Faces of Forbush

Howard first came to Forbush Corner in the winter of 1986-1987 after moving from the Chicago Illinois area to Lansing. He was searching for the ideal place to ski, and traveled throughout Michigan in his search. During his search, he found advertisement for the Fredrick Loppet at Forbush corner. He met Dave Forbush at that event. That was the end of his search!

With Dave’s help he began revamping his ski equipment, and improving his technique. He spent every weekend at the Corner, usually staying in “the bunks”. This was the beginning of a partnership to develop and improve the ski trails and facilities. Dave and Howard began discussing problems with the buildings. Howard began assisting in trail maintenance, and supported Dave during the loss of the southern trail system, formerly back half of Roller Coaster. This property was recently recovered and is now “Cry Baby”. They worked together with a tight group of supporters to keep Forbush Corner open and growing.

In 1994 Dave and Howard collaborated on a coaching trip to New Zealand where they met Mary, whose family owned Waiorau Ski Resort near Wanaka, (South Island) New Zealand. They had the opportunity to coach the junior New Zealand team, spending 3 weeks in New Zealand, then traveled to Australia with the team for a week, during which they participated in the “Kangaroo Hoppet.” They enjoyed reminiscing over the years about being able to ski 10 months out of that year.

Their friendship remained close through the many years of Forbush Corner’s growth. They enjoyed sharing “diet muffins,” which just meant they cut them in half to share. He continued to stay close to Dave during his illness. The other inner circle supported each other, hoping for the best possible outcome for Dave. Cancer won out in 2014.

Five partners were named to carry on and sustain Forbush Corner after Dave’s passing. Each of the partners took on roles to preserve and grow the trails and services of Forbush Corner. Thanks to a beneficiary, plans were made to develop a snow making loop to lengthen the ski season. Howard continued to work with the other partners in the development of the snow making loop as project manager. He has provided the updates for the trail maps for several years.

He is now retired as senior engineer from Granger Construction, and lives with his wife Gail in their home in DeWitt. They spend as much time as they are able in the house Dave gifted them on the trails near Pancake.

Todd met Dave Forbush in 2007 and he quickly became a ski shop “bunkie” – staying in one of the shop bunks on weekends, helping with chores, and skiing every chance that he could afford to get away from his day job and up to Frederic. His friendship with Dave grew over the years, as did his passion to contribute year round at Forbush Corner. Dave taught Todd how to operate the grooming equipment in the winter, and how to use the Deutz tractor in the off-season to maintain and build trails.

Todd is an engineer with General Motors, and he currently lives with his wife, Lujin, in Farmington and works at the GM Proving Ground in Milford. He hopes to soon join the other Director’s at Forbush as a full-time retiree!!!

During the ski season, Todd enjoys snowmaking and spending early morning hours grooming the ski trails. He also anxiously awaits getting out on the trails after grooming to critique his “tracks.” In the off-season, Todd can be seen spending time on the tractor cutting grass, brush hogging, and blowing leaves off the trails.

Ann met Dave in 1995 while looking for a place to ski after moving to Gaylord. It only took one visit to find the place she would ski for the next 28 years. Dave enlisted Ann into trail work first, maybe cleaning up after a big storm or just getting the place ready over the summer and the fall. Then he started pulling her into getting the shop set up with the new inventory and teaching her how the shop worked. Finally, spending Dave’s last summer taking him to doctor appointments and learning even more about how to run his beloved Forbush Corner. What an honor it was to be entrusted with Dave’s life’s work. The most memorable times for Ann were working with Dave and Glinda on the trails while sharing all his wisdom about life.

Ann was a special education teacher for 30 years. She has grown twin sons and is married to Michael Bourassa, a dedicated Forbush volunteer. Now her time is spent running Forbush Corner Nordic. Her biggest passion is cross country skiing and has been at it for 32 years.

Ann’s main duties include- accounting/records, shop management, off-season trail work and most correspondence. Her favorite things, after skiing of course, are seeing all the happy faces that come through the doors, being on the trails in the fall doing trail work, and making snow. There is just something magical about making snow, just like waking up after a big snowstorm and seeing everything blanketed in white.

Larry has been a fixture at Forbush Corner since it was started in the mid 1980’s. Larry met Dave through racing in the White Pine Stampede and skiing at Forbush. He started out by helping to repair equipment and then became a groomer. Larry continues to be the main groomer at the center and his expertise is very evident when you ski the trails. He is also a certified Pisten Bully mechanic. His knowledge about these machines and all things mechanical is an invaluable service to Forbush Corner Nordic. Another very important job that Larry does is making snow. He spends many nights making snow and then many days pushing the snow around to create the snowmaking loop. He is a pro with the excavator helping to pull stumps and smooth out the trails during the off season. He does all the maintainece on the equipment and he fixes the machines when they breakdown which allows us to get the trails groomed without delays.

When Larry isn’t grooming or fixing our equipment, he enjoys cross country-skiing. In the off-season he enjoys fishing and golfing. Larry is married to Tina. She is one of our volunteers and does the trail maintenance on the snowshoe trails.

