GOT SNOW? SKI AREAS DO
Midwest ski areas survive, and even thrive, during mid-winter thaws

Every Midwest ski area makes a deep base of man-made snow early in the winter so they're prepared for the inevitable mid-winter thaw. Ski Snowstar in Illinois wants to make sure its customers really understand that, so the area hands out free, bright yellow bumper stickers that shout: "Got Snow? We Do!" Says Ski Snowstar's Todd Kempf: "We want people to know that, even if they don't have snow in their front yards, we have plenty of it here at the ski area."

In fact, mid-winter thaws are actually a great time to go skiing or snowboarding. "I think a mid-winter thaw is actually the best time of year to ski," says Jessica Stone of Buck Hill, Minnesota. "The snow is great, there's tons of it and the weather is warm." Like other Midwest ski areas, Buck Hill makes a deep base of man-made snow during the early part of the winter so that "we're prepared for thaws."

At Hidden Valley Ski Area in Missouri, "We've been through the mid-winter thaws before," says Amity Betz. "It's part of the business. We've been here more than 25 years and our customers know that, no matter what, even if we have a bad week, we'll be OK."

Ski Snowstar's Todd Kempf says, "We make a lot of snow in November and December. We have two or three feet on the entire hill, and it would take weeks to melt that. Even if we have a rainstorm in the middle of the winter, it doesn't affect us that much. Usually it drops cold again, we make snow and then groom it all out."

Many Midwest areas continue to make snow throughout the winter when temperatures permit. "Our policy is to keep making snow if we can," says Snowstar's Kempf. "We always like to have a nice fresh dressing of snow on top for our customers."

Oftentimes during a mid-winter thaw, the biggest problem ski areas face is not a lack of snow, but a lack of understanding by the general public that they are open and still have excellent conditions. "It's hard to get peoples' attention," says Brian Papworth from Ohio's Mad River ski area. "People are using their Tivo and fast-forwarding through TV commercials or listening to satellite radio and Podcasts. But once we get them here, they discover there's plenty of snow."

Mid-winter thaws can also have a silver lining, according to Amity Betz at Hidden Valley. "We do our snow dance," she says, "and it seems like our mid-winter thaw is usually followed by a nice natural snowfall."

For more information on Midwest ski areas and to find a ski area near you, visit snowplaces.com.