Mt Brighton

I was very disappointed with my evening ski at Mount Brighton, in fact I didn’t even ski. I came here for a ski trip. There are no lifts running they turned off all the rope tows, and now there are people just walking up the mountain. I know this year it was bad for skiing but really close the mountain if people have to walk up the mountain to ski down.

Wanted to ski Mt. Brighton (Vail) with my friend who had ski equipment but being from out of town I didn’t so I had to rent some. I thought since Vail purchased Mt. Brighton a couple years ago their equipment would be pretty decent. I was greatly disappointed when I got there. The boots were packed out and cheap meaning they were seasons old which is not good for the customer but very profitable for Vail. They did not offer demo skis (very surprised) so I had no choice but to rent a bottom line Élan ski which the tech said were his best. They skied like a low line rental ski (2X4). The price was fair at $ 24 but no matter how good the deal is if you’re equipment hurts while skiing you’re getting a bad experience. I highly recommend if you’re skiing Mt. Brighton you pick up some rentals at your local ski shop who care more about your experience than Vail does. So much for Epic.

This is a pretty small scale hill for snowboarding and skiing. It’s passable if you can’t get to better resorts, but it’s really not the hill for real winter sports enthusiasts. I grew up around here, so it’s something all the Brighton natives have tried out now and then, but if you’re serious about skiing and snowboarding, try somewhere else. It is, however, an excellent run for kids and beginners alike. The hill is small, you are gone fast and there isn’t much of a chance of a major calamity, so that’s good. The bunny hill is a good way to start for anyone not well versed in the skiing world. It’s pretty cheap to ski here, so if you can’t get to any better powder or if you are a beginner, this is your ticket.

I will give the good, the bad, and the very very very bad in the winter of ²⁰¹⁴⁄₂₀₁₅:
The good:
If not far from home and you have young kids you want to train, this place is good for that. Don’t expect much skiing/​boarding if you know what you are doing at all. You will be disappointed. But for very young kids it is probably good. The facility is in good shape also and food reasonably cheap by ski standards.
The bad:
If you come here with kids you will likely rent. Well, the lines were horrible and slow moving. They had only one older guy moving really slow and a very long line when I waited once and it was awful. My 4 year old was getting bored. This smacks of poor organization.
The very very very bad:
I was training my kid on the bunny slope mostly pulling him up the slope on a short tow rope. I know how to ski well. 1^st time here they were ok with that it seems and I bought a lift ticket to look around on my own (ski the whole place in 10 – 15 min so was not worth it) and the rest just ran in boots with my son. Nobody bothered us and it was safe. The second time some older employee Dan B. came by all excited saying what I was doing was horribly unsafe and I had to get a lift ticket. Ok … I was po’d and a bit sarcastic pointing out it was ok before and they need consistency and why would it go from safe/​unsafe if I do the *same* thing with the ticket. Then this jerk Dan B drops f-​bombs on me in front of my 4 year old, he follows us to the cashier and watches me the whole time saying something to them (my kid noticed and was asking what was wrong). Later I see him pointing me out to a manager on the bunny slope saying something from a distance. Well, I had enough of that at this point and came by to discuss with them with my 4 year old right behind me. I was calm and explained to the manager they need consistency and it was ridiculous to claim it was unsafe and then safe when I had a ticket doing the same thing. The manager was sympathetic and gave the usual «it’s the lawyers type thing» which may or may not be true. But in this process Dan B. drops an F-​bomb on me *again* right in front of my kid and the manager. I kid you not. I would have dusted him up if we were in private at that point without my son around. I was surprised that the manager did not fire the guy on the spot. The manager told him Dan B to leave the area right away after this second outrage. We talked about it and he was cool enough. But I still can’t get over this jerk Dan B. is working in a kid oriented place. Unbelievable. Finally, after paying for my lift ticket (to pull him around the bunny slope! My fanatic skier brother thought I was joking when I told him about this), my son’s rentals etc, this was a expensive outing for very little since I could have done the same in local sledding areas. It would be horrific next year since my son (5 now) would need a lift ticket too. So I am unsure I will go back unless I just drop my son off for lessons (may try that).
If this place had a good staff it would be ok for what it is: small hill training of little kids in a very flat region to avoid a long drive to better. But with an employee like Dan B. that I ran into — unless it was very bad luck, the place should be closed down. I wish I made that part up but I did not. The saving grace is I don’t think my son noticed much other than when Dan B. was following us in the line and became concerned we had done something.

