Spring delight

Spring skiers should note that their days are numbered with more and more snow melting as temperatures continue to rise.

The last day for skiing at Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort will be Saturday in Ironwood Township, and Sunday is the final day at Jackson Creek Summit in Wakefield Township. Sugar Cup races will occur on that day.

In Ontonagon County, the final day for Greenland Ski Hill will be on either Saturday or Sunday, and Monday will be the last day at the Porcupine Mountains Ski Area.

The last holdout will be Black River Basin in Bessemer Township, which will remain open through Easter Sunday, April 9.

Whitecap Mountains Resort already closed last Sunday in Upson, Wisconsin, and Mt. Zion Ski Area closed on March 12 at Gogebic Community College.

Skiers were happy to be on the slopes last Sunday as the snow held out despite consistently mild weather.

"The skiing conditions are fantastic," said Chase Martinek, who was visiting with her family from the Chicago area at Big Powderhorn Mountain.

She said they normally travel here during the winter, with this having been their first spring visit. "It's been a pleasant surprise," she said.

"The sun keeps you warm," said her husband, Matt Martinek as they prepared to head to the chairlift again with their sons, Jack, 8, and Peter, 7.

The Martineks said they also visit here and northern Wisconsin in warmer seasons when they enjoy local trails.

All of Powderhorn's hills were busy on Sunday with people of all ages and occasional screams coming from the highest heights.

At Whitecap Mountains Resort that morning, Jen Godden of the Milwaukee area was skiing with her family.

"It started out a little icy, but as soon as the sun came out, it was good," she said.

As she headed out for another run with her daughter, Amelia, 9, Godden said they look forward to returning next year.

Officials at most area ski hills shared their views of this year's season this week.

"It was a very good season for us," said Bruce Noren, Powderhorn general manager. "We saw a lot of new visitors, and of course the snow was wonderful."

He added that he and his staff appreciate being the training hill for the local high school skiing team, and they are grateful, not only for outside visitors, but also for local skiers.

Still, he laughed, he and his team are now looking forward to Sunday, their first day off after the end of the season.

"It was absolutely great," said David Dziuban, Whitecap owner and manager, of the season at large.

He added that the resort will be open for the kick-off of the ATV season on Memorial Day weekend.

Other than that, he said they will prepare the resort's golf course to open as soon as weather allows. "Our main focus right now is to get the course in as good a shape as we can," he said, adding that other resort improvements also will continue.

"The season has gone fantastic," said Gina Penegor, accounting assistant at the Porkies Ski Area. "We've had record numbers at all of our events."

She said staff now will focus on the facility's warm weather season. "We do have a disc golf course at the ski chalet area," she said, adding that they'll set it up as soon as the snow melts.

She noted that the Porkies Music Festival, scheduled for Aug. 25 and 26, will be "the biggest thing," followed by fall color rides.

At Greenland Ski Hill, also known as Adventure Mountain, Mike Laako said the hill will be open today from 5-9 p.m. in conjunction with spring break. Normally, the location run by the Mountain Lions Club is open only Friday through Sunday.

At the time he spoke with The Globe, Laako was not sure yet whether the hill would remain open on Palm Sunday, but if it is, that day's hours will run from 1-5 p.m.

As for next year's snow season, plans are already gearing up at some locations.

At Whitecap, Dziuban said that a new magic carpet purchased last fall will be installed this year.

"We'll be working on the new lift," said Benjamin Bartz, manager of Snowriver Mountain Resort, regarding the Jackson Creek Summit site.

He said the existing chairlift system will be dismantled first, after which a new "6-pack" chairlift will be installed before the next season begins.

"We're also going to continue renovations to the lodges," he said.

Noren, at Powderhorn, concluded of the off-season, "Like all resorts, there's plenty of maintenance to be done."