Local skiers and ski shops hoping for better weather as ski season approaches

Metro Detroit is still hanging on to summer-like weather. But as the 7 First Alert Weather Team has been reporting we have the potential for a wetter-than-normal winter.

And that's welcoming news for those whose bottom line relies heavily on Michigan winters.

I spoke to local skiers and a ski shop who are hoping it will be a season for the slopes.

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"It was a super big bummer, we were not happy with the weather last season," said Bridget Place.

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"It was difficult to get my kids to even get out there last year," said Hollie Bartoni.

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"It was a super big bummer last year, there were days where it was unskiable," said William Place.

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"Last year there were patches of dirt and not much snow," said Lucy Place.

If you're a skier, a snowboarder, or even a snowmobiler, you can say confidently that last winter was disappointing in terms of snow.

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"We definitely have a lot of customers that are coming in and they're excited about the ski season," said Paige Foster, a supervisor at Boyne Country Sports. "A lot of them have already booked trips, either up north or out west to other resorts."

Local ski shops like Boyne Country Sports are also hopeful as customers come in to buy equipment or swap out the old for the new, and the new ski equipment is arriving by the truck load.

"There's still a lot of excitement and a lot of hope for a great season," Paige said.

"We all ski, and we are all looking very much so looking for a great season this year," Hollie said.

Hollie was at the shop to pick up her kids' skis that just got tuned and re-fitted for the upcoming season.

"Sometimes we will go locally to Pine Knob, Mt. Holly, and sometimes we head up north too," Hollie said.

"It's definitely that time of year so we are thinking about it, wanting to get our ski gear," Bridget said. "We are also planning to go up to Boyne probably at Christmas and a couple of weekends here and there."

The Place family was bringing in their old equipment and getting new gear, but I had to ask both William and Lucy what they're looking forward to this season.

"I like doing terrain parks," Lucy said. "I also like going with my family and friends. It's fun when you're with people you know and share the same things."

"I am very excited to get better and improve overall as a skier," William said. "I am hoping for better conditions."

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