Boyne Mountain Hosts New Skitoberfest Event

Boyne Mountain’s newest event, Skitoberfest, is a weekend as unique as the name itself. Happening October 3 and 4, Skitoberfest celebrates the coming winter season with a Snowsports Summit hosted by Cary Adgate and the best of fall’s family offerings in an Oktoberfest style setting. Highlights include a meet and greet with Winter X-games gold medalist, Simon Dumont, and former U.S. Ski Team Coach, Greg Needell; a brewfest featuring a dozen Michigan breweries; bratwurst of 30 varieties plus other gourmet food; live music and dancing; and kids’ art, bounce house and instrument making.

Staged in the Village, the event kicks off on Saturday at 2 pm. Michigan craft brewers including Short’s, Bell’s, Founders, Arbor, Mt. Pleasant, Tri-City, Atwater Block, Michigan, New Holland, Frankenmuth, and Wolverine Brewing, each will be serving up a variety of their best beers from 2 pm to 8 pm. Numerous Michigan wines are also available for tasting. To soak up the frothy brew, there will be 30 varieties of bratwursts homemade and grilled by Tannery Creek Meat Market of Petoskey as well as other food. Admission is $20 and includes 12 tickets for beer sampling and wine tasting. Additional tickets can be purchased.

Skitoberfest attendees can also enjoy local art, family hayrides, a pumpkin patch, fall color chairlift rides, a parade, and more. No need to worry about missing out on the biggest rivalry game in the state; the Michigan versus Michigan State game will be broadcast on a big screen. And the celebration doesn’t end there. A live band will play in the tent from 8 pm to midnight. The Snowsports Summit hosted by two-time Olympian and 2008 U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame inductee, Cary Adgate, returns after a year off and is bigger than ever. Offered Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm and again Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm, the Snowsports Summit includes informative sessions on gearing up for the winter season and guest speakers, Simon Dumont and Greg Needell. Dumont is a successful freestyle skier who has won two gold medals in the Winter X-games and holds the current world quarter pipe height record. Needell, a U.S. Ski Team coach from 2002-2008, helped lead the men's team to 43 wins, 105 podiums and 264 top ten finishes. Entry to the Snowsports Summit is $5 per person.