Here in a crowded Sunday for my son’s first board lesson. I couldn’t sign up online so I emailed just yesterday and got a quick response that there was room in the class. Everyone was helpful and friendly this morning. And I’m enjoying my day skiing for the first time in years. It doesn’t feel too crowded. I do wish there was a trail sign outside. I’m old and can’t see the paper map without my glasses and even that has some pretty tiny print. This is not an inexpensive endeavor and the café food is pricey but I expected that.

I am 28 and just learning to ski. Mt. Brighton had an excellent bunny hill for me and even though the hill was VERY busy, it was easy to get up and down the hill. I was even able to try my first chairlift by the end of the day!
I have only one complaint. There is a hill which was less steep than the hill I eventually did try, it is right behind the ski rental door. It’s a great hill for beginner skiers but the rope tow is killer. People were constantly falling and beginners were unable to try a great beginner hill because the rope tow was too challenging.

I went up night skiing on a Friday and paid for use of the mountain. The lights went off for at least 90 min. Some lights never turned back on. They did nothing for us the and manager Emily lokin was rude and had no empathy. They clearly do not care about their customers.

Very fun to go there sometimes but it’s not very good conditions often. Very icy. Also, their costumer service is terrible. If you call there, don’t expect a call back for at least a day. One time, they didn’t call back for 4 days.

I paid $ 65 for my 12 year old to night ski with rentals. On top of that, only 3 lifts were running.
Maybe theres something I’m missing, but I’m trying to find the value in this. I live in brighton, I’ve been here a few times, I’m probably just going to take my money to Mt. Holly or Alpine Valley… just not worth it…

Hmm, where to begin.
Let me just start out by saying that I grew up skiing and boarding at very large mountains in New Hampshire. Mt. Brighton is a hill and it takes me anywhere from 15 seconds to 45 seconds to board from the top of the slope to the bottom. I’m not going to lie, I do go there often because it is close and I have such a deep desiree to go boarding all of the time.
Pros:
–It’s one of very few places to go skiing/​boarding in SE Michigan that is close to the Detroit area.
–They upgraded to a sweet new RFID ticket system that can be scanned through all of your gear.
–If you purchase tickets online, you get $ 5 off your first visit and $ 15 off return visits.
–Once you have your card from the first time you go, you can keep reloading that card online so you don’t have to wait in line for tickets. SWEET!
–Their terrain park is probably the best part of the hill.
–If you get a tune-​up from the board shop, they really know what they’re doing and won’t mess up your stuff.
–Two lodges. 1 is fancy and very hot inside while the other is bright and open and cool.
While there’s so much good stuff to say about Mt. Brighton, most of this stuff really has nothing to do with actually being out on the slopes.
Cons:
–the trails are straight as a pin, from top to bottom (with the exception of one).
–takes two seconds to get to the bottom
–half of the people who work here apparently don’t know how to hold the chair so it doesn’t smash into you when you’re getting on the lift
–there’s only a handful of trees on the hill
–it gets super windy because the only land all around Mt Brighton is basically flat and there’s nothing really on the slopes to block the wind
–they don’t give vouchers for a different day when you’re not pleased with conditions even though your ticket is already paid for and you’ve only taken two runs (they can tell how long you’ve been skiing for so it should be no problem)
Conclusively, after all that, Brighton just gets super super boring, very fast.
** Just a side note:
I just went to holly mountain for the first time, after I started writing this review & thought to myself «OH MY GOD! Why in the world have I been going to Brighton this whole time!!! Mt. Holly is a million times better on so many levels & it’s worth the farther drive and more expensive price, for sure!!»
Save yourself a trip to Brighton and go to Holly instead! Holly mountain may be just «okay» compared to the places I’m used to skiing at but it definitely beats Brighton by a long run!

