Pando was founded as the Pando Ski Center in 1960 outside the town of Rockford, near Grand Rapids. In 1977, it was sold to the current owners who renamed it Pando Winter Sports Park. Pando’s new owners adopted policies friendly to the new sports of “snurfing” and then snowboarding, hosting the annual World Snurfing Championships and in 1979 hosted the world’s first snowboarding competition, won by Jake Burton Carpenter.
Later, Pando became the first area in Michigan to install a tubing hill. Pando’s web site had a page recounting their history, but the URL now re-directs to Cannonsburg’s site, so the history has been lost.
After 55 years in business in the Grand Rapids area, Pando was still a popular local ski destination, but was purchased by Cannonsburg about 2015, who announced plans to close and renovate it. Pando has not re-opened. Pando closed for the last time on March 12, 2015.
I live in Grand Rapids and am about 5 miles from pando, they have been closed fro the past 2 seasons when Cannonsburg bought it. I think they’re redoing the lodge and are going to try to re open next season
Too bad this little historic area most likely reopen.
Great write up and report from a Washington DC ski columnist of Pando from 2008http://www.dcski.com/articles/1073