Let it snow! Northern Michigan ski resorts welcome big weekend snowstorm

NORTHERN MICHIGAN — While some are planning to spend their weekends inside cozied up by the fire, others are getting ready to hit the slopes.

Winter in Northern Michigan is primetime for skiing, but the 2023-24 season started off slow, with less snow than usual.

According to the National Weather Service, average snowfall throughout the entire region has been down compared to other years.

As of Friday morning, Petoskey has seen a total of 29.3 inches of snow. Usually by this time of year, the city would have seen 54.6 inches of snow. Gaylord has seen 39 inches, usually seeing 71.3 inches by this time.

Treetops Resort in Gaylord has been able to stay open with a snow-making team working "around the clock, almost literally," to keep a few runs and lifts open, according to marketing manager Jordan Peck.

With a serious snowstorm expected to bring plenty of fresh powder to the region over the weekend, Treetops will be opening several natural snow runs as well as opening parts of the terrain park. The resort's cross country trails opened for the first time Thursday after snowfall earlier in the week.

"This is definitely going to make the road to a full open much easier over the next week or two," Peck said.

At Mount Bohemia in Lac La Belle in the Upper Peninsula, President Lonie Glieberman said the resort hasn't been able to open yet due to the lack of snow.

Mount Bohemia famously uses only natural snow, unlike other ski areas that use snow-making equipment. They have a tentatively scheduled open date for Jan. 17 — but they don't want anything set in stone.

"We're superstitious, so we just take a very conservative approach," Glieberman said. "We don't expect (to open) before Wednesday."

Until enough snow has fallen, Glieberman isn't ready for full celebrations.

"We live with the idea that we don't count things until they happen," he said. "We will express joy after it happens."

People can check the resort website for updates at mtbohemia.com.

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For Boyne Mountain in Boyne Falls and The Highlands in Harbor Springs, the natural snow will work well with the artificial snow.

"Hearing there’s a lot of snow in the forecast is like music to our ears! It’s been great having the colder temperatures allowing our teams to make a lot of snow, combined with the steady, natural snowfall we've seen over the past week," Erin Ernst, Boyne Resorts Director of Communications, wrote in a statement. "A big boost of natural snowfall is exciting for winter enthusiasts and allows us to expand and open additional terrain as well as additional resort offerings like our tubing parks."

More information about hours and conditions can be found online.

— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Northern Michigan ski slopes welcome big snowfall