Our guide for the week at Mount Bohemia, Joey Wallis, coined the phrase “Poor Man’s Japan” to describe Mount Bohemia, and I honestly can’t stop laughing at it. While it may seem to be a derogatory phrase, I actually see it as quite the compliment for the 900′ mountain in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Mount Bohemia is purely unique, and saying it’s a Mid-Western version of Japan powder skiing is probably not that far off.

I know what you’re thinking… “There’s no way in hell that a mountain in Michigan gets anywhere near the amount of snow that JaPOW does. This guy is an idiot.” And honestly, you might be right about both things.

Mount Bohemia equivocally does not get as much snow as Japan. But with an average close to 300″ annually, you can’t find better snow within a 1000 mile drive.

We enjoyed a lake-effect system that gave us 2-3″ every night. Just a perfect amount to soften up conditions each morning. The snow was dry and fluffy, completely unexpected for Michigan. Conditions were fantastic throughout the week.

I had an amazing time skiing Mount Bohemia, but the atmosphere and vibe of Boho is what I can’t stop thinking about. If you’ve ever watched Mount Bohemia TV, the resort’s astounding reality tv show, you probably have an idea of what goes on there. If not, let me paint a picture for you.

The base area of the resort is made of a handful of yurts that are interconnected. There’s a kitchen yurt, a bar yurt, a couple of dining yurts, a ski patrol yurt… you get the point. Boho is all about that yurt life.

Across from the yurts is the new Nordic Spa. A beautiful dark-brown stained log cabin serves as a bar and a sauna. Outside you can find the UP’s largest hot-tub and a huge heated pool.

Putting these features together leads to 10/10 Apres scene. Hot tub and pool parties happen every single night at The Nordic Spa. I appreciated that none of Boho’s lodging options have TVs in the room. This forces people to come together and socialize at the Nordic Spa or at the bar.

I met more people at Boho than any trip I’ve taken. Those “Yoopers” are some fine folks.

To wrap things up, here’s a list of funny things that I heard/saw while at Bohemia. Let them all serve as reasons for why you should head up there and experience it for yourself:

-A bus-full of skiers head-banging to “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath

-A snowboarder shredding the lift-line wearing only black Mount Bohemia underwear.

-Stories about “Disco Yurt” (Ask an employee, thank me later)

–Pretty Boy Adam– We met one of the stars of Mount Bohemia TV. What a legend.

-Shaking the snow globe at dinner- Mount Bohemia’s unofficial snow dance.

-Tents/Tepees/RVs- Shout out to the ski bums who live in Mount Bohemia’s parking lot.

-Duck Farts- Ask liftie Stevie about his specialty drink.

-Liftie Nun-chucks- Yeah, that happened

-Soaked college dudes running into the kitchen yurt while dinner was being served

-The North Pole Bar- Grab a beer and buckle up for one of the most entertaining bars in existence.