Service was not good. Not good when you have to go up to the bar and get your drink from the bartender. Very slow service. Food was good though but doesn’t excuse the service.

When you have to build a hill to ride on, you know you’ve got problems.
After a few days telemark skiing at Mt Brighton back in the day, I watched an early-​90s ski flick called _​Aspen Extreme_​and had some overwhelming déjà vu — the opening scenes of the ski-​poor Midwest and rusted chairlifts are indeed filmed in Brighton.
Since I started at Brighton, I’ve changed my small-​hill mode from tele skiing to snowboarding; that makes me fit in better, but doesn’t really improve the overall experience. Over the same time span, the Vail conglomerate has purchased and «upgraded» the area — I saw some improvements (a new lift or two), but nothing game-​changing, or even qualitatively significant.
It’s still windy. There still aren’t any trees. It’s still straight runs without any flow — even the parks are set up linearly. It’s gotten significantly more expensive, and only slightly bigger.
There’s a fancy RFID ticket system (which is slick), but the line to get set up is still surprisingly long and slow-​moving. You don’t get much benefit until the second visit — and then, only if you’ve signed up for automatic credit card billing and don’t rent gear. If you need a snowboard for the day, you’re back in line.
I’ll go once a season for the contrast and the Hollywood connection, but most days I’d rather drive further to Mt Holly, which has some winding trails, some interesting terrain, and some pleasant foliage.

About me: I am an experienced skier of 20 years, having skied «out west» Utah and Colorado, New England, and several small eastern and Midwestern «resorts». My viewpoint is it’s better to ski a small hill (great to work on technique and get lessons… yes, even advanced skiers can use coaching!) than sit on the couch. I have a 4 year old that I just started in the ski school.
I recently moved to Ann Arbor area and I’ve been to mt Brighton once… I never saw «non-​epic» Brighton to compare.
Here is my review, covering each amenity…
1) Lift ticket line: Lines were relatively long, so I can understand frustration at first as exhibited by reviews below. HOWEVER, don’t let this deter you. What reviews do not mention below is that the «preferred program» pass (free) has the option to add a credit card to your pass! Stand in line once… then after that, you can skip the line and just get your pass scanned by the snow on future visits and it automatically charges you the discounted preferred pass rate. I was at lift in 5min while others waited in line at window. That’s what I’d call EPIC. This RFID tech is what I see a lot of out west at the large resorts, and I find it very convenient when hauling my kiddo (she has her own pass, too!).
2) Ski School: Mixed feelings, but very happy now. When I called to inquire (two separate occasions), I spoke with a gentleman who was a bit overbearing, rude, and quite frankly, nearly drove me away to another local area to seek lessons. But I let it slide since this place is so close to my house. Great decision. The ski school desk folks were VERY nice, helpful, and really made setting up my young daughter’s pass and lessons simple. But in fairness, it was a weekday and things were slow. The ¾ year old group lessons were fantastic… I was a bit weary of who the instructors would be as ¾ age group needs a «teacher» that can handle toddlers. On two separate weekday lessons, we got «Chris» and he was awesome with the kids… very patient. My daughter now LOVES skiing… I thank him.
3) Ski Hill: Small, short… but entertaining for a few hours! I was blessed with great snow, and a couple of the steepest runs had bumps. That was a fun opportunity to work on technique! But once again, I had really low expectations! The new quad chairs were nice… other patrons said this was a huge improvement. I can imagine this is true based on some of the older lifts I experienced on backside. In the end, I’d say comparable to any other resort in SE Mich, so considering cheap tickets with preferred program and the proximity to my house, no point driving any farther.
4) Terrain Park: looks well designed and modern, but not my thing so I’ll leave it at that.
5) Dining: At first, we turned «right» into what appears to be old side by the ski shop. Not impressed… mainly area high school ski racing clubs were setup with their snacks, etc. Then we went to «other» side… wow, what a difference. This is where the money was spent. Much nicer and new, but a bit «cold» for my taste… in other words, I prefer more log cabin style «warmth» but this is more modern cafeteria vibe. Full bar was a pleasant surprise… a few beers on tap, but not the craft beer selection I’ve become accustomed to here in Michigan. Lunch was decent, but once again, I’m used to mediocre over-​priced lodge cafeteria fare.
6) EPIC: Great move Vail — well played. I think Epic Mix is fun — checking vertical is cool and some badges are funny! I think Epic Pass deals are brilliant. Considering my last trip to SLC (Alta, PCMR, Solitude) cost me over $ 450/​person for 5 days. If I have a trip planned, I’d happily choose an Epic family resort now if for $ 600, I can ski locally all season for free. Very smart business move — it’s working.
All in all, I am very happy with our experience… I’ve gone skiing twice there now, and my daughter will be going for her 3^rd lesson in as many weeks. Hope Vail keeps it up, as some of these positives may wear off in time if Vail isn’t committed to the concept.

