After spending 15 years trying to get the attention of Michigan’s Consumers Energy, one ski resort has finally received much needed upgrades for the old, fragile power lines that once supplied the mountain.
Consumers Energy teams worked 12-hours a day for eight days straight to bring power line upgrades to Caberfae Peaks, a ski area in Wexford County, Michigan, completing the project earlier this week. According to a Facebook post made by the resort, teams installed almost five miles of new power lines and nearly 40 new poles.
“We are looking forward to having the ability to operate our snowmaking plant at 100% capacity. The upgrades have also positioned us well for increased reliability and will accommodate future growth and continued upgrades at Caberfae.“
Caberfae Peaks initially posted a call for help on November 28, asking those who care about the area to file a complaint with the Public Service Commission. In five days, the area had lost power three times, and in just twelve hours leading up to the original post, the area had lost power twice. The area claimed that, despite 15 years of communications with Consumers Energy, upgrades were mostly refused due to the mountain’s remote location and lack of population.
“We have lost valuable snowmaking time and a lot of damage has been done to our snowmaking equipment. Regardless, our hardworking snowmaking crew will continue to work tirelessly to get the slopes open.“
Caberfae Peaks opened for the season on December 2, running ‘weekends only’ until mid December. The mountain’s five lifts serve 27 total runs and around 200 skiable acres. Regular season hours run from 10am to 9pm on Fridays, 9am to 9pm on Saturdays, and 9am to 4:30pm on Sundays, with more limited hours during the week.
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Image Credit: Caberfae Peaks via Facebook