GAYLORD – Only days away from welcoming its first National Olympic Snowboard Team to Michigan, the Otsego Club is putting the finishing touches on its 22-foot Monster Halfpipe as they await the arrival of international athletes, representing countries from all corners of the globe.

Throughout the next two months, the Otsego Club will be hosting seven National Olympic Snowboarding teams including Japan, Germany, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United States.  Each team, including athletes, coaches and personal trainers, will be calling the Otsego Club home as they prepare for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada this February.

Entering the 2010 season, the Otsego Club and its all mountain terrain park, called “The O Park”, have been turning heads with what is arguably one of the largest snowboard terrain parks in the Midwest.

“This place is amazing!”, said local snowboarder Oliver Dixon during the Otsego Club’s Opening Weekend event. This past weekend, the resort played host to a variety of special events including an International Series of Champions (ISOC) Can-Am Challenge snowmobile race, Middle Earth Snow Series ski and snowboarding slope-style competition, as well as a new indoor skate park.

The Martin Luther King Holiday weekend is looking to be even bigger with an array of wintertime events and celebrity guests.  In fact, leading up to the weekend of January 16 – 18, professional snowboarders Scott Stevens and Nick Visconti will be testing out the O Park alongside Pat Milbery while he prepares for his Mighty Midwest Snowboard Camp at the Otsego Club.

The Mighty Midwest Snowboard Camp will be open to kids of all ages and go from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday of that weekend. Aside from receiving one-on-one training from some of the nation’s best snowboarders, Red Bull’s MTX truck will be there as well, treating “campers” to a variety of music and interactive entertainment.  People interested in attending the snowboard camp can visit www.the-opark.com for more information.

Beginning on Thursday the Otsego Club is open to the public every Monday through Friday. Lift tickets are $25 per person and go from noon to 9 p.m. each day. Midweek ski packages start at $49 per person and include one night of lodging and one lift ticket for the following day based on double occupancy.

Families who wish to experience the private club ski conditions at Otsego Club should try the “Test Drive Package.”

The package, which is available every weekend based on availability, starts at $495 for the weekend for a family of four. This includes two-night lodging, two adult lift tickets, two kids lift tickets and breakfast daily in the Duck Blind Grille. Lift tickets are good for Friday upon arrival, all day Saturday and all day Sunday. Additional charges apply for extra kids.