Been here two times in the last week and really enjoy it. Very comparable to anything locally and what sets it apart is the rest areas, the bar/​grill area, etc. Definitely recommend going here.

20 min from my home. Great sky condition and great stuff. I usually go there after work for few hours in the evening. The tracks are small but very fun and allow great maneuvering for all mountain style. In addition, they have great park for advanced rider.
I read people here not satisfied with small things. Let’s make long story short this site is the best urban site I saw. it gives you example of sky resort. For those who are looking for the real thing go and spend 5,000 $ in colorado or 1500 $ in Boyne for a week. Go there and
ENJOY!

Read John W’s review below, it sums it all up nicely but;
1.we also waited 45 minutes to an hour for tickets
w
2. 4 windows open only
3. A vail employee directed us to the shorter line that was served by one of the four windows (yup, only 1)
4. At the windy the clerk said we were in wrong line to join loyalty program (I threw a mini fit and she let us join)
5. The same clerk said we couldn’t buy our snowboarding lesson here and had to go to ski school (but once at ski school they said they don’t sell tickets and we should have bought at ticket counter (mini fit number 2)
6. Mini fit 3 came when when she said we were to late for lessons after she learned she could sell us a ticket for lessons.
What no online sales? That could fix the line issue to some extent.
Still manual rental process even after we registered for loyalty program (you would think they could capture this in a «profile»
So to sum it up, in line before 12 noon for 1 to 4 snowboarding lesson, started lesson at 130. grrrr

