IRONWOOD – We wanted to share our great news with you! Copper Peak recently came out a big winner, as well as the whole Upper Peninsula of Michigan, in the state budget bill passed Friday morning by the Michigan Legislature. A grant of $10 million was appropriated for renovation projects at Copper Peak and Pine Mountain, alike. This grant will give us a tremendous push into holding a Summer Grand Prix Event in Fall of 2020. Since the Copper Peak renovation project is estimated at $15 million to $18 million, we will soon need your help to get to where we need to be. Follow our most up to date news on our Facebook page (COPPER PEAK) or online at www.copperpeak.com and happy holidays from the Copper Peak team.
IRONWOOD — Bob Jacquart couldn’t hold back his excitement for the $10 million in funding to help renovate Copper Peak that was included in the state’s budget bill passed early Friday morning.
“We’re happy with what the state did, it’s pretty special,” he said. The state budget includes grants for a variety of Upper Peninsula projects, including grants for $1 million for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to create 10 jobs in Gogebic County, $1.5 million for Waupaca Foundry to open a plant in Ironwood, $2 million for a facility for teaching skilled trades for Gogebic Community College and the lion’s share of a $10 million appropriation for renovating Copper Peak.
According to Marty Fittante, chief of staff to outgoing State Sen. Tom Casperson, there was a concerted effort among U.P. legislators to go to bat for Gogebic County, especially after the announcement of the closing of Ojibway Correctional Facility in Marenisco. While they recognize the investments won’t replace the 200 jobs at Ojibway, Fittante felt they were a “big step” for the area.
Many of these projects are seen as “public-private partnerships,” meaning that private entities also will have to put their own funds into completing the projects.
According to Jacquart, the Copper Peak grant is shared with Pine Mountain Ski Resort near Iron Mountain.
The $10 million in funds will be distributed by the Great Lakes Sports Commission, according to Fittante, and will be distributed proportionately to the size of the project. Since Copper Peak’s project is much larger than Pine Mountain’s, it is expected to get most of the funds. According to Jacquart, Copper Peak will continue to need to do fund-raising to complete its project.
The grant for GCC is for providing a facility to train for skilled trades. Fittante pointed to work done by GCC President Erik Guenard and the college to identify a need for this kind of training in the area. The college will need to put up to $500,000 of its own funds in partnership to get the project off the ground.
Fittante said MDNR director Keith Creagh spearheaded the drive for funding for locating up to 10 DNR employees in Gogebic County. While it is not 100 percent clear of their duties at this point, the expectation is that all 10 would be based in the county, whether they work in the Porcupine Mountains or are administrative staff doing remote work for the state.
The grant for Waupaca Foundry had already been announced and was finalized in the budget, seen as a big victory. Fittante said U.P. legislators were all focused on “finding wins” for the area.
State Rep. Scott Dianda, D-Calumet, said, “while it took a long time to get us here, I am proud to say that the supplemental budget we approved will be one of the most economically impactful pieces of legislation for the U.P. in decades.”
Other U.P. grants in the budget bill included around $52 million for the Soo Locks, $30 million for Michigan Tech University’s H-STEM outlay project, $20.1 million for Northern Michigan University, $1 million for the Delta County Conservation District and $3 million for Buffalo Reef remediation.
IRONWOOD — Copper Peak came out a big winner in the state budget bill passed Friday morning by the Michigan Legislature.
A grant of $10 million was appropriated for renovation projects at Copper Peak and Pine Mountain. The grant will be awarded proportionately, according to Bob Jacquart, fundraising co-chair for Copper Peak. Since the Copper Peak renovation project is estimated at $15 million to $18 million and the Pine Mountain project is estimated at about $2 million, Copper Peak is expected to get the lion’s share of the funds.
Jacquart said Friday the funds are “a great thing” for the area. He said Copper Peak personnel have been preparing as though the funds would go through and will be ready to start the work in the spring after the Red Bull 400 race, scheduled for May 11. He said the group has blueprints, has selected a contractor and declared the project “shovel ready.”
