In Bend, Oregon, skiers and snowboarders want to wrestle back a beloved mountain from corporate consolidation -- they’re attempting to raise $200 million to buy Mount Bachelor, one of the country’s biggest ski areas.
In North Carolina, Deb and Dave Hatley acquired a defunct ski resort on 500 acres and set out to transform it into a chic boutique ski destination. After personally investing $20 million of their own into the monumental overhaul, Hatley Pointe Mountain opened in November.
Here in the U.P., Norway Mountain re-opened this winter under new ownership after being closed for several years. With improved lifts, enhanced snowmaking capabilities and terrain expansion, Justin and Julie Hoppe are aiming to restore Norway Mountain’s reputation as a top family-friendly destination in the Midwest.
“Owning a ski resort was one of those dreams in the back of my head,” Justin Hoppe told The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast in a recent interview. Norway Mountain was a realization of a lifelong dream for him, along with his wife.
“One day I heard on another podcast that Norway Mountain was available and by January 2022 my wife and I visited the site and really saw some potential-- my wife is the one who got the ball rolling and called a realtor.”
The couple wants to keep the ski area family friendly, where kids can come and have a blast and not pay thousands of dollars to ski. It’s a noble act to resurrect a dead ski area-- while it’s just a business to some, it’s an irreplaceable community asset to many.
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Michigan Snowsports Industries AssociationA rider at Mont Ripley at Michigan Technological University.Norway Mountain is not the only ski resort seeing monumental changes in the U.P. -- Mont Ripley, Marquette Mountain, Pine Mountain Resort and Mount Bohemia have all undergone facelifts recently.
What’s driving this growth and expansion across the U.S. and the U.P.? Are we witnessing a ski awakening or a mad dash to save (and resurrect) profits during a string of abnormally warm winter months?
A little of both, says Mike Panich. Panich is the executive director of the Michigan Snowsports Industries Association and thinks weather -- and the effort to draw customers from other winter sports to skiing -- is behind the recent increase in resort enhancements across the U.S., and especially in the U.P.
The industry is facing challenges of higher temperatures -- if you remember the unseasonably warm weather and muddy trails last year -- which means resorts need to think about how to draw visitors almost year-around instead of the three or four months of peak ski season to maintain profit.
Ski resorts are incurring increased operational costs by relying heavily on artificial snowmaking to maintain their slopes -- measures that are essential to remain operational but significantly elevate costs.
“The last few seasons have not been ideal for many areas -- winter hasn’t been what it’s always been,” Panich says. “Operators are starting to realize that offering snow-based sports is maybe not the only way to generate revenue and keep their doors open -- they have to offer expanded services, and some recent low seasons have pointed out where those deficiencies and lack of offerings are.”
As a pillar to the Upper Peninsula economy, a 2022 study by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation reported that tourism brings nearly $1.5 billion to the region and employs about 16.5 percent of the workforce. Though visitor numbers peak in the summer, winter -- and the visitors it brings -- tide local businesses over between seasons.
The effort to attract visitors year around through a diverse offering of activities is starting to become necessary for some, if not all, U.P. ski resorts.
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared 42 counties in the U.P. and the northern Lower Peninsula drought areas because of the mild winter and lack of snow. Panich acknowledges climate change and says the future success of ski resorts will result through finding ways to adapt, disaster relief funding, and diversifying their offerings.
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Pine Mountain Ski and Golf ResortPine Mountain's main lodge was built in the 1950s. Mount Bohemia ski resort in Lac La Belle took its improvements off the slopes and into the spa, continuing with the momentum observed in its Nordic spa last year. With ticket sales increasing 300 percent over the year before, Mount Bohemia added two more buildings with five new spa-based attractions -- the Moroccan steam room, the bio sauna, the relaxation room, the exfoliation room, and the cold rain mist room. When completed, the cold rain mist room will be the first of its kind in the U.S. and will bring the Nordic spa capacity to 300 people.
The spa is great for skiers after a long day of skiing and for those who don’t want to ski and just want to relax. It's also a great place to experience winter -- while generating non-snow-based revenue for the resort.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation reported a spike in “snow activities” in recent years, adding $130 million to the GDP in 2022. But the 2023-2024 season marked the warmest winter on record for the lower 48 states, according to the NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Information.
Under new ownership, the Pine Mountain Ski and Golf Resort began a $27 million renovation and expansion plan nearly two years ago. Plans at the 360-acre resort included a tubing hill,
six miles of new mountain bike trails, 35 new guest cabins and additional community green space.
In an effort to solidify its status as a premier year-around destination, Marquette Mountain Resort has recently undertaken significant multi-million-dollar enhancements. A focal point of these improvements is the installation of advanced snowmaking infrastructure, enabling the resort to offer superior ski conditions earlier in the season on its most frequented, race-caliber runs. In addition, the resort’s diversified offerings include mountain biking, hiking, and volleyball during the warmer months, positioning itself as a four-season destination.
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Michigan Snowsport Industries AssociationMarquette Mountain installed advanced snowmaking equipment, enabling the resort to offer superior ski conditions earliler in the season.
It’s constant pivoting -- not panicking -- that will make operators successful in a weather-dependent industry, Panich says.
“Sometimes there just isn’t enough snow to entertain everyone on the mountain-- and even if there is, there are some people who don’t want to ski,” Panich says. “Maybe the kids are skiing, and the adults want to relax -- resorts have to diversify their product offerings and provide value for everyone, whether it’s expanding a new trail, modernizing existing facilities to make them more comfortable and inviting, or adding summer activities.”
On 155 acres in Houghton County, Michigan’s oldest ski area -- a vital recreational resource for Michigan Technological University and the Keweenaw -- is also undergoing a multi-million-dollar renovation.
Operational since the winter of 1933, the Mont Ripley ski area features 24 challenging trails, a tubing park, and a terrain park.
According to MTU, the mountain’s main expansion project focuses on the Chalet that was built in 1965 -- the building is now used primarily for special events year-around. Back then, MTU’s enrollment was 3,400 students -- it is more than double that today, with 44 percent of the student body visiting the ski hill last winter, a season that saw significant impacts from unseasonably warm weather.
Other improvements include adding a new top-to-bottom beginner run and expanded parking options for all customers.
According to the resort’s general manager Chris Maxon, Mont Ripley was only open 63 days last year due to the warmer conditions and little snow. For comparison, the hill saw its 51st day of business by the last day of January this year. The Chalet expansion and trail improvement hope to draw more events and more visitors throughout the year.
“People are re-investing-- some ski areas are re-opening and some are under new ownership,” Panich says. “There’s a lot of opportunity and growth in this business and the demand is still there, despite the sport in general clinging overall compared to other activities like hockey. Resorts are not in competition with each other but with other winter sports-- it’s a good business that has always had a strong community base and I’m happy people are breathing new life into these resorts.”
Natalie Platt works in commercial real estate marketing and pursues her journalism passion by writing about lifestyle and travel surrounding her love for Michigan. A native of Indiana, she currently lives in Chicago and enjoys boating, golfing, and long weekend trips to the beach.