TRAVERSE CITY -- A strange thing is happening at Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville.
It's March, so visitors there are busy hitting the ski slopes a few more times before spring fully takes hold. But an unseasonable burst of warm weather allowed the resort to get a jump-start on summer business.
Crews there opened nine holes of golf on March 15, the earliest golf opening in Crystal's history. Resort staffers are taking tee times and selling lift tickets, an odd pairing that will continue until lifts close for the season on Sunday.
"The last week and a half has been interesting," spokesman Brian Lawson said. "We ran out of golf rental sets in one day. In mid-March, that just doesn't happen."
Winter's grip on northern Michigan loosened far earlier than normal this year, and for many it's a welcome change after the never-ending winter of 2008-09. But the mild season hurt some snow-dependent businesses, who hope winter will return to its normal vigor next year.
March offered near-record high temperatures, peaking at 62 degrees March 11, National Weather Service Meteorologist Jeff Zoltowski said. The average temperature for the month was 37, about seven degrees higher than normal.
Perhaps more notable was the lack of snow across the region, both in March and throughout the winter. Winter-long totals were far below last year, and snow was absent in many areas during the past few weeks.
"It's quite unusual. A lot of places in northern Michigan got through March without a single snowflake until today," Zoltowski said Thursday afternoon.
March and even April usually bring ample snow to the region, making the month particularly abnormal.
"Usually March is a winter month, not a spring month, but that's absolutely not the case this year," Zoltowski said.
The mild winter was a plus for area road commissions. The Antrim County Road Commission's overtime expenses and salt use were down by more than half compared to last winter, manager Burt Thompson said.
But last winter ate through financial reserves, so the commission won't be swimming in cash after the mild season, Thompson said.
"If you take the previous winter and this winter and average them, we pretty much averaged out," he said.
Even if the savings aren't felt this year, they'll likely be felt in the long run.
"It was easier on our equipment, too," Thompson said. "We didn't have as many breakdowns or repairs, and that helps with an aging fleet."
John Rollert owns Interlochen-based Pro Maintenance 4 Seasons, a landscaping and snow removal business. He's already packed away all of his snow equipment, something he's never done before April.
"We just bit the bullet, broke everything down and got everything back to the shop, and we're going to try to get going on the spring stuff," he said.
Business took a huge hit throughout the mild winter, Rollert said.
"It was pretty dead," he said. "It was minimal."
The winter didn't do much damage at Crystal, Lawson said. Consistently cold temperatures in December, January and February kept what little snow fell in good shape for skiing, and allowed the resort to use its snowmaking machines. Resort bookings in December and January were near all-time highs, Lawson said.
"We would have liked to see (winter) stick around for a couple more weeks, but we feel pretty positive about how things went," he said.
For area residents, sunny weather and largely mild temperatures over the past few weeks provided a chance to get outside and get a jump-start on spring.
Richard Linderleaf, 61, loves growing vegetables and a few flowers at his Traverse City residence, and recent weather has him ready to go.
"The weather's great," Linderleaf said as he strolled down Front Street Friday with his dog. "I'm looking forward to getting started with gardening a little earlier."
Snow totals and averages throughout the region, through March 25:
City / 2009-10 / 2008-09 / Average
Traverse City 73.4 117.4 / 82
Kalkaska / 61 / 192.1 / 146
Frankfort / 60.6 / 121.6 / 86.5
Gaylord / 74.2 / 150.6 / 135
Source: National Weather Service
