The Otsego Ski Club opened in 1939. On Fri., Mar. 14, 1941, the “Michigan Mirror” column of The Cass City Chronicle said:
At Gaylord, highest point of the lower peninsula,(is)the Otsego Ski Club, with a log clubhouse overlooking the majestic Valley of White Sands through which the Sturgeon River twists...
In 1955, Alan Gornick purchased the resort from the estate of Donald McLouth. Today, the 4000 acre resort has 105 guest rooms, 4 golf courses, ski hill, and restaurant. OSC for a time also referred to the ski area they operated as a private club with no public sales as Hidden Valley.
In 1959, Sports Illustrated noted: Hidden Valley, Gaylord added a 1380′ double chair lift with a 270′ rise added by Otsego Ski Club; admission by membership only.
Read more:http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1134079/index.htm#ixzz1Hxb9eXGu
As of this writing, Otsego has been in continuous operation as a ski area for 72 years and is the oldest ski club in America with it’s own ski facility. They have 5 chairlifts, including a high speed quad and 2 halfpipes.
There are five chairs, 3 two place, 1 three place, and 1 four place (not high speed) plus a rope tow as of 2012. The club was sold to Osprey LLC around 2007 and is up for sale now. Our latest claim to fame was the creation, two years ago, of a 22′ Super pipe prior to the Vancover Olympics. We hosted 14 teams from all over the world who trained at Otsego.