Natural or man-made, the snow is helping ski areas
With temperatures below freezing, ski areas can turn on the snow-making machines.
At Mt. Holiday, just east of Traverse City, they have 13 snow guns running 24-7. And a crew of four-to-six employees is working around the clock to cover the hills. While it's a later start to the season than many had hoped - it's better late than never. Mt. Holiday hopes to open by next Friday - if not sooner.
Most ski areas around Northern Michigan expect to be open next weekend. But Boyne Highlands in Harbor Springs actually opened on Saturday. A spokeswoman credits a foot and a half of fresh - natural - snow in the past 48 hours. They say they'll also be open on Sunday, then close again mid-week to make more snow before re-opening on Friday.
