Pine Knob Ski Resort

It is a small hill in SE Michigan… The nostalgia is definitely there, I have been coming here since I was a kid in the early 90s and they haven’t ever updated anything. Trying not to be too judgy because maybe snow making has been so expensive it has blown the budget for cleaning the windows or generally everything.
I am sorry guys, this place is gross and is in terrible need of an update.
If you are really too broke to maintain the place and still have to demand such high lift ticket prices I am truly sorry. I love skiing and this is a great place to start. However, I bring my kids here with a ski school program and I am going to start asking them to look for another venue because every Saturday we come here, I have to drop serious loot for my kids to ski then sit in this dump all day during their sessions. My second kid started this year and my first’s lift ticket price doubled, now every minute that ticks by in the lodge brings me closer to losing my mind.
Clean it up PK.

If you’re complaining about the size of the hill, you just… don’t. get… it!
The only thing that matters on any ski run, regardless of overall size, is the 15 feet in front of you! If you’re the type of skier who skis statistics and not the snow in front of you, best look elsewhere. I hear Whistler out in BC has some really good statistics. Let me know how long it takes to drive out there on a Thursday after working a full day in Auburn Hills or Troy.
With that said, Pine Knob has something for everyone. The operations staff does a good job providing something for everyone of all levels to ski. Additionally, the hill is often the first to open and with the most terrain. For example, I would guess that 80% of the hill was open within a week of the snow guns first firing up.
PROS:
First to open!
Great beginner area that is well segregated from the rest of the hill
Great intermediate area off the back (Quicksilver) with a nice long gentle pitch
The only ski area with a consistent mogul run. Sometimes not until January, but they’ll eventually make it happen!
Majority of the slopes face north, doesn’t loose much snow during warm spells
Best ski school in the area (I might be biased)
Rarely any lift lines
3 separate terrain parks: one for small features, one for medium and one for large.
Perpetual 1980s retro music on the PA system
CONS:
Certain weeknights can fill up with am abundance of lift-​line-​challenged adolescents
Lift operators do little to organize /​enforce lift lines when they do get busy
Lodge is quickly over capacity on busy evenings
The longer magic carpet run has a slight tilt to the skier’s left that funnels beginners back into the carpet. Watch out for kamikaze beginners while riding up.
Perpetual 1980s retro music on the PA system

PK is decent for that urge to ski in SE Michigan. We usually ski the Belgium Brewing «Thunderbolt Racing» league on Tuesday nights. Sometimes it can be busy with kids schools; however, they all leave by 7:30pm. And then the real fun begins, since there is no one on the hills you can ski the runs quickly. The run are mostly straight but there are a few next to the quarter mile that has a bit of curve to it. The beginner hill is off to the right and the more advanced is to the left. They have one new lift this year that is a speed lift. It’s worth riding this one when it’s busy.
Inside, it is typical old school 70’s décor. They really need a makeover but the food is decent and overpriced. The bar area is probably you best bet. They have good Michigan brews on tap, yummy popcorn, and great service.
We will return again next year. Keep up the good work PK!

It’s definitely #2 on my list as far as I’m concerned. One of the better of the 4 ski resorts that are in striking distance of Metro Detroit.
The attendants are really nice and they’re very attentive. I’m not very good at snowboarding yet, but I find the long ¼ mile slope is really cool and great for novice skiers and snowboarders. There’s definitely gonna be some population after school gets out… here’s a hint. **come early**
This particular resort is really good because they have these things called ski lifts. Apparently it takes you from the bottom of the hill with your equipment attached to you, then deposits you at the top of the hill where you would start you snowboarding/​skiing pleasure. That right there is the best thing since sliced bread. Also, there’s an attendant at the bottom that would stop the lift if you are in need of assistance or if you fall off the chair. They’ve really got everything covered in this resort. Best thing about this resort is that their slopes are covered in snow! OMG! That is mind blastingly awesome! It definitely cannot get better than this!
Their lodge is also awesome cause they have chairs and tables everywhere. So that you or your friends can put your equipments and jackets and such down while you SIT and chat. This is an awesome concept! My goodness! Then if you want to buy some coffee or hot chocolate or you might rather fancy a snack. They’ve strategically placed a cafeteria shop at the corner of the lodge. This resorts potential is limitless!
Life is awesome when the glass is always half full!
Weeeeeee
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This is one of my least favorite ski hills. I think only Alpine Valley is worse. My latest visit was during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, one of the busiest times to be there. There weren’t any extra lift attendants so the lines were ridiculous. A few lifts have multiple lines that merge into one line. There are many rude children that don’t know how lines like that work and it would be nice if they had someone regulating. One of their lifts was not running on this oh-​so-​busy day. Yes, there was another lift close by that serviced the same area, but the line was HUGE. And again, the children cutting in and inappropriately using the singles line made it even longer. It’s convenient when you’ve got to get your skiing fix and don’t want to drive all the way up north but this place sucks. The resorts up north are so much better. I’m thinking the next time I have the itch to get on the snow I’ll be patient and wait until I’m able to make the drive to high-​quality resort and skip the «hill».
After reading the above review to my husband he asked me if I had mentioned the ridiculous season pass prices for this «crap-​hole». Seriously, go ski there one time and then see how much they think they can charge. It’s funny.

