The Upper Peninsula Snow Thermometer: Record Keeping and Breaking Records in the UP

Records are made to be broken.

It's coming.  White, cold, and ready to make its appearance this winter.

Here comes the snow.

Edged by Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Huron, the Upper Peninsula has a beloved relationship with snow. So much so, that the Keweenaw Road Commission maintains a "Snow Thermometer", tracking the white stuff that falls every year.  This attraction boasts the record of being the world's largest snow thermometer.  It's website also holds claim to being one of the original website domains on the internet!

Traveling here, you can find records of snowfall the Upper Peninsula has both maintained and broken over the years.  (Interestingly enough, this year was the first year on record the UP did not have snow on Christmas.)  Snow is essential to the UP and provides the opportunity for Yoopers to break records themselves.

One of those records broken hails from Iron River, a small town south of the Snow Thermometer.  A Yooper Native, Nick Baumgartner, became the oldest Olympian in his sport to win a gold medal in the 2022 Snowboard Cross Olympic games.  He not only embraced the snow in the Upper Peninsula, he became a part of it's history.

Snow goes a long way to set records and break them.  It may not break a record every year, but it consistently comes, falls, and tries again.

Be persistent like Yoopers and snow.  Continue to come back to your dreams over and over again to set your own records and break them.  Travel to find new places, find new dreams, and set new records. 

There are no limits.

Break your own records and enjoy the snow along the way.

Tik Tok Snow Thermometer

Gold From Iron: Click for Nick's Book

Read about Nick's journey from the UP to a Gold medal.  Click above to find his book and Olympic fun!
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