UP ski slopes prepare for season opening

UPPER PENINSULA, Mich. (WLUC) – Snow is falling in Upper Michigan, which means the winter outdoor recreation season is quickly approaching.

But the ski slopes still have work to do before opening.

After a summer and fall of preparation at Marquette Mountain, the pieces are in place to start making snow.

“We’re moving the guns today to get them in place so that when the weather hits us and we can make snow, we can do it and we’re probably looking at tomorrow afternoon, evening,” said Kaet Johnson, responsible for Marquette Mountain.

Even if it snowed on Monday, that doesn’t mean the ski slopes will be ready just yet. Making snow requires the right combination of temperature and humidity, and Johnson says they want their hill covered with at least six to 12 inches of snow.

So if people want to go skiing on Marquette Mountain, they’re going to have to be a little patient.

“It depends on how much natural snow we get and how many snow windows we get,” Johnson said. “It looks like starting Friday we should be able to make snow 24 hours a day for several days, but it will still take several days to open our slopes.”

Johnson hopes to open on weekends in early December and Monday through Friday during the holidays, but that’s not guaranteed.

At Houghton, Mount Ripley manager Chris Maxson has similar expectations.

“We’re in good shape,” Maxson said. “We’re 100 percent ready to make snow, so we’re just waiting for the weather itself, so we’re going to try Friday morning.”

Maxson says they look for temperatures below 30 degrees with low humidity. That’s part of what made last year so difficult for the region’s ski resorts.

“We’re going to try to produce as much snow as possible and we’re at the mercy of mother nature at this point,” Maxson said. “So we’re going to go really heavy in our beginner areas and do our best to preserve it.”

In Iron River, Ski Brule began making snow Saturday with tentative plans to open for the season Thursday.