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Mt Michigan - a 4 Season Destination

What to do with the megatons of concrete and asphalt that remain from reducing the size of the city. It's too expensive to reclaim or transport - how about creating a mufti-purpose urban recreation destination?
What if we create the largest man-made mountain in the world - right in Detroit. Downhill skiing and sledding in the winter; hiking, mountain biking, paragliding in the summer. Preposterous you say - it's already been done (1,2)and there's a couple on the drawing board for Berlin and the Netherlands. And consider the restoration of the World's largest landfill - Fresh Kills - now transformed into a huge park 3X the size of Central Park (10). This is readily available technology...

According to one report (3) approximately 50% or 65 square miles of Detroit's land area is uninhabited - all we need is a small part of it - say 1 square mile to create a massive vertical destination. That translates to a 600 acre winter/summer playground dwarfing all other ski areas in Michigan (4), & surrounding states (5-8).

Detroit gets some 43 inches of natural snow on average and that could be cost-effectively augmented with artificial snow-making due to its proximity to the Great Lakes and existing water distribution infrastructure.

Mt Michigan creates a strong regional draw for outdoor enthusiasts. The opportunity to Play Hard at skiing, mountain biking, paragliding is a huge economic opportunity that diversifies the local economy. It's already been done and proven successful - just look at Grouse Mountain in downtown Vancouver, BC http://www.grousemountain.com/

REFERENCES
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstrap_Ski_Hill
(2) http://blog.mlive.com/saginawnews/2008/01/mountainmakers_to_close_47year.html
(3) http://zfein.com/photography/detroit/index.html
(4) http://www.slopequest.com/slopes/MI/index.html
(5) http://www.slopequest.com/slopes/OH/index.html
(6) http://www.slopequest.com/slopes/WI/index.html
(7) http://www.slopequest.com/slopes/IN/index.html
(8) http://www.slopequest.com/slopes/IL/index.html
(9) http://inhabitat.com/the-berg-is-building-the-worlds-largest-man-made-mountain-a-colossal-mistake/
(10)
http://inhabitat.com/worlds-largest-landfill-transformed-into-freshkills-park-3x-the-size-of-central-park/

What resources (money, time, people, technology, etc) will your concept need to be successful?

The resource needs are modest and already being expended with the City's building demolition program. Rather than carting them to the landfill - let's separate the wheat from the chaff and use the reclaimable concrete and asphalt to build Mt. Michigan. There needs to be some planning and engineering of course but when it's complete the City has a new regional draw that restores vibrancy all year round.

What steps could you take to implement this idea today?

Today we could further develop the concept, identify possible sites, compute material requirements, recruit an expert on building/managing a ski resort, solicit investors to participate in the Mt Michigan resort - do some of the legwork needed to present the concept to political leaders in Detroit.

How can your idea be scaled so that it's implemented in cities around the world?

This concept is rather unique to Detroit. The winter sports angle would not scale to warmer climates, but people love to play outside - so just need to match the material and its configuration to the recreational opportunities of the geography.

Comments

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Jean-Luc Alfonsi

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January 03, 2012, 04:09PM
Such a crazy idea! I love it!
I didn't understand completely if your thought was to demolish and use the concrete leftovers as rocks to create a "montain" or if you were talking about using the actual structure of abandoned skyscrappers to support the resort and keep the old skyline of Detroit.
I like the second option, if building engineers can make it happen.
First, I believe it must be difficult for the people from detroit to demolish all the memories they have from their town. Second, I think you should design the slopes in order to use the potential of the city. It might even give this resort something different.
Maybe, you could repurpose some old buildings. The top of the skyscrappers may host Hotels, Restaurants, Shops, when underground or underslopes levels could host night clubs or other type of night activities.
I like the idea of the faur seasons as well. I believe it sould be thought that way.


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Matthew Goble

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December 16, 2011, 11:16AM
I love this idea! Although I agree as a skier it might not be the "best" skiing... but you can't really help that, if you really want to ski go out west, but this would bring the ski life to a midwest metropolitan population. I have skied in a few places in the midwest (Wis and Mich) and people still go to these places to ski. So I wouldn't worry about the draw.

It's the addition to a major city of a new form of recreation that would create a much more appealing ski resort to me. Looking for funding out of the ski hills already running in the midwest might be a good idea as well. But the main parts are there. Space, reuse of materials, and cold/outdoor enthusiasm.
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ken thomas's reply to Jean-Luc Alfonsi's comment

ken thomas

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December 16, 2011, 04:00PM
Thank you for your thoughts Mathew - the "4 Seasons" approach is essential to maximize the utility and payback on this investment - it minimizes the likelihood of "down" years when skiing revenue alone does not meet expectations, and it provides a place for a whole range of activities that benefit the city.

The skiing will not compare to say Colorado - but would compare very well to the outlying areas and neighboring states. Another advantage is the much shorter trip time and reduced environmental costs to reach it.

People go to dinner and a movie after work - why not go skiing instead?

Another beauty in building your own mountain is that you can design it for efficiency - so you can maximize the skiable area while minimizing the number of lifts needed to serve it.


