LAKE EFFECT, A MICHIGAN SKI FILM [2023] ｜ A FILM BY MIKE KING

I want to tell you a little bit about my brother Mike. Mike and I spent a lot of time out west chasing our ski dreams. Living in vans, chasing big storms, and skiing mountains. A couple years ago I settled down in Marquette. Mike continued chasing his dreams. Covid never happened. Do you think you would have saw yourself making a Michigan film at some point? I never expected I would be here during the winter skiing in Michigan. People often ask me, how does a skier from Michigan excel in the mountains? Skiing was my life. I dedicated my life to it. It's given me so much. The people I've met, the places I've gone, it's made me the person that I am today. Work a bunch on the farm, go to the mountains, spend all of my money, get back just in time for harvest, work as much as possible, and do it again. I feel like my entire ski career has just been leading to this point that I was at in the mountains. It's all these skills I've taken my entire life to get. It's just this really slow process and then it all stops. Coronavirus forcing millions more Americans into virtual lockdown. Tonight the UN calls it code red for humanity. People are asking should I stay or should I go? Everything shut down. Living in the van. I don't even know where to go shower or use a restroom. Ski season got cut short. Not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. My family was okay. I was okay. We get into summer. I start talking to my sponsors about this upcoming winter. They don't know what's going to happen. All budgets are completely slashed. This is going to be affecting everything I've worked for. Well, I'm going to ski here in Michigan. We're not going out west. We're not putting in the big effort and getting the rigs ready. We're going to stay close to home and see what we can find. Everything that I was seeing, I was looking at through a different lens being like, can I ski on that in the wintertime? Like what's this going to turn into? December 30th. Not much snow, but we got a little jump here in the backyard. It was hard to start with. You know, we didn't have much snow and I didn't know what to do. And I'm so nervous about what my future holds as an athlete. Just trying so hard. Feel a little grateful to have the opportunity to make films and to ski as a career. Okay, stop complaining. Stuff that we learned on the farm was to be tenacious and relentless. Learn to endure difficult situations. Once I started shoveling and messing around, all of a sudden the momentum started building. It brought me back to being a kid, just playing around and having fun and getting creative. Frank and I would spend hours back here using whatever tools and machines we could get our hands on. We'd be building jumps and messing around. This is where we learned most of our tricks. Doing the backflip in the backyard was a big step. We went up to mom and said, she was like, that is the right word. Winter comes and all these amazing people come out of the woodworks. There's just kids that are at the ski hill all day. They're as hyped as anywhere. Holiday, baby. After school special. To see these kids skiing after school, as soon as it's out, they're reminding me of what it's all about. Getting to go ski with my oldest brother, Jack. Nobody loves skiing more than Jack. We're laying down race cars. Classy, cool. I just love it so much. It's so much fun. And then to go skiing with my nephews and watch them learn how to ski and progress. It's totally a way of life and making it happen. And it's not the best, and that's the best part. Like these little tiny ski hills, you can truly make the best of them. Homies were like, you know, you got to check out John D. He's the best at predicting lake effect snow. Reached out, he was down to have a conversation and just kind of explain to me on, you know, what's going on here and how it all works. My name is John D., and I am a retired private meteorologist. I live in Jacobsville, Michigan, which is at the southern end of the Keweenaw Peninsula. Lake effect snow to me is magical. What happens is cold winds come from Canada, pick up the moisture from the lake. The lake also warms the air, and then that air rises. It's got moisture in it, and then those moisture condenses and forms ice crystals, and bam, you've got snow. We have these sand dunes on the shores of Lake Michigan. They're huge, and they're so steep, but they don't hold snow very well. The wind ripping off the lake pulls all the snow right off. But I knew with the right conditions, the snow should stick, so we had to give it a try. It was really fun checking out the dunes and skiing them, but it was a lot of work, too. In Michigan, you have to be proactive because it gets dark so early, it's brutally cold. Whatever these Michigan winters are putting up, there's an activity to make the best of it and get outside. Now we're in the water. When I first found out I'd be spending the winter in Michigan, I was really excited about having a full winter surf season, but it's freezing cold and the wind's blowing. I'm still just blown away that we have the surf here, like right where I grew up. Coming back and seeing what these people have been up to, I was just completely blown away. Anyone that's willing to go out in the middle of winter in a snowstorm, put a wetsuit on, jump out in the freezing water, those are the people I'm going to get along with. It's like, that's Michigan, right? It's like making the best with what you got. I'm having a ton of fun this winter, but there's this nagging feeling that I should be out west and that I'm getting further away from everything I've dreamed of and everything I've worked for. When I get out of that headspace, I'm having such a fabulous time here and I'm just truly happy to be here and enjoying it. We're going north, Mount Bohemia, neg 14, nine o'clock, let's go. The last time I went to Mount Bohemia, I was 10 years old. Coming