Record-breaking snowfall has Michigan skiers hopeful for season
The National Weather Service in Gaylord set a new snowfall record Tuesday after nearly one foot of snow was measured in a single day.
Shanty Creek Resort
(Shanty Creek Resort)
BELLAIRE, Mich – Northern Michigan is no stranger to lake-effect snow showers, but when it is a record-breaking day at the beginning of November, riders are sure to grab their snowboards with hopes that ski lifts will be turned on.
The National Weather Service in Gaylord set a new snowfall record Tuesday after nearly one foot of snow was measured in a single day.
Shanty Creek is a popular ski resort in northern Michigan, just 25 miles west of the NWS Gaylord office. The resort in Bellaire didn't get the foot of snow like the NWS office, but a nearby observation recorded 7.5 inches of snow.
If you ask any skier or boarder, that is more than enough snow to carve down the mountain.
But just as quick as the snow falls, it can also melt.
Shanty Creek Resort on November 3, 2021.
(Shanty Creek Resort)
Temperatures are forecasted to be back near 60 degrees by the end of the weekend, and that is why Shanty Creek won't be turning on the ski lift until their original scheduled day on November 26.
"We're excited to have the early snowfall; however, we won't likely open prior to Thanksgiving as it looks like we have a warm-up coming in a few days," Kirsten Borgstrom, Public Relations Representative for Shanty Creek Resort, says.
Just like any ski resort, they need the temperatures not to fluctuate so that they can continue the upkeep of their mountains, along with not having to constantly turn on their snow guns.
"We rely on the consistent winter temperatures to make snow," Borgstrom explains. "Once that happens, our snow-making team will start to supplement the fresh snow with the hope that we will be open to ski the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend.
In the meantime, while the lifts aren't running, Borgstrom says that snow enthusiasts can fully embrace other outdoor recreation like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, fat biking and even dog sledding.