In December 1939, Fred Pabst, of the Pabst Brewing family, while looking for places to encourage people to ski, and promote the sale of his lift product, Ski Tows, Inc. cleared and opened Pine Mountain. Mr. Pabst Tow design involved tow ropes that were powered by an automobile and attendant controlling the speed with the accelerator pedal.

Mr. Pabst, being of significant means, also offered train trips from Chicago and Milwaukee to Pine Mountain on the weekends to make Pine Mountain one of the most premier hills of the late ’30s and early ’40s.

Pine Mountain had to close for a in 1944-1945, due to gas rationing from WWII, and was purchased by two members of the 10th Mountain Division, Laverne Trepp and Irvine Johnson upon their return from the war. Under their management, Pine Mountain added a warming hut, built from the crates used to ship the WWII gliders to the nearby Ford Plant. The roof was made from the remaining glider wing spars and can still be seen in our Sitzmark Bar.

Pine Mountain has entertained people from around the world since 1939 and has been an innovator in the region, being the first with 100% snowmaking, grooming, and aerial lifts. The innovation of the Trepp family also led Pine Mountain to take the lead in the region as the only ski-in/ski-out resort in the UP. This distinction remains to this day. Your family can ski, swim, enjoy fine dining and sleep without ever leaving the resort.

As the expansion continued, Pine Mountain has seen many changes including increased skiing area, better snowmaking, and legendary grooming. Pine Mountain is still known today as the best groomed and maintained resort in the UP.

In 2019, Pine received new owners who had invested millions into upgrades to the hotel and resort. Hill recontouring, snowmaking upgrades, and lift upgrades were undertaken to increase your family’s enjoyment.

Pine Mountain is staged to grow significantly in the future with increased opportunities for you and your family. We hope that you join us for the growth today and well into the future.