November 12, 2014 at 4:55 p.m.
Area chamber directors excited by early snowfall
Area chamber directors excited by early snowfall
The National Weather Service in Green Bay indicateed snow totals ranging from 13.1 to 9.5 inches in and around the Rhinelander area over the course of Monday and Tuesday.
Some, especially those who loathe snow, will resign themselves to spending the rest of the winter under a sea of blankets with a good book or a full DVR. For others, however, the early snow was a most welcome surprise. Mother Nature provided a winter wonderland that will serve as their playground for the next four months or so.
While they are not necessarily as enthused as the diehard skiers and snowmobilers, the executive directors of area chambers of commerce are excited about the upcoming winter tourist season.
The snow should create a nice base for the snowmobile and ski trails that are such a huge part of the winter tourist season, they say.
"Honestly, this is probably one of the best things that could have happened for us," said Krystal Westfahl, executive director of the Minocqua Area Chamber of Commerce. "Specifically for snowmobile riders, we're looking at already a 12- to 14-inch base, provided it sticks around."
"I think with the economy that snowmobiling brings in, I think we're going to have a really great winter," she added.
Dana DeMet, executive director of the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce, said this initial snowfall wouldn't help immediately, however he agreed that the early snow will help provide a good base for the various trails around the Northwoods.
"Can we say this one specifically will help us out a ton? Probably not because there's not going to be any trail grooming for ski trails," he said. "All of that has to wait until after hunting season is over, but it at least provides a really good base that will hopefully lead to really good snow conditions later in the year."
Even without that initial, immediate boost, however, DeMet said an early start to the winter tourist season is always a good thing for the Northwoods economy.
"The longer a winter season we have, it usually will bode well for us," he said, "Last year, even though it was a very cold, very snowy season, we saw some of our best room tax numbers - those were some of the best that we've seen in a number of years. If you extend that snow season a week or two, that gives people a second or third or fourth opportunity to come up to the Northwoods for snowmobiling, ice fishing, all kinds of things like that."
Snowmobile trails won't open in Vilas County until 4 p.m. Dec. 12 (no specific date has been set yet for trails opening in Oneida County, though Oneida County Forestry Department officials have said it will be right around that same time), but with a blanket of the white stuff already down in Eagle River - the self-proclaimed snowmobiling capitol of the world - people are already gearing up for the start of the season.
Snowmobiling isn't the only thing the people of Eagle River care about, though. According to Kim Emerson, executive director of the Eagle River Area Chamber of Commerce, the early snow should also help hunters.
"For winter tourism, I think it's a good thing. It's going to be a great start in preparation not only for the hunting season coming up, but getting a base set for snowmobiling when it opens in December," she said. "I say it's all positive at this point."
That's not to say the snow is a boon for all winter activities, however. Westfahl said the one thing the early snow is not going to help is ice fishing.
"This is not all that great for ice fishing," she said. "We're going to have some slushy ice to start out the year with and it's going to be harder for the lakes to freeze over."
Still, all signs are pointing toward a successful winter tourist season in the North Country.
"This is a great start," Westfahl said.
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
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