While the grant does not cover all needed funding, Jacquart spoke confidently of the ability to raise funds to complete the work. The fundraising will have five different aspects:
—Raising funds from large sponsors, such as selling naming rights, with the assistance of a large sports marketing company that has worked on events such as Super Bowls.
—Appealing to large donors who could donate gifts of $50,000 and up.
—A campaign for medium donors capable of donating $5,000 to $50,000.
—A small donor campaign, such as being able to purchase one of the 20,000 artificial grass mats needed in the landing area.
—More grants.
Jacquart said the goal for the group is to be ready in September of 2020 to start hosting events on the ski flying jump. Incoming director of the public-private fundraising group InvestUP, Marty Fittante, said Copper Peak has been trying for the past four years to obtain funding.
In January of 2017, an attempt to fund Copper Peak through Senate Bill 523 failed, but did provide for a sports commission to oversee sports and recreation funding.
The sports commission will distribute grant funds to Copper Peak and Pine Mountain.
MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) – Representatives from Michigan’s State Legislature say they have a few more tasks to handle before the next group of elected officials come into office.
State Senator Tom Casperson says he plans to keep pushing until the deadline.
“We’re finishing strong, we’re working hard … we’re working on things like Copper Peak on the west end of the U.P. We’re trying to get the funding secured for that,” State Senator Tom Casperson said.
“My hope is that we get them across the finish line and Governor Snyder will ultimately sign them.”
Sen. Casperson also says he is happy to have State-Senator elect Ed McBroom continue the legacy he has set in the Upper Peninsula.
“Ed will continue on and be a great Senator, and what an honor to know him.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Sara Cambensy says she’s focused on keeping good relationships with her fellow legislators during this lame duck session.
“I think there is going to be a lot more opportunities to work together and have more bi-partisan relationship, which the people seem to want,” Representative Sara Cambensy said.
She also mentions how she is honored to serve the Upper Peninsula for another term, and already has several priorities listed on her agenda that she would like to accomplish.
“One of my hopes is that we get funding back to where it should be with education, whether it’s K-12, our skilled trades programs, as well are our universities.”
“Another thing is infrastructure, and that’s something we hear time and time again and let’s make sure that we dedicate those dollars, put them where we can put more people to work and fix our roads.”
Both representatives say their goal during this time is to ensure they’re doing what’s best for the community.
The newly elected officials will be sworn in January 1, 2019.
The Upper Peninsula is a land unlike any other in Michigan, with endless untouched natural beauty, a rich and fascinating history, and seemingly something new to be awed at around every corner. Here’s our guide to the must-see spots around the U.P. If you have a favorite to add, let us know in the comments!
Copper Peak photo courtesy Chris Hasselschwert
Copper Peak
Copper Peak is home to the world’s largest artificial ski jump, offering off-season visitors the highest unobstructed view in the entire Midwest: 1,782 feet above sea level, on a viewing platform that, by design, sways up to 18 inches in either direction in stiff breezes. If you can brave the 810-foot chairlift ride and subsequent 18-story elevator lift to the tippy top, you’ll be treated to a 40-mile panoramic view.
Ironwood – Saturday’s Copper Peak Trails Fest featured a variety of running and bike races for all abilities. For runners, there was a 7 mile trail run. For bikers, there were mountain bike races of varying lengths on a course that ran to the top of Copper Peak and down to the Black River. There was also a kids’ mountain bike race. Organizers stated that there was a total of 105 runners and bikers that took part in the event, including 30 kids who ran in the kids’ race.
Runners were unanimous in their praise of the beautiful sunny weather and the condition of the course. Scott Erickson ran both the 7 mile trail run and the sport mountain bike race of 7 more miles. “Not the smartest thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “The course is really nice but hard,” he said. Bike racers ran the road up to the top, then had a two-mile descent to the river. After the descent, it was time to go back to the hard work of going up to the top of the peak again. The longer bike race was 3 1/2 loops, or 16 miles through the course. “Serious vertical,” said Erickson.
Gary Engstrom, an Ironwood resident, was out riding his bike at age 71. A couple years ago, Engstrom almost died when cross-country skiing, but has made a full recovery and enjoyed the day on the trail. Engstrom said he rides his bike “every day” and ran the Red Bull 400 this spring.
