Mild winter jeopardizes skiing, dog sled racing, snowmobiling in northern Michigan

When you think of winter in Michigan, you may think of the frosted trees and snow-capped rooftops that bring kids out of school to make snow angels, adults away from work for a weekend ski trip and visitors from the South to revel in our brisk air.

Outdoor winter activities form a key part of Michigan's winter culture, but this season, higher temperatures, less snowfall, and less ice on the Great Lakes are forcing the cancellation of several winter sports events and placing others in jeopardy.

"Local communities oriented toward winter tourism are likely to experience hardship due to the unusual weather patterns this winter," said Gabriel Ehrlich, who leads the economic forecasting team at the University of Michigan. "The quantitative impact at the state level is tough to estimate."

El Niño

Warmer weather this winter stems from the occurrence of El Niño, a natural and cyclic phenomenon caused by above-average sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that brings unusually warm and dry weather during Michigan's winter months.

When the last El Niño passed over the region in 2015, Michigan experienced its warmest December on record with an average temperature of 42.1 degrees. Last month, Michigan experienced its third-warmest December on record with an average temperature of 40.1 degrees.

Climate change also plays a role in the changing weather patterns, according to climate experts.

More: Michigan to see lower heat bills this winter, still pays more

Dog sled racing

The state holds several dog sled racing competitions annually. This winter, organizers canceled several events due to a lack of snow and ice on the Great Lakes.

On the eastern side of the U.P., the 2024 Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race in Newberry was set for this weekend, but organizers canceled the event Tuesday amid low snowfall. The changing climate threatens the broader region beyond the race, organizers said in a statement on the event website.

"The lack of snow in our area is not only a detriment to us but to the entire Tahquamenon Community," organizers said. "Please continue to support our sponsors; this mild winter has led to a huge decrease in the winter tourism that our area thrives on."

Skiing

Skiing competitions across the state also face concerns due to the lack of snowfall this winter. The Ishpeming Ski Club in the central U.P. is set to host its 137th annual Ski Jumping Tournament Jan. 19-21, though organizers resorted to making their own snow to cope with low levels.

Another race, the SISU Ski Fest in Ironwood, was canceled Dec. 29 due to a lack of snow, wet trails, and warm temperatures, organizers announced on Facebook.

These cancellations signal the potential loss of key winter sports in typically cold climates like northern Michigan as climate change rages on.

In Bessemer, Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort also suffers from a lack of powdery snow.

Where Big Powderhorn is hidden in the U.P.'s Gogebic Mountains, the 60-year-old resort profits from the Lake Superior lake effect: Winds coming from the northwest pick up moisture over Lake Superior, and, after traveling the 12 miles and elevation change from the lakeshore to the resort's grounds, the wind drops the frozen moisture onto the property as snow.

Usually, this effect guarantees that Big Powderhorn receives feet upon feet of snow throughout the season starting as early as September, even if the rest of the state is dry.

But this season, the resort has received enough snow only to measure about half a yardstick.

"We just haven't seen it this year, we haven't had the temperatures to get the lake effect going," said Bruce Noren, one of the owners and the general manager of Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort. "I saw recently that we've only received about 16 inches of natural snow this year, where we average at least 200 inches of snow each year. ... Typically, by this time of year, we'd have 40, 50 or 60 inches of snow."

In previous snow-shortage years, Noren said snow plowed off the nearby airport runways would be delivered to Big Powderhorn and distributed, but this year the resort had no snowbanks from which to grab.

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While other ski resorts in the south of Michigan may be equipped with a couple hundred of snow guns to create artificial snow, resorts like Big Powderhorn rely on Mother Nature to bring them a heavy frost and only use their 22 snow guns to supplement what they naturally receive.

"We don't have the investment in snow-making that you might find at resorts closer to Detroit. We enjoy the fact that we normally get so much natural snow, but this year it's all about making snow," said Noren.

Of their 45 ski trails, the resort's limited snowmaking has allowed only three trails to remain open.

"We're not just going to open on a heavy frost. We want to have a decent base to give people the experience they're looking for, so if we don't think it's right, we won't open," said Noren. "And there's the safety concern, you don't want rocks popping up either. Nobody wants that."

The holiday season between Christmas and New Year's, give or take, is peak time for many ski resorts. But with resort closures from lack of snow and cheaper lift tickets to make up for the lack of ski-able terrain, Big Powderhorn has received an estimated 15% of its usual customers, said Noren, causing significantly shortened hours or even layoffs for nearly half its employees.

Additionally, while a ski resort like Big Powderhorn hosts weddings and special events in the summer, most of its revenue comes from its ski season, which is put to work all summer on resort-wide and much-needed maintenance.

"If we don't make it in the winter, we're not making it in the summer. That short window is normally 20% to 30% of our gross sales, and this year, that revenue is down at least 80%," said Noren. "When you lose peak times, you don't make that back. You don't catch up. If people miss their vacation window, they miss their vacation window, they're not coming back. And this isn't unique to us, but it's unique to the ski industry."

Besides ski resorts, Noren said, the lack of snow is also hurting other winter recreational activities, like cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. "Those industries are pretty much shut down," he said.

The loss of long-standing winter traditions entails negative financial impacts, further disrupting the U.P. winter tourism industry.

But Noren reassures that your winter sports aren't completely without hope.

“People do still think about going skiing. While there’s no snow in your backyard, there is still snow at the ski resorts ... they’ve been making snow. It is still possible to go enjoy some skiing.”

Snow removal

As you could imagine, snow removal companies have also been struggling with a lack of work.

For Detroit Snow Plowing & Snow Removal which operates in Wayne County, owner Franko Santoro says he has been having a difficult time keeping his 45 full-time employees busy with not much to do.

He also worries about the state of his snow removal equipment, which conks out after sitting unused.

"When equipment like this sits, it'll break more," said Santoro. "Even (if we use it) just once a month, that's when the spreader chains start breaking. ... It causes more and more trouble."

Even Detroit Snow Plowing & Snow Removal's salt supplier, said Santoro, told him this was the worst season they'd seen in 19 years.

"It's just hardship across the board," he said.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan skiing, dog sledding jeopardized by mild winter, lack of snow