Operation of the former Grayling Winter Sports Park was taken over by local businessman and entrepreneur Fred Bear of Bear Archery and operated as Bear Mountain for a few years in the 1960′s up until 1973. Bear wanted to build the area into a large, commercial area to challenge the big ski areas further north. Bear Mountain featured an polygonal hotel brought from the Montreal Olympic Village and many ancillary businesses. Bear greatly expanded the skiing facilities and lift plant. On Dec. 10, 1970, the AAA Michigan 1971 Winter Sports Fun List, published in The Cass City Chronicle listed Bear Mountain as having 20 slopes, a double chair lift, T-bar, Poma, and 12 rope tows. They offered ice skating, tobogganing, night skiing and snowmaking.
On Jan 4, 1968, The Cass City Chronicle printed the AAA Guide to Winter Sports Fun in Michigan which listed Bear Mountain (formerly Grayling Winter Sports Park) with 20 runs and slopes, T-Bar, chairlift, Pomalift, 10 ropes, Ice skating and tobogganing, snowmaking, and night skiing. Obviously the name change was this year or just prior.
Unfortunately, Bear Mountain was situated on land which had been willed to the state for military or recreational use. The family of the donor objected to the land being developed for profit and brought suit. A judge had the area padlocked in 1973. The area is now operating as Hanson Hills Recreation Area.
I worked on the building in 1967 1968. It was part of a government funded project to create work during the time. As I recall it was a geodesic dome like structure. I’m not sure but may have a picture of it. It was to be a lodge for skiers. I stayed overnight in it once.
I skied Bear Mountain during either the 1972 or 1973 ski season as a member of a church group. They had one double chair and a bunch of rope tows. The fondest memory of mine about Bear Mountain was its toboggan chutes, which had close to 400 feet of vertical drop down what would now be rated double black diamond terrain. The chutes had steel rails on either side to keep the toboggans headed the right direction, and the chutes were flooded with water that turned to ice, which made for a fast and bumpy ride. The attendant claimed that the toboggans could reach 90 mph, and each of the several times that we tried it, we ran right off the end of the chute and into a field. It was too bad that they didn’t have a lift to get sliders back to the top.