Warm Weather Affecting Ski Business

For the most part, cold weather and snow has skipped over southeastern Michigan this season.  That could change later this week, but it can't come soon enough for local ski hills.

Mickey MacWilliams with the Michigan Snowsports Industries Association says it's not just the local ski areas that are affected by warm weather, but resorts around the entire state.

MacWilliams says usually if there isn't snow in back yards, people tend to think there is no snow on the slopes, but that's not the case.

"Sometimes when it gets pretty warm it's hard to believe that there is snow on our ski hills, but believe it or not there is," MacWilliams told WWJ's Zahra Huber.  "Any time the temperatures get down below 28 degrees, our ski areas are making snow as fast as they can.

At Mt. Brighton, two chair lifts were open Monday and managers were expecting to open more later in the week.  There had been no complaints about the snow, according to one woman working in the lodge area.

Mt. Holly was reporting a base of seven to 24 inches with three lifts open Monday.

In Northern Michigan, The Homestead's website said "early indications for skiing and riding during the holidays will be man-made, machine groomed. The available terrain for skiing and riding will be limited. At this time, we anticipate having one chair lift and one surface lift open on December 26th.

With an unseasonably late start to the winter season and less than 2 inches of natural snowfall has been reported in Leelanau County to date, ski slopes look more green that white."

For more information about skiing and conditions, click here.