Brisk business for winter tourism activity

BY SHERI McWHIRTER
smcwhirter@record-eagle.com

January 05, 2008 09:54 am

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GAYLORD -- The white snow made for a green holiday week in northern Michigan with area businesses reporting a flurry of winter tourism activity since Christmas.

"This year it feels like winter out there," said Brian Lawson, spokesman for Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville.

Area ski resorts, snowmobile hot spots and other winter tourism businesses report a strong start to the season -- traditionally the week between Christmas and New Year's when many locals and visitors are on vacation. Skiers hit the slopes, snowmobile riders hit the trails and plenty of business owners said they cashed in.

"It's been a great holiday season. We've had a ton of guests here. It blows away a year ago," Lawson said. "There's likely twice as many people."

Last year brought a long warm spell to the region during the holidays, which reduced snow depths to nothing and kept it that way for weeks. This year, moderate to heavy snowfall early in the season has snow-related businesses booming.

"We're really busy with skiers, snow boarders, and the tubing hill has been busy. It's one of the best holidays we've had," said Erin Ernst, spokeswoman for the Boyne USA resorts in Boyne Falls and Harbor Springs.

Those resorts saw more than a 30 percent increase in business over last year, she said.

"It's been incredible and I think it gets the momentum going for the rest of the season," Ernst said.

On Friday morning, Tom Eisenmann of Indiana pulled his snowmobile up to a gas pump at a service station in Gaylord, the cold wind blasting his face when his helmet came off.

"The trails are decent. The snow is good this year," he said.

He and two friends from Decatur arrived this week in the Gaylord area to cruise the trails. It's some of the best snow they've seen in the many years they've visited northern Michigan around the holidays, they said.

"The snow is great. It just needs to snow and stay around -- no more of this back-and-forth stuff," said Todd Giessler.

Snowmobile riders are "up north" in force this season, said Rob Slupecki, who works at his family's hotel, the Gaylord Inn. The parking lot there was filled with trucks and snowmobile trailers through much of the holiday week, he said.

"Right after Christmas to New Year's, we were between 75 and 100 percent occupancy," Slupecki said, adding that one night they had just one open room at the hotel, which is near a major snowmobile trail head. That's much better occupancy than last year, he said.

"We didn't do very well last year because we didn't have any snow. We need snow for business," Slupecki said.

And there are plenty taking advantage of existing snow depths.

Cross-country ski sales quadrupled this year at Latitude 45 Cycle and Sport in Petoskey, said employee James Leist. A separate snowboard shop in Petoskey also had a recent surge in sales, he said.

"The snowshoe and ski rentals are steady and last year it was about zilch," he said. "It looks like it's going to be a good year. We're hoping for snow all winter long."

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