The races were a fundraiser for the Sisu Dirt Crew, partnering with the Gogebic County Health Foundation. Andrea Newby, a spokesperson for the foundation, stated that the foundation was matching the funds raised at the race. The proceeds go toward trail development and encouraging healthy lifestyles in the area. Newby said that combination of the views from the peak and the river make the event a potential draw to the area. She stated that a little more than 50 percent of the participants were from out of the area.
The groups are working on extending the Iron Belle Trail out past Bessemer toward Ramsay and Wakefield. The funding is looking “really positive” according to Erickson, with the goal of design in 2019 and building the trail in 2020. The health foundation has been a strong financial partner to promote healthy lifestyles and extend the trails.
The combination of recreation opportunities in the area is a showcase for those from out of town who enjoy the active lifestyle opportunities it affords. Brother and sister Dave Sgro and Mary Jo Bailey grew up in Rhinelander, but had a friend who bought a place in Bessemer. Dave, currently from Green Bay, and Mary Jo, from Minnetonka, Minn., then bought the house from the friend and come up most weekends to enjoy the area. “It feels like home, “she said. They have hosted relatives for weeks during the summer. “We enjoy the hills and hiking the waterfalls,” Mary Jo said.
IRONWOOD, Mich. (WLUC) – For most people U.P. stands for the Upper Peninsula, but at TV6 we believe it stands for unbelievable pictures. One place to take those beautiful pictures is at Ironwood’s Copper Peak.
At 1, 782 feet above sea level, Copper Peak is the place to be for shots of the U.P. An 810 foot chairlift brings visitors to the top and for some that ride is part of the adventure.
“That chairlift by the way is one of the steepest chairlifts in the Midwest, maybe even in the country I don’t know for sure,” Copper Beak Board President, Charlie Supercynski, said. “It is quite an exhilarating experience just to be able to ride a chair. Some people describe the chairlift ride, down in particular, as riding a 360 foot ferris wheel.”
While it’s definitely worth it for the beautiful nature pictures, Copper Peak offers so much than just its scenery.
“We are one of five international ski flying sites in the world,” Supercynski said. “On this particular site, we have the biggest ski jump structure on top of the hill. There’s nothing like it to be found anywhere in the world. This is a very unique place and it is an icon for the state of Michigan.”
“Copper Peak was designed to be a competition ski jumping hill for the international people,” Bob Jacquart, Copper Peak’s Event Organizer, said. “It’s had trouble getting on to the international schedule, but now there is a big push to do that.”
If the push is successful, they expect this to bring thousands of people to the U.P. every year to enjoy Copper Peak.
“It’s probably the most spectacular view in the Upper Peninsula,” Jacquart added. “Other than being on the top of the Mackinaw Bridge, I don’t think there is anything else is Michigan that is as high and as beautiful of a site as the top of Copper Peak.”
When I decided to run the Red Bull 400, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. After all, it’s a basic concept—run, preposterously, up a giant ramp. I’d seen some ski jumping hills on TV during the winter Olympics. They’re steep, but they’re not impossible-to-scale steep. Or so I naively assumed, before ever setting eyes on one in person.
For this particular edition of the Red Bull 400—there are 17 races this year—the giant ramp in question was a monstrosity in Ironwood, MI, called Copper Peak. While most ski jumps are built into mountains, Copper Peak is basically a 241-foot tall iron tower in the middle of the woods. It’s the biggest artificial ski jump in the world, and the steepest Red Bull 400 event.
Here it is, in all its glory:
Courtesy of Red Bull
Take a look at that thing. At this moment, it is important to make a confession: I am absolutely terrified of heights.
But for some reason—despite the strong possibility that I’d be terrified at the top, and a lingering concern that I’d literally end up in tears because of that height—I thought running the race would be a fun, unique challenge.
With about three months to get ready, I spoke with the brains behind the entire concept, Andreas Berger, who also happens to be a former Olympic sprinter. His advice: You can’t really train for it specifically, because there’s nothing like running a ski jump. But running hills would definitely help, he told me.
Not very encouraging, but helpful nonetheless.