Even as far as hills go, this is small. Let us get that out of the way. That said, it is within a half hour of Royal Oak and we just gotten a decent snowfall. They are really good at doing a lot with what they got. There are a decent number of runs (given the 200′ drop) and you are never waiting too long for lifts. I had not been boarding in a couple of years, so this was perfect for getting my bearings.
It was annoying that they shut down the entire hill for grooming. I wandered into the lodge, which was packed to the gills with high school kids and families. No matter, they opened up the hill after about an hour and I was back up there.

I took my kids for their first ski lesson to Pine Knob this weekend. They are 5 and 7, so they did the kindersparks group lessons. It was perfect for them. The instructors were great, and my children enjoyed the experience.
This is definitely a smaller hill, but for my childrend starting out with skiing, it was a perfect solution. Close to home, an reasonably priced
We brought our own food and hot chocolate, so we didn’t use the cafeteria. The lower level has a place to sit and eat packed lunches. The tables were all ‘claimed’ by random clothes and bags, but we just used one of the tables anyway. Everyone was nice, and we had no problem with this approach.

For a first time skier, this place was perfect. It’s 10 minutes from my house and the staff there tell you exactly what you need to do and where to go. So of course, I was directed to the «Children Under 7» hill, which I was cool with. After figuring how to get around on the skis I was ready. I made it down the super small hill no problem, I was actually excited. I mean 2 year olds were passing me for cripes sake! Now time to go to the lounge to get a little liquid courage for the next sized hill. Besides cocktails, the lounge only serves popcorn, nuts, and nachos, but you can purchase food at the cafeteria and bring it back there to eat. The Irish Coffee hit the spot along with my grilled cheese and fries. I must say, the teenager chef guy was really rude but the lounge waitress was super friendly, so she made up for the teen’s attitude problem. Now, on to the next hill. First time down… on my back entirely, second time down. half on skis, half on my butt. Third time down… score!!! I mastered that damn hill 3 times. I will definitely be back, but let’s see how sore I am tomorrow :)

The hill is tiny, so after about three runs you will probably get bored. The staff and management are pretty rude; the food is mediocre. The bar allows cigar smoking, which makes your clothes smell like an ash tray. The lift attendants do a horrible job of loading, which I believe is dangerous, especially for children. Several times, an attendant neglected to hold the chair and it resulted in wacking me in the back of the knee. There are no safety bars, so having children ride the lift unattended is probably asking for trouble.
Actually, I skied here for several years until I got fed up with the terrible treatment and poorly trained staff. Now I just go up-​north, where my kids ski free, the hills are bigger, snow is better and the service is much more pleasant. It’s amazing to me that they can treat their very best customers so horribly and still remain in business. Go figure.

I like skiing at Pine Knob because of the variety of runs available here. I’ve been here on several weekends in the past and the folks do a good job keeping plenty of chairlifts going and the lines are typically short. There’s a run called Quicksilver which is probably their longest run and also provides some extra challenges if you want to partake — such as a mini detour along the mansion run which takes you through some trees, up a bank and then down a nice drop off.
Pine Knob has a few different terrain parks for the people looking for that type of fun (not for me!). For beginners, there are currently two different bunny hill sections. One section has a rope tow line along with a magic carpet. The «mini-​bunny» hill as I call it has a shorter magic carpet.
Pine Knob has a ski check area so if you’re afraid of your skis going out on the hill (or to someone else’s car) without you, this is a nice option that’s free of charge.
There’s a cafeteria on site that offers the basics. The soft shell tacos are pretty good but they make them at the time you order so it takes a while… don’t expect to grab and go with these. Also the cafeteria doesn’t take credit cards or debit cards so visit the ATM in the building before you try to grab your food!
The lodge at Pine Knob is pretty nice although they don’t offer any food in there other than popcorn. The view is excellent for watching the action on the hill. It’s a great place to stop in for a quick drink or relax with a few friends over some beverages and review the day’s fun. The lodge/​bar does take credit cards here so drink and be merry :-)