With no obvious chases out west, Midwest skiers may want to look toward the Upper Peninsula for soft turns this weekend.

As of Thursday morning, the hills on the UP appear to be in the line of the most snow. The largest amount will fall at Michigan Tech University’s Mont Ripley, which is expected to see 2-4″ today (Thursday, Feb. 1). For Tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 2) OpenSnow projects another 3-7″. Traces of snow are possible Saturday.

Additionally, the hill may be yours and yours alone as temperatures will linger in the single digits over the next five days across the Upper Midwest. So, if you can save yourself a seat at the bar or restaurant between runs, or for the Super Bowl on Sunday, you can stay warm and still find some alpine this weekend.

Where else?

Near Mont Ripley, Mount Bohemia should see some snow this weekend in the UP as well, although OpenSnow projects fewer inches than at Ripley.

Many areas across the Upper Midwest may see a dusting late this week and into the weekend, with the Minnesota areas seeing an inch possibly Saturday into Sunday. You’ll have to decide if a dusting is worth it given the temps.

One slightly out of the way area expected to see some snow this weekend is Terry Peak near Rapid City, South Dakota. I’m really stretching the geographic paradigm of this site by including Rapid City (which is usually where we stop for a meal on the way to Jackson from Minnesota), but Terry Peak is looking at 4-7″ Saturday, a trace on Sunday and another 1-3″ Monday.