GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — The synthetic ice rink at Muskegon Luge may soon no longer be needed.
"We're looking really good," said manager Bill Bailey of Muskegon Luke Adventure Sports Park. "It looks like Tuesday and Wednesday, we could get the start of a system coming in dropping a few inches of snow and that continues on to Friday."
One of the first signs you see when you get to the Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park reads "Winter is Coming."
The hope for this system is to kick start the already slow and disappointing start to the winter for the attraction that can see up to 30,000 visitors a season.
"We need snow to build the luge track we use snow to actually form the shape of it and then we ice that down," said Bailey. "We need snow for our ice skating rink. We use what we call a natural liner, so we have to get about four to five inches of snow and pack it really tight into the ground and that's what holds the water so it'll freeze and then of course ski trails and snowshoe trails. Not much fun if you don't have snow on them."
The Cannonsburg ski lodge, which hopes to start making snow soon, held a "Pray for Snow" party to help will it into existence.
Avid skier Mike Munson hasn't skied all month. It's something he said brings him and his family closer together.
"Me my kids are quite disappointed that's why we're here to pray for snow because we need some snow," said Munson. "It's relaxing. It's good to exercise and you know, it's good to get a kid in a sport young like skiing or snow skiing or snowboarding then they know for their whole life."
And ahead of any significant snowfall, Bittersweet Ski Resort in Otsego hopes to get a run up and running by the weekend.
Just before New Years Eve, the resort had some snow on their hills, but patches of grass could be seen throughout the grounds. The look of colder temps and changing weather has them anticipating better times.
"I think winter is finally here," said general manager Nick Ross. "We're still you know, another week out from getting some more runs out but I think we're looking at the told temps but we're gonna try to get people something, something to get out and break in their skis."
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