Although the Lafayette area has some hills suitable for basic beginner snowboarding, downhill skiers have to leave to find venues with ski ropes or amenities. With the closing of the Nashville and Valparaiso venues, only 2 ski resorts remain in Indiana.
Perfect North Slopes (link) at Lawrenceburg (link) is near Cincinnati and about a 3.5 to 4 hour drive. This historic area along the Ohio makes for a good weekend getaway in spring through fall. With Perfect North Slopes and some cold weather it’s also a great winter getaway. They feature downhill, snowboard and tube slopes.
Paoli Peaks (link) near Paoli is a popular venue. A 3.5 to 4 hour drive from Lafayette, Paoli is south of Bloomington on 37 and east of French Lick on 150/56. French Lick (link) is the closest town for hotel accommodations. If you are visiting Bloomington, Louisville or Evansville areas, Paoli Peaks is a day run.
To the north, southwest Michigan ski resorts are very popular with Lafayette skiers.
Swiss Valley (link) is the closest at about 2.5 to 3 hours drive. It is between South Bend and Kalamazoo for hotel accommodation. It is certainly near enough to make a day trip of it.
Timber Ridge (link) near Gobles is about 3.5 hours drive. Kalamazoo (link) is the closest big city for hotel accommodations, although it’s about 45 minutes to South Haven (link) so that is a good option as well.
Bittersweet (link) is about 20 minutes north of Timber Ridge at about 3.5 to 4 hours drive.
It is fairly common to see Lafayette folk at any of these three Michigan venues. Staying in Kalamazoo or South Haven on Saturday night allows for a ski day at both Timber Ridge and Bittersweet.
Check out the Lafayette Ski Club (link) for fellow enthusiasts.
These are family friendly venues with children's instructions and rental items.
Illinois ski venues (link) within 4 hours drive.
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