Growing up in Western Pennsylvania and vacationing in Northern Michigan, Alan developed a deep passion for the outdoors. His time working at summer camp sparked a love for helping others connect with nature and enjoy outdoor activities. He entered his first ski marathon, the Chautauqua Overland Ski Marathon, before even owning a pair of cross-country skis, and quickly discovered not only his enjoyment of the sport but also how gentle it was on the body.

About 10 years ago, Alan became involved in the Michigan skiing community, traveling there to participate in numerous Michigan Cup events. During this time, he earned his coaching certification through the Central Cross Country Ski Association and later transitioned to the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) to give back to the sport by helping others improve their skiing skills.

Alan and his wife Heather are avid outdoor enthusiasts who frequently travel to Northern Michigan and other picturesque locations. They have also had the pleasure of skiing at Sovereign Lake in British Columbia during the early season.

A few years ago, Alan began teaching at Forbush Corner Nordic at the invitation of Carole Mueller-Brumbaugh, the ski school director. Through this experience, he connected with fellow volunteers and directors at Forbush, finding a shared passion that fueled his desire to contribute. Volunteering in various roles beyond teaching, Alan found that his background in education, coaching, and outdoor leadership complements the strengths of the Forbush team. He deeply appreciates how Forbush provides a top-class environment where he can witness so many people enjoying the winter trails and the beautiful natural surroundings.

Mike found Forbush Corner and met Dave chasing snow in 2010. Living near Boyne City at the time, Mike did not mind the 45-minute drive to the “Frederic” snow belt and became spoiled by the Piston Bully grooming and the “Nordic” vibe. Dave was easy to talk to and imparted his ski knowledge willingly, and talked Mike into another pair of skis…

Mike worked 38 years for Consumers Energy, first on the Nuclear Side, then on the Natural Gas Side. Mike retired several years ago and is married to Ann, whom he met at Forbush. On his days off, Mike worked for Lou Awodey at the Boyne Nordican for several years, gaining valuable Nordic Center experience. Mike has been volunteering at Forbush Nordic since 2015.

During the off-season, there is always something to do to make Forbush better. Mike will be found working on building trails, general maintenance like mowing the grass, and working on buildings and infrastructure. During the season, Mike can be found in the shop, grooming, or better yet skiing!

Since 1986, I have been a XC ski instructor with the largest organization of ski instructors, which is the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA). I have taught thousands of lessons over the years in both West Michigan and Northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan and other areas in the United States. Currently, I am a PSIA XC Level 3 instructor and Central Region Ed Staff Examiner certifying other XC ski instructors along with a Children Specialist Level 2 and Senior Specialist Level 1 instructor.

As a retired Business College instructor from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, my love for teaching has continued by instructing XC ski lessons. Since my retirement in North Michigan, I restarted the Ski School at Forbush Corner Nordic making it a quality PSIA Ski School. I want more people to get outside, breathe fresh air, exercise, eat and drink foods that are good for them to live a long, fun, and fulfilled life. My concentration of instruction has been diverse over the years. I have designed, led, and taught children’s after school programs, women’s wine and ski fun programs, couple and family groups, and XC citizen racers. Recently, I am specializing in instructing adults and seniors, who need adaptations to their XC ski techniques or wish to start XC skiing even after recovery from orthopedic replacement procedures. I can relate as I am one myself, as I have missed a winter season with a right knee replacement surgery.

Last year, I had lower lumbar vertebrae reconstructive surgery. The best thing that my orthopedic surgeon told me is to still get out and keep moving but safely. Therefore, I can share my knowledge and adaptive techniques to still XC ski safely. I look forward to assisting guests to still XC ski and safely have fun on snow. With Forbush Corner Nordic's quality PSIA instructor staff that we have grown, I will advise and defer several of these other guest areas to them. This winter, I will be specializing instructing guests, who are women and couples along with guests, who have bionic replacement joints. I look forward to instructing a lesson for you and seeing you XC ski our beautiful ski trails, which meandering through the forests here at Forbush Corner Nordic Center.

My name is Ginnis and I volunteer in the shop most weekends. Originally from California, I came to Michigan over 20 years ago, after accepting a teaching position at Oakland University. I stumbled on Forbush Corner a couple years later and I instantly bought a season pass and started learning how to skate ski! I truly felt like I found a cross-country ski home, and as everyone knows, I never left.

Even though Forbush Corner has grown a lot over the past 20 years, it is still a magical place - with terrain perfect for a nordic center; impeccable grooming; impressive snow making capabilities; incredible skiers at all levels, from racers to skiers who are just enjoying the outdoors; and our devoted volunteers. I adore skiing – almost as much as I love making sure everyone who comes to Forbush has a wonderful experience on our trails. I am driven to play outside - so when the snow melts you will usually find me biking somewhere (usually unpaved); hiking; backpacking; kayaking; or camping. I will retire soon and that might bring new adventures in Michigan and beyond.