back, I've completely forgotten about the terrain and it's incredible. It's different than it is out west. I have to remind myself to see how this terrain allows me. The cliffs have flat landings, the trees are close together, it's difficult, it's technical, it's awesome. You go to Mount Bohemia because you want to go and everyone's hooting and hollering and having just such a good time. You know, people are just happy to be here and playing in the snow. I've camped in parking lots all over North America and in this lot right here, it's as core, it's as genuine as anywhere I've ever been. It's just absolutely dumping. We got Logan Stanley. Logan, name and occupation. Two-stroke Donnie, head grill mechanic. Mike showed up with a camper that he doesn't work in. My watch says it's 10 degrees out, but uh, negative five in the camper. We're getting a nice interview with the Dad Camp. Thanks, Dad. Marion died snowing and uh, I got a couple beers with me so we're gonna just drink them until they're gone. Yeah, that was it. Been to these places, you know, as a kid, but I haven't been back in a long time and it felt like I was a part of something really cool. It's fun to come out here and shoot with John because he's been a mentor to me here in Michigan on, you know, what it's like to come out here in the backcountry and still get that, you know, dream of chasing what we're chasing. So it's uh, hyped to be out here with you. No doubt, hyped to be here with you. Ah, it's hard getting up here. Well, we are in the Keweenaw Peninsula getting after some unique stuff. Mr. Mike King has been looking at this drop for a year, yeah? Yeah, I've been here quite a few times, hoping that it goes, but I think she went. Yeah, but yeah, it was super neat to see Mike get creative and send it off some wild and uh, it was super unique for me because Nolly, she tried to race you. I was going up there to try to get my shot and she goes, I'm coming too! And she was just putting in the track right behind me, ready to get up there. I'm excited man, this whole day was f***ing rad. Yeah. Spending the time in the UP, I just was so surprised about all the history that's displayed everywhere. The cities, the mines, and the ruins that came from the Copper Rush and all the culture and things that are left behind because of it. That's when skiing came to Michigan, was in the 1800s from immigrants. That's what started Michigan's rich ski history and culture. That's why we have the Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. So we got to go up and ski with Chip Ransom, Cindy, Scott, and Chris Ransom. It was so fun. They kept telling me, I reminded them of dad, the big hair, probably sweating and huffing and puffing. John brought the whole family up here because he knew I was Mr. Ski School. The Kings became skiers for a large part because of us, yeah. For sure. Skiing with the Ransoms, I feel like I learned so much that this path continues. I was so concerned about what's going to happen as me as a skier in my mid-30s or 40s. And these dudes are in their 70s and they're ripping every type of skiing. It was just like so eye-opening to me to see these people that are so passionate still getting after it. And it's just like, yo, just getting started. I was blown away by the backcountry in the UP. We were just checking out places, not having any idea if we'd be able to ski there. It was exploration at its finest. As soon as we started poking around up there, all my fears and insecurities about being out west vanished. I knew this was the there's a freaking ski track down there. It gave me a lot more respect for the people that are shredding these areas that pioneered these places and have put in the work. I had all these amazing moments with my family and friends and going to new places and checking new things out. And those moments made this winter really special. I was skiing like I always have and that's trying to ski to the best of my ability. Stressed out about doing these tricks and I was working like really hard. I wouldn't say I was like skiing for fun or how I wanted to if there wasn't a camera there. Mike skis on a different level than I do or my friends do. It's a hundred miles an hour and I say that literally. That skiing that fast comes with a crash. There are mistakes and when he crashes they're big crashes. Next thing I knew I'm sitting on the side of the run trying to figure out where I'm at and how I got there. Anytime you hurt yourself you have this moment of reflection and I couldn't help but thinking about a lifetime of injuries and questioning how bad am I actually hurting myself. I'm really scared of the range of injuries. It's like a feeling of just guilt. It's really sad. It was just like seeing the look on Ella's face and like you know she was so concerned. But like being so close to the people that really care about me and having them have to take care of me and knowing people that are seriously hurt or no longer with us and you're doing the same things that I'm doing it's just it's really heavy. It's like fun and games and and then and then it's not and some things get heavy and it's it's not like this wasn't that. Makes you realize what's important to you and what you feel is worth it. I love skiing. It's given me so much but being home has shown me so much more about the process and the people you're with. It's the simple joy. Skiing is something I want to do for a lifetime. This is nice Mike. I didn't particularly want to come out but it's nice being out here. Yeah it's fun. The last uh last throws of the snow. Although we could get another snow storm in a week and get back on it. Hey what are you guys doing? So we're sitting here in the parking lot in Houghton. It is no wind, bright sun, freezing cold and we're going to watch my little bro hit some jumps. This is going to be rad. in accordion but tell me one inch or less the wind is a southwest here at 11 o'clock you will bury me ww that shit talking now