• Tuesday-What'sUP February 11 - 05:00 pm

One of the highlights of Michigan Tech's Winter Carnival is the Torch Light Parade on Mount Ripley, followed by the fireworks display. Thanks to Bob Gilreath, we get a front row seat to the events today.

The theme for this year's Carnival was: Nostalgic Films of Childhood Days, Come to Life in Frosty Ways. Thus the giant lit up Mickey Mouse on the face of Mt. Ripley ski hill. I've never been to the Torch Light Parade, so I'm wondering if this is made with people holding the lights and getting in formation? If so, that's quite an undertaking, to get Mickey's face in proportion and even all around.

Bob also captured the fireworks quite nicely shooting out of the top of the ski hill. The weather cooperated with a clear night and no snow in the air to obliterate the display. Actually the weather behaved for the entire week of events, including beforehand, providing plenty of snow for the winter festival here in the Keweenaw.

Nice work...that's worth braving the cold!

What awesome pics. I have never gone to the Winter
Carnival fireworks . Maybe next year.....

Love the photos! Thanks, Bob, and Mary.
The Mickey Mouse face looks like it's made with luminaries.

Road flares is my guess.

Very cool pictures!!!

I especially love the fireworks photos.

Anybody find out how Mickey's face was lit up? Just curious.

I'm still looking for photos of the Winter Carnival Snow Statues to post as daily photos, so if you were there snapping pictures, please send them to me at: mdrew@pasty.com

Thanks in advance!!

Mary,

I too was having trouble finds some statue
pictures. I see that MTU has now posted quite a few
additional ones on their official Flicker account.

https://tinyurl.com/kfjhvhl

The Winter Carnival-inspired design on the slopes of Mont Ripley and the torchlight parade are both done by the Mont Ripley Ski patrol. Patrol members vote on the design and then laboriously create it using road flares.

The Mont Ripley Ski patrol is one of the oldest in the nation, chartered in 1938, two years after the Ski Patrol was founded in 1936. Ski patrol basics are taught as an MTU class, something unique in the NSP world, and our patrollers have a national reputation as being the best!

Thanks for the info, Tom.
You were right, Alex ~ road flares. I did think, later, that they were too close together to be luminaries.