Weather - So....when does it melt lol (should, start)

[nomoresnow2015]

^^Ice Hockey and Ice Skating are done in indoor rinks, I never once did them outside in Michigan (except for maybe some leisurely ice skating).

I played ice hockey with friends and did ice skating at a pond in my neighborhood growing up. Not all ice hockey and ice skating are done indoors.

[MS313]

Originally Posted by SDPMiami

^^Ice Hockey and Ice Skating are done in indoor rinks, I never once did them outside in Michigan (except for maybe some leisurely ice skating).

Snowboarding and skiing are 3-5 hour drives out of Detroit, either up north or east (NY) or south east (Virginia/WV). The ones in northern Michigan aren't very good, except for beginners.

Anyways, winters are the most variable season in Michigan IMO. You can have a mild winter and a harsh winter. 2011-2012 was unusually mild, I have family back in Detroit so I visit and sometimes watch the forecast and compare. And yeah, even I was surprised. In March 2012, there was maybe a week to 10 days of 70+/80 degree weather.

You won't be so lucky, that was once in a 100 year winter. But this winter is unusual too, February is usually not this cold.

Haven't been to downtown Detroit in the winter huh? Campus Martius is pretty much an ice skating rink when it gets cold, there's also multiple outdoor ice skating rinks all over MI as well.

Also, idk about snowboarding but 3-5 hour drive to go skiing? there are a few ski places IN Metro Detroit.

[SDPMiami]

Originally Posted by MS313

Also, idk about snowboarding but 3-5 hour drive to go skiing? there are a few ski places IN Metro Detroit.

I don't count cross country skiing as skiing.

[Coldjensens]

There are several garbage hills you can "ski" on. Mt Brighton is one. I am not sure where the others are but I am prettysure there are three of them.

Kensington has an awesome sledding hill and some great toboggan runs. Tobogganing is really fun with large groups and abig toboggan.

Winter hiking is wonderful, especially at night. It is not pleasant with wind, but when it is still, there is nothing like it. It is so quiet except the owls and coyotes. Being deep in the woods on a winter night with snow slowly drifting down is one of the most peaceful things you will ever experience.

Snowmobiling is a blast, just please do not go off trails and cut your head off on barbed wire. It is easy to avoid, just stay on the trials. Trails are all over the place.

There are lots of places you can ice skate outside. Kensington has a huge rink on the lake at the boat rental facility. The MSU teams used to practice there sometimes, I am not sure why.

With special kinds of skates, you can supposedly skate on untreated ice. I see them skating along the Detroit river from time to time.

Ice boating is a rush. Dangerous as all get out but really fun.

Some people love ice fishing. To me it is like trying to fish in a toilet. But others love it.

Find and empty parking lot filled with snow or ice and do doughnuts. It is amazing how fast you can make your car spin.

Cross country skiing is really fun when you have nice trails. Try it sometime, but give it engouh time to figure it out. (Takes about an hour to get the hang of it). Again I recommend Kensington, but get off the golf course and into the woods as soon as possible. Also DO NOT go out onto the lake. It is cold, icy and miserable. Dumb place for skiing. . Mayberry Park has some nice trials too, but Kensingtons are usually better groomed.

You can join the eskimo club and jump in the Detroit river when it is below zero and see whether you die or not.

Once you get used to the little short runs and icy snow, skiing at Boyne nobs nub and the like can be really fun. It is far less strenuous than the miles long runs out west so old people like me do not get all worn out. In fact you spend as much time on the lift as you do no the run, so you get lots of rest. In time, you come to appreciate that.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by memph

Are you sure those big snowstorms you remember were in May? From what I can tell, the most recent May snowstorm was in ... 1923 with 6 inches. And 1883 before that with 5 inches. Unless you count the 1.5 inches that fell in 1912. The biggest snowfall in May since 1923 seems to have been the 0.1 inches that fell in 2005.

Yes. I worked at Kensington driving the Island Queen in the mid 1980s (roughly 1982 - 1987). We put the boat in the water in May. I remember driving it with snow falling in the lake around me once. It was odd, so it was memorable. Definitely happened so if something says it has never snowed in may, it is wrong.

I also remember getting a heavy snow in mid or late may when I was in school. I do not recall the year, but probably sometime between 1973 and 1981. The snow did not last long, it may have been gone by morning, but there was enough to play in.

[Serious Conversation]

Snow is going to limit what you can do for five to six months a year in Michigan.

[linda814]

Heilman. ..Farwell...are the two outdoor rinks from Years ago that I remember. ..

[usroute10]

Plus, people ice skate on Belle Isle

Belle Isle Home: Ice Skating on Belle Isle and the Flynn Pavilion

[Coldjensens]

Tomorrow or the day after.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Unlike Truckee and the like I doubt there will be much snow pack, come Memorial Day, on the heels of a winter like this.

(Skiing the Mountain Run all the way into The Village, on Memorial Day ... priceless!)

This year, of course, we were hoping for a winter like that, in our snow zones. Oh well, onto next year ...