I was at the remodeled «Epic» Mt. Brighton for the first time today. For those not in the know, Vail Resorts bought Mt Brighton after last season and put in what they claim are $ 10 million in improvements. Their slogan is, «this is where Epic begins». Well I wanted to be nice, but this is the worst $ 10 million dollar lipstick you can put on a pig. I feel badly for Hyun L. who visited from Indiana (Hyun’s review is also here on Unilocal) and my group also experienced some of the same old Mt Brighton, if not worse.
Staring with the good, once you make it to the snow it’s good. Stay there. To Vail’s credit they’ve added a frequent rider program with discounts on future lift tickets and they also changed out the snow guns which look like they work much better. They now have magic carpets in the beginner area instead of rope tows which I recommended in my original review in 2009. Nice! There are some new lifts too, a double chair is now a quad. Even lifts I rarely saw working in years past are now working and more terrain is open. There are more jumps and features for snow boarders. So much so I would say this is now probably one of the better places for snow boarders in SE Michigan if you can tolerate the negatives. For me I’m downgrading Brighton from 3 stars to 2 stars, and I’ll tell you why if you wish to read on.
If you’re new to Brighton though or expect some sort of «Epic» service this is where you will be disappointed. Like Hyun L., we waited a LONG time outside for lift tickets. There were only 3 windows open (at least 6 windows could have been open) on December 26… a day when everyone wants to come to the hill and try out the new gear they got for Christmas. This was a disaster and we waited in line about 45 minutes. It’s outside and it is COLD. How Epic is that? I heard people in line saying, «Do you just want to go to Alpine Valley?». Yeah, Alpine. Since Vail is so slick, how about adding a will call window so I can buy a lift ticket online and just skip all the newbies and newcomers who need to sign up for the preferred program? Why can’t I sign up online and pay online? And who is scheduling the ticket agents and only putting THREE people in the booths? Epic planning. This is not the way to welcome people to the Epic experience. I’ve NEVER waited this long for a lift ticket at Brighton until today. It’s unacceptable and obviously an ongoing problem since I read Hyun L.‘s review. If this is how it is at all Vail resorts… no thanks!
The website was not clear if Brighton was on the holiday schedule for Dec 26 or not. It turns out they were on holiday schedule, no big deal. However this is just another example of the lack to working out details and process. Remember the $ 10 million lipstick. Process problems. Personnel problems. Communication problems.
Now it’s a couple hours of skiing in the books problem-​free. Time to head to the former Bowery bar & grill now called the Ore Creek Mountain Grill. THIS is the Epic lipstick on the pig job. Yes they cleaned the old bar up a bit. The bar looks a lot better and is more open. Even the glassware is clean! However, the service is poor, poor, poor. Worse than ever! Wait 15 minutes for a hot chocolate? Check. Server has no idea what is on tap? Check. Server takes forever to get beer order and then wants to walk away without asking if we want to order from the menus she gave us 20 minutes ago? Check! And to make matters worse, you have to enter this place from the double-​secret back way (the parking lot). Want to come into this bar from the slopes? No, the door is locked. There are no racks for your skis under the outdoor Epic deck overlooking the slopes too… the same ski racks that have been there year after year after year. Not this year. I have no idea who Vail is reserving this bar for, but it certainly is not for those who ski. We spent way too much time here waiting for service, paid way too much for food and beverage, and got nothing but slow and un-​Epic skilled service. I would get better service at any ordinary restaurant, I’m not even in a rush yet I feel like our server does not exist.
Not sure when I will be back. 2 stars.

Absolutely negative experience. We went to the 1 – 5 afternoon only to:
1) stand in line outside in 15degree weather for tickets for 90minutes!!!
2) ended up still having to pay the overpriced full fee which amounted to about 130 $ for two people.
3) even though we got there before 1, we started skiing at 3pm because of the wait.
4) once we got our rental equipment, both our equipment were not even in working condition so we had to go back and exchange them which took another 20minutes because staff didn’t know what to do.
I never take the time to write reviews but i felt so strongly about warning others and sparing them from this absolute disgrace of an experience. Please take my advice and stay away.

You’re not going to find anything very steep in SE lower Michigan, but that’s not a problem for me. I can practice technical turns to my heart’s content better on the flatter terrain, anyway.
You’ll see ski teams there after school lets out. They set up gates on the steepest part, and they’re fun to watch.
The cafeteria is … well, it’s fuel to keep you going. That’s all.
The night skiing is my fave. I’ve never had to wait very long to get back on the chair lift and try it again. Most of the time I’d slowly slide to the lift line, and keep sliding up to the chair. One run after another, until we got sleepy and had to head home. My schedule forces me to be even earlier to bed and to rise than before, so I miss the night skiing after work.
The snow is usually smushed flat and shiny with ice, so you’ll learn to carve like an Olympian.