So I made a point to run intervals on the tallest hill in my town a few times a week. I incorporated more stair climbing into my routine. I also ran to boost my cardio base, since my workouts typically veer on the side of straight-up lifting. The last thing I wanted to do was get to the top, pass out from exhaustion, and then wake up staring at the ground hundreds of feet below, since the stairs on this monster of a ski jump are all metal grates. (Because of course they are).
Running up local hills, I tried to tell myself that the course wouldn’t be too bad. At this point, everyone was telling me that the race looked borderline impossible. I had to at least try to tell myself otherwise.
Until the day before the race. Until I saw the course in person.
Most photos of Copper Peak show it from above, surrounded by gorgeous Michigan fall foliage like a mythical beast. In person, both the hill itself and the iron tower looked impossibly huge, and the hill was less of a gradual slope and more of a… wall.
This wasn’t a run, it was a climb.
On the morning we were set to run, I did not feel any better. More than 400 people had come out to run up this massive jump. Even those who weren’t running showed up. (Because hey, what isn’t entertaining about watching a horde of people haul ass up a ski slope?) I gained a new respect for the locals who’d signed up, because they actually knew what they were up against. Had I seen it in person beforehand, I would’ve thought twice about running it.
By the time I stood at the starting line with my group, I was a nauseous ball of nerves. I couldn’t take my eyes off the peak of the hill as the starter counted down from 10, and as the gun went off, my heart was already racing. The race was a paradox of sorts: Not only would the running itself hurt, I was afraid to reach the top. Finishing was barely a consolation. It was merely trading pain for fear.
And that’s saying something, because from beginning to end, this race is hard. I thought it would be possible to run up at least the grassy hill leading up to the ski jump, but no. As soon as I hit the hill, I found myself shoving my hands into the dirt and climbing. (Pro tip: Wear gloves.) Even though netting covered the hill, it was a shock to my shoulders.
By the time I made it to the base of the jump, I decided to take a quick water break before even attempting it. I am not kidding.
Shockingly, my legs felt fine. I thought I’d be feeling it in my quads, glutes, and hamstrings, but I guess my lifting regimen pulled through for me. My lungs, however, were definitely feeling the burn. And aside from the physical, I was completely psyched out by the idea of getting to the top of the tower.
Whatever. Off I went.
Once again, I found myself not running, but climbing. This was especially problematic, because I could see the ground through cracks in the wood for the entirety of the ascent. My solution was to look up, which I had been told multiple times to avoid. And somehow, I (eventually) made it to the top.
As I scrambled across the finish line and stood up, I was shocked—not at my exhaustion, but that I was decidedly not afraid. In fact, as I looked out over the seemingly never-ending Michigan forest, I felt anything but terror. From Lake Superior stretching into the distance to the mountains still holding on to some last bits of snow, the landscape took whatever breath I had to spare.
I casually made my way down the tower, finding my lungs again and confronting the reality that my calves would definitely be sore in the coming days. In the end, the race had lived up to my expectations and then some. And in all honesty, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
From the welcoming, unbelievably friendly local crowd to the sense of achievement once the race was over, it was a unique and unforgettable experience.
Anna Mooi ran, clawed, and bear crawled her way to victory up the largest artificial ski jump in the U.S.
Most races end with medals, snack bags, and photo opps. The Red Bull 400 ends with oxygen masks and a team of volunteers ready to catch careening participants.
“It felt like I had a weight on my chest,” Anna Mooi, the women’s winner of the recent Ironwood, Michigan, edition of the Red Bull 400, tells SELF of the excruciating moments after her victory. She grabbed an outstretched hand, took several deep inhales from an oxygen mask, threw her arms over the railing, and stood above the massive ski ramp she’d somehow just conquered in a little more than seven minutes. “It was very surreal.”
The Red Bull 400 is just a quarter-mile long, but it’s nothing short of brutal.
Participants ascend 40 stories in 400 meters in what is arguably the world’s toughest shortest race.
There are 17 editions of this tough-as-hell event at ski resorts around the world, and the inaugural Ironwood outpost, hosted this year on May 12 at Copper Peak, marks one of three in North America. Cooper Peak is the largest artificial ski jump in the U.S.—and it’s also the steepest ramp of all Red Bull 400 races.
