The week between Christmas and New Year’s is a busy one for snow sports. And when it is preceded by a major snowstorm, it can be the perfect recipe for a big week of business.
A lot of people would just like to have a snowmobile on hand ready to go when they have time and to hit the trails. But when they have time, that isn’t always when Mother Nature was giving up snow, so a lot of people are turning to renting sleds. When a storm rolls in, they know the snow is there and they hit the trails. 
When you have a huge storm like what the region saw this past weekend, businesses are seeing a big boom and it can really get them ahead on the season.
“When you have a $20,000 sled sitting in your garage and you can only ride a couple weeks, it’s more economical and feasible to just rent a sled for a couple weekends,” said Teresa Sliver, office manager at Westside Rec Rentals in Cadillac.
It may be a bear to drive in or to clean up, but these massive snowstorms are a sight for sore eyes for snowmobile rental businesses. Every year, their bottom line relies on the weather, not just how much snow they get, but when it falls.
“It is hit or miss, like last year I had to cancel like 75% of my rentals last year,” said Sliver.
This week, is one these businesses count on. For months people have been reserving sleds and then praying there would be enough snow to ride.
“People have time off, offices and businesses are closed, so they’ll come up and plan their trip months in advance,” said Sliver. “Once the snow starts falling and people know there’s a snow storm, people will just start ringing and a lot of people will call and reserve.”
At Greater North Powersports and Rental in Cadillac, the phone was ringing constantly during an interview. For the entire week they have no double sleds left, just a few single sleds each day.
“I do see a lot of last minute people,” said Amy Burgess, general manager at Greater North. “They see snow and they are calling.”
“It’s not so much taking advantage of the snow right away, a good foot and a half of solid base snow will pay off for the rest of the season.
“If this snow stays around, it’s a great base for accumulations,” said Burgess. “The one to three inch here, the one to three inch there. It just adds up.”
The snow is here but if it sticks around is the big question.
“That rain, if it hits the snow, it’s going to go bye bye,” said Burgess. “We don’t want that.”