RESORT PROFILE
“I was working for the company back then, too. We hosted
12 different countries to train on a 22-foot halfpipe that we
built here. It was a pretty big deal. We had people from Korea,
Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Eastern Europe, the United
States, Canada and even Belarus was here. To build a 22-foot
halfpipe in Northern Michigan when there were only, I think,
six in the world at the time, and that we pulled it off, it was
amazing,” he said.
Otsego, according to Bedells, was not very busy during the
week at the time, so it was as if they had closed the entire resort
for the athletes, giving them the uninterrupted, focused
training time every professional athlete dreams of having.
The feedback they received from the athletes and coaching
teams was outstanding; the biggest complaint from their
guests was that they were fed too much food! Bedells hasn’t
ruled out hosting another event like that in the near future,
but realizes there would definitely be a few changes.
“I don’t know that we’ll build a 22 again,” said Bedells,
chuckling. “Big air and rail are where the push is right now.
And the 22-foot halfpipe is very expensive to build. So, maybe
an 18.”
Some may see the decision to go from a private to public
ski resort as the beginning of the end. The Otsego Club and
Resort has chosen to see this change as the ultimate opportunity
to not only continue providing phenomenal amenities
and services to their long-standing patrons but to also
gain many more new patrons from the public and showcase
the club’s unique history to the world. Given their dedication
“Our lodge is set at the top of the
ridge and the view is about 22
miles of the Sturgeon River Valley.”
– Mike Bedells, Otsego Club & Resort
to their club and positive attitude toward implementing
this change, new opportunities abound for Otsego Club
and Resort; in other words, going public has never looked
so good.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF OTSEGO CLUB & RESORT
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