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Jim Kleiber

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December 12, 2011, 04:50AM
As a metropolitan Detroit native, I must say that I have never thought about skiing in Detroit and therefore I love your idea. I agree that some may think this is preposterous, but preposterous ideas are at the root of many great innovations.

I also like how you've included references to bolster the idea. One thing you may want to explore is how many Southeast Michigan residents frequent the local ski resorts that already exist (e.g., Mt. Brighton, Mt. Holly, Pine Knob). If there were many, there could be an opportunity to unite those visitors at your Mt. Michigan, and build your case about how many people may come. It's always hard to predict ahead of time, but it may be handy in selling the concept to the decision makers.

And most importantly, this could be incredibly cool, no pun intended :oD
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ken thomas's reply to Jean-Luc Alfonsi's comment

ken thomas

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December 12, 2011, 05:11AM
Thank you for your comments Jim - it's great to hear from natives! It seems preposterous at first but there are so many cases where man has remade the environment - usually tearing down mountains but this time it would be building a new one. I live near a number of ski areas and they have thrived and expanded even during this recession and I believe this could work for Detroit as well. A number of the ski hills outside of Detroit (trying to be politically correct) are fairly modest ;-) The opportunity exists to "go big" and do something on a scale that draws from the local area as well as the surrounding states. And, the 4 Seasons approach to the recreational opportunities creates a much more stable economic base than just relying on a single or seasonal pursuit like skiing..
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Jim Kleiber's reply to Jean-Luc Alfonsi's comment

Jim Kleiber

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December 13, 2011, 07:31AM
Ken, you are right, they are definitely "modest" :-) Worse, the snow is often like packed ice. If you could figure out how to get nice powder, that could be a big attraction...

Just in case you haven't seen it yet, check the following article for more on the Dutch example you mention earlier (http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFLDE77T0H420110830) It mentions that for them, the two main challenges are solving the financing and environmental issues.
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Erica Stephan's reply to Jean-Luc Alfonsi's comment

Erica Stephan

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December 13, 2011, 04:22PM
Yes! I learned to ski on "Mt. Trashmore," aka Mt. Brighton. High-school rumor had it it was in fact built on a landfill, though apparently they just used leftover asphalt from road construction. When I finally encountered actual snow in my 20s, I was amazed at what a good skier I suddenly became. :)

I expect "Ski Detroit" t-shirts would sell very, very well.

I like the idea in general for the sheer novelty factor. I would like to see incorporated from the beginning some ways to ensure *Detroiters* use the facility - not just suburban tourists! City residents, especially kids, could really use more opportunities/encouragement for healthy outdoor activity. Some ideas are: a big discount for those residing within city limits, free days for local kids every few weekends or so, and maybe a heavy promotional period in the first few months (marketing + free admission) aimed at Detroiters, to help them see it as theirs, not just a "bubble" that suburbanites visit.
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Érica Bettiol

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December 12, 2011, 02:58AM
Nice idea! It can create a new local identity. The city of sports man-made and another horizontal project can be create too. It can pulvarizar other job opportunities around. And i have a question: Which the profile of people who would like to set this work?
Does the people around there will like to work in this business? Or is it not the matter, the people can come from another sides, another countries?
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ken thomas's reply to Jean-Luc Alfonsi's comment

ken thomas

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December 12, 2011, 05:03AM
Thank you Erica - Detroit and the surrounding areas have a very skilled workforce with accomplished engineers and trades people. The unemployment rate is very high and there are typically many more applicants than jobs - but Detroit also has a long history of embracing people from across the US and the oceans.
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Vincent Cheng

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December 09, 2011, 05:56PM
Creative Concept Ken!

Understand from your references that man-made ski slopes have been made before.

Any idea/information about the suitability of using old concrete/asphalt for this purpose?

I'm intrigued =)
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Vincent Cheng's reply to Jean-Luc Alfonsi's comment

Vincent Cheng

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December 09, 2011, 09:20PM
As a decent skier/complete novice snowboarder, I'd be interested, as long as I'm convinced that old concrete/asphalt is a suitable base.

As a recreational hiker, runner, & mountain biker, I'd rather hike in natural surroundings, but could be persuaded to run/bike on some challenging terrain.
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ken thomas's reply to Jean-Luc Alfonsi's comment

ken thomas

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December 10, 2011, 11:27PM
Certainly a bit of engineering is in order - but there are a number of man-made hills already completed. Base layers would be laid and compacted - probably some drainage installed and further layers added to create the desired contours - mining companies have been doing this for decades. Once it is sufficiently compacted and stable layers of clay and sand could be added to lock in the fines. And finally topsoil could be brought in to support a covering of grass and other natives. The other place I see this done a lot very successfully is landfills. We're just talking bigger and better here - but doesn't seem like any technological breakthrough is required.
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Tanja Rosenqvist

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December 10, 2011, 04:12PM
Very interesting idea!
The roof of a future power plants in Copenhagen, Denmark will be made into a skiing slope - much like your idea. And the project has just been name one of the “50 Best Inventions” of 2011. We are looking forward to the realization here in Copenhagen :)

http://www.pri.org/stories/business/social-entrepreneurs/turning-a-power-plant-into-a-ski-hill5639.html
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