can I ski nearby on the same pass?
Marquette Mountain (111 km), Big Powderhorn (136 km), Loch Lomond (142 km)

Sources

Pass terms
Indy
Mountain figures
OpenSkiMap, from OpenStreetMap
Season dates and live status
skiresort.info
Snow on the ground
Open-Meteo

Data (ODbL) · Method

All ski passes in Michigan · All 501 resorts · The map