- Business is booming for ski resorts in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula
- The region has been hit with several inches of snow already this year, which drives people to the slopes
- The lack of snow and unseasonably warm temperatures over the past two years caused some resorts to close early last season
After two years of dealing with unusually warm weather and very little snow, Michigan ski resorts are finally starting to see things turn around.
“As soon as the snow starts falling, the phone starts ringing,” said Brittany Primeau, communications director for Crystal Mountain Resort, near Traverse City.
The ski resort opened Friday, which is a few days later than its ideal opening date, Thanksgiving. Last year, when the resort did open around Thanksgiving Day, there were only nine runs open but this year, despite opening later in the season, the ski resort has 22 runs open.
“Even though the last couple of winters were a little challenging, I think people are just even more excited to get out on the slopes now,” she said. “People are eager, and they’re not giving up on winter just yet.”
Still, Primeau said the resort is offering a “crystal-flex pass” this year, good for customers who may be skeptical about buying season passes. “You don’t have to buy a whole season pass but you can buy a pack with two, three or four days and we have family packs.“
Last winter was one of the warmest on record in parts of Michigan, with temperatures reaching 60 degrees in February and March. Across the state, resorts that usually stay open well into spring had already begun closing up shop by early March.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture declared 42 counties in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula drought areas because of the mild winter and lack of snow last winter.
Several staple events in the state, like the Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race in Newberry and the UP200 sled dog race, were canceled for the second year in a row because of warm weather.
However this year, things seem to be turning around for the region, which relies heavily on cold temperatures and lots of snow to thrive.
Nearly 60 inches of snow has fallen so far this season in Gaylord, compared to a normal snowfall of 25 inches at this point in the year. That much fell in a single day in Gaylord at the end of November. Snowfall is also running above normal in Sault Ste. Marie, Traverse City and Petoskey, among other areas.
“All the hype from this recent snowstorm, everything that people were seeing on social media, all the posts from people Up North showing how much snow has hit their backyard over the course of a few days, has certainly helped to move the needle a little bit,” Jordan Peck, marketing manager of Boyne Mountain Resort in Boyne Falls.
This year, the ski resort opened after Thanksgiving, which is later than it typically would, but had a “stronger opening” compared to last year.
“We opened a little bit later but we opened stronger this year,” he said. “We’ve also got temperatures low enough to where we can make snow.”
Peck attributes the surge of customers to people living in other parts of the state who want to travel to Boyne Mountain to ski, rather than staying downstate.
“When folks downstate seeing snow and dealing with snow and wiping it off their cars, they’re much more inclined to think about possibly taking a winter trip and enjoying it,” Peck said.
Ski resorts in southeast Michigan like Pine Knob Ski Resort in Clarkston and Mt. Brighton Ski Resort in Brighton are also open for the season. The region experienced 5 inches of snow this week.
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