Porcupine Mountains Ski Area — Attraction in Carp Lake Township

The place is a bargain. The views are magnificent. However, there are a lot of flat areas, and getting over to half the mountain is a pain.

My son was skiing down a blue in the center of the hill, he crashed and should not have because he was not doing anything crazy. I had him set up for beginner since he is a green/blue skier, and his bindings did not release. I was just happy he didn't break a bone or get seriously hurt. The rental ski snapped at the tip (he did not run into anything and only weighs 60lbs), and I believe it was broken when we got the rental but we just didn't know it. I had to pay for a ski replacement even though their equipment failure endangered my child. It's their policy, but yikes - the binding didn't release. "It passed their tests" - I just paid it because they had what appeared to be the freaking sheriff right there - talk about intimidation.

Also, I rented and later realized they set me up longer on my skis than I have ever had by quite a bit (I ski several times a year and always rent). My dad had the same thing with too long of skis and accidentally crossed his skis since no one uses skis that long and crashed and broke his thumb. I just don't think they know what they're doing in the rental shop.

I will NEVER return, and I would not recommend...

We had a fun weekend for our first time at Porcupine Mrs. We had a few beginners in the family and the jump from the bunny hill to the mountain was pretty big skill-level-wise. One of the 2 easy trails on the mountain was closed half way, but there were no signs at the top of the mountain so we made the mistake of taking that run and our beginners had to navigate a moderate course to get down. They made it, but got some good bumps on the way. We also wanted to get food a little before 4 pm on a Saturday, but the grill was already closed down. So we had hot chocolate by the huge beautiful fireplace in the lodge. The staff was very friendly and ski patrol closing the mountain escorted us down (the tougher accidental run), which was really comforting and he was extremely patient with our pace and insisted that we enjoy ourselves. We will...

All-day, lake effect powder, low lift, rental & food prices, no crowds, lots of runs of all skill levels, family friendly, only some groomed runs (lots of fresh runs), and easy access. Ski and snowboarding kids prefer the Porkies over Brighton, Alta, Park City, Marquette Mountain, Mad River, etc. Cons: down to one lift and upper tow-rope, no terrain park, a good drive from much of anything. (Pro tip: rent a lake shore cabin, buy groceries in Ontonagon, enjoy Lynn's Cafe in downtown Ontonagon but it's...