Southeast Michigan's Ski Slopes Open Early, Thanks to Early Winter

Get those skis waxed. Southeast Michigan’s ski resorts are opening early.

“It’s crazy early,” Taylor Ogilvie, general manager of Mount Brighton, told The Detroit News. “Any time we can get open before Thanksgiving, it’s kind of a gift. We’re just lucky with the weather right now.”

The “gift” is an early start to winter, which has brought heavy snowfalls Up North and chilly temperatures in the lower peninsula that allow the resorts to kick their snow-making apparatus into high gear.

Usually, an early start occurs during the first week in December.

“This kind of colder weather this early gets people geared up for skiing,” said Mickey MacWillams, executive director of the Michigan Snowsports Industries Association in Clarkston.

“It’s also good for retailers,” he said. “Even if (the weather) doesn’t hold up all the way through, it’s nice to have something like this to begin. People begin to think about outdoor activities when it’s cold.”

Tell Us:

• Where’s the best place to ski in Michigan? Defend your slope.

Michigan, second only two New York in the number of ski areas in the state, has 51 ski areas, with more than 260 lifts and about 1,000 runs, according to the association.

No matter where you live in the state, you’re about a two-hour drive away from a ski area, according to the association, which says winter sports account for about one-third of Michigan’s $17.7 billion annual travel industry. Skiing alone accounts for about $4 billion a year in tourism dollars.

About 20 percent of the state’s 2 to 2.4 million lift tickets sold annually in Michigan are for southeast Michigan slopes.The following southeast Michigan slopes are open:

• Pine Knob Ski Resort, 7778 Sashabaw, Clarkston, (248) 625-0800
• Mount Brighton, 4141 Bauer, Brighton, (810) 229-9581
• Mount Holly, 13536 Dixie Highway, Holly, (800) 582-7256
• Alpine Valley, 6775 Highland, White Lake, (248) 887-2180

For a full list of ski resorts open on the upper and lower peninsulas, click here.

For more about the early start to the ski season in Michigan, read The Detroit News.

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Photo via Creative Commons