Here’s a video to give you a taste of the torture—er, race course:
About 450 brave souls attempted the race in Ironwood, and Mooi, a local resident, had to complete the course twice in one day in order to clinch first place.
The competition featured 18 preliminary heats, each with 25 racers. The fastest 25 men and women, including Mooi, then advanced to a final men’s and final women’s race, held later that same day.
All races began with a brief—very brief—run, which despite being just 10 to 20 meters long, was “quite a bit challenging” for Mooi, thanks to a lingering IT band injury. Then the climbing began.
Mooi and her competitors literally clawed their way up the first half of the course with the help of a cargo net. “This was really handy,” says Mooi of the light blue netting. “You could use more upper-body strength and save your legs for the second half,” which involved beleaguered bear crawls up a wooden incline with 2×2 boards nailed crossways serving as steps. She, and many other racers, wore workman’s gloves to prevent splinters and also make the rope grabs more comfortable.
As she ascended the wooden ramp as quickly as her arms and legs would allow, “my goal was to keep going and keep looking forward,” says Mooi. “And that’s what I did.”
Both times, her lungs had a different idea.
“The thing that hurt the worst for me—more than leg cramps—was my lungs,” says Mooi. “I don’t have asthma and have always thought my lung capacity was good, but I developed a cough [from the lack of oxygen] that really carried through for the whole day.”
As for the second go-around: “I was dreading it,” says Mooi. “I really didn’t want to do it a second time. All of us [in the final heat] were like, We have to do this again?!”
Luckily, she had about four and a half hours in between the attempts, during which she foam rolled, stretched, “ran around a little bit,” and napped. “It was very unlike me to nap, but I needed it,” says Mooi.
And when it came time to race again, Mooi overcame her fear and dug deep. “I’m pretty competitive,” says Moi, who was in fifth place at the mid-way mark. The course then flattened out for a small portion before the wooden ramp began, and that’s when Mooi made a move. “I knew that if I wanted to be first, I had to make it to the ramp first and I was somehow able to go around everyone.”
Toward the very end, as her lungs burned and she gasped for air, the throngs of cheering onlookers and promise of $1,000 in prize money incentivized her to keep pushing. She finished in 7 minutes and 15 seconds, which was 45 seconds faster than her prelim time. “Even though I was dreading it, the second time felt easier,” says Mooi.
It took about three or four minutes post-finish to fully catch her breath, says Mooi, and another whole day before she could inhale deeply again. “It was like a tickle was trapped in my chest,” she says.
Mooi prepped for this intense challenge with lots of weight training and cross-training.
A former competitive swimmer, Mooi started running and cross-country skiing for fitness three years ago when she moved to Ironwood. “I also like to bike, hike, backpack, and canoe,” she says. “I’m very active to begin with, and pretty much never follow a strict training plan of any sort. I’m all about cross-training.”
This year, her cross-training involved cross-country skiing and long-distance running. Mooi was planning to run a marathon—until she strained her IT band. The injury was bad for her running (she dropped out of the marathon), but “good for Red Bull,” says Mooi, because she then spent more time doing activities that better prepared her for the challenge, like biking, hiking, and stair-stepping. About a month before the race, she began a once-a-week, intense lower-body weight training sequence, which consisted of a 5- to 6-set circuit of deadlifts, squats, and leg presses, with 6 to 8 reps of each move in every set.
The one thing she didn’t do: train on the mountain itself. “I wanted it to be a surprise,” says Mooi. And besides, “how do you even prepare for something like that?” she adds. “It’s such a different race.”
Her post-victory celebrations were decidedly low-key.
She called her family to share the news and though she doesn’t drink beer, she went to a local brewery to hang with friends. The next day, with relatively few aches and pains, she tackled a 13-mile hike, the longest she’s done all year.
So what’s next for this badass athlete? “Well, I have to defend my title,” Mooi says with a laugh. “Give me a little time and I would be ready for it again.” Somehow, we have a hunch that Mooi won’t need much time at all.
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