I had my first lesson at Mt. Brighton today and while it’s a small, local, gravel pit slope (yay, flat Midwest), it was great.
After scheduling and then rescheduling a two hour private lesson (I ended up getting sick) I drove over today excited to make some progress in my skiing. There was no wait outside and it was easy to get my exchange student set up with rentals and a lift ticket. I paid for my rental and lift ticket before going in to speak with the ski school rep. I paid and was directed to the rental area where I quickly got my boots, skis and poles. The whole process is seamless. The staff was friendly and helpful but not overbearing.
My instructor and I met outdoors. George asked me about my experience and what I could do and then taught me how to use the rope tow. Blech. But it’s better than walking up. We did some stuff midway up the bunny slope before going all the way up. The instructional area was well-​maintained, policed and clear.
After practicing turns and stopping George and I headed to the chair lift of doom. This is where Mt. Brighton loses a star. Especially for someone who’s never ridden a chair lift wearing skis (only to look at foliage) it was terrifying to not have a safety bar. I think George could see my panic and he kept me chatting.
After gracefully falling off the chair lift and scooting out of the way my panic hit full tilt when I realized that if I got lazy and just let myself go down in my usual fashion, I was probably going to go about 60 mph and die. George and I went across (or acrossed as Michiganders say) the mountain, practicing turns, slowing down and stopping. Despite being afraid this was way better than the bunny slope because I could keep practicing without having to keep getting back on that God forsaken rope tow.
While I have a long way to go before I feel like a real skier, I’m looking forward to my next lesson (no bunny slope!) and conquering the chairlift.

I hadn’t been skiing in about 14 years, until last weekend. If you’re going to die, it might as well be in the snow, surrounded by friends… Ok, it wasn’t that dramatic and I even managed to graduate to the real hills and not snowplow the whole way down. Not bad considering I’m too cheap to get a refresher lesson, and I also really have a deathwish.
This place has smaller hills, and is good for beginners. It was a great place for boyfriend to try snowboarding for the first time. It was also a good place for me to not end up on my butt too many times.
We spent a Saturday afternoon on the slopes, snacking in the cafeteria on the insanely cheap snacks, getting destroyed by the Aerosmith video game, and avoiding the obstacle courses of snowboarders strewn about the slopes in various patches. I only wiped out at the end and got ice road rash on my back a little. At least I didn’t tear my robot shirt.
Also there was a sled competition the day we went, and let me just say, watching two guys pump iron on a home weight machine while sliding down a snow hill is something everyone should witness.

If you absolutely HAVE to ski in the Detroit area, Mt. Brighton is one of the four active ski areas that are within an hour of the metro Detroit area. Just like the other three ski areas, Mt. Brighton was a former gravel pit (not a garbage dump as per popular opinion) that was converted to a ski area. If you’re looking for a true ‘mountain’ experience… this isn’t it. However, it does provide a fun winter retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city life.
Mt. Brighton is actually two hills. From the parking lot looking towards the hills, the bump on the right is geared more toward beginners and intermediates while the bump on the left is more for the advanced skiers. There are seven total chairlifts that serve the ski area. Each chairlift is color coded per their trail map. The red and black triple person chairlifts serve the beginner/​intermediate slopes on the main slope of the right bump. These are always the first lifts to open for the season, so it’s a safe bet that these lifts will always be running whenever the ski area is open for business.
The base lodge is your typical midwest day area setup (don’t expect Aspen or Chamonix). There is a cafeteria-​style restaurant for the masses with moderately priced food of lower quality. There is also a ‘lounge’ that serves guests over the age of 21 (under 21 welcomed when accompanied by a parent/​guardian) which can be a relief on high school or middle school ski nights. The food is MUCH better in the lounge compared to the cafeteria.

Surprisingly, weekend crowds aren’t that bad. This area serves local skiers during the work week. Most people making weekend ski trips forgo the local hills and head further north. Be careful when skiing on Thursday or Friday nights as these are generally when the local schools have their weekly ski outings.