TRAVERSE CITY - Northern Michigan has had more snow this year than years past and ski slopes are have stayed busy. Mount Holiday in Traverse City opened late last year due to the lack of snow but this year is a very different story.
“It’s nice because we’ve had to endure a number of winters of, marginal snow and in some cases no snow,” shares Denny Hoxsie from Don Orr Ski ‘n Beach Haus, “And so, this year it’s been really nice because we’ve been able to, you know, to start skiing earlier on Thanksgiving time and, continue right on through. And so, it’s been good.
This year’s successful season is something Mt. Holiday hasn’t experienced for some time and it made this year even better.
“We were open for the first time for the Christmas holiday break in 7 years. Last year, obviously, we didn’t get open until, second week in January, I believe. So, we missed a lot of the, holiday race team events. We missed the beginning of Kiwanis. This year we of course, have hit all those marks. So, it’s been a really good year,” says Jim Pearson, Executive Director Mt. Holiday.
With the extra snow Mother Nature has been giving it brings hope that the ski season won’t be cut short.
“Well, you saw it a couple of years ago out West where, there was so much snow they couldn’t run the chairlifts. I don’t think we’re going to have that problem,” says Pearson,” But, I mean, there is a lot of snow to push right there, and we’re making a lot of snow, which means we’ll have snow later into the season. So now we can eventually kind of start trimming bring back some of our snow making process. Use what we’ve got and, maintain it throughout the season.”
With this snow there could be a chance for a longer ski season, but many people in northern Michigan move onto the next sport.
“The reality of what, of the ski world is that in March, people want to play golf. And, and so the interest kind of wanes later in the year. So, even though there’s a lot of snow on the hill, the numbers don’t show up,” explains Hoxsie.
Denny Hoxsie, who works at Don Orr Ski ‘n Beach Haus, a skier himself, is thankful that we have been having the weather needed to make a good season.
“Well, you know, the weather, even though it’s been cold, the weather’s been great. Now, if anybody downstate is thinking about it, they may not have a whole lot of snow down there, but we’ve got it up here, which is nice.”