Just before the melt began in earnest, a day before the rain, families and people of all ages tucked in some snow shoeing, cross-country skiing and other outdoor fun.
Gathering for the Timber Ridge Open House Saturday, between 300-400 participants romped in the snow before it began vanishing. Partnering with VASA, whose prestigious Festival of Races is a month away, the goal of the Open House was simple: families plus snow equals fun.
"We're excited to be here, this is great,” said Molly Klettner of Traverse City.
Attending the event with her son, Michael, 10, and daughter, Kelly, 7, Klettner noted that her kids already love to cross-country ski. The family attends a weekly kids ski club at the resort and plans to gear up for the Junior VASA Races next month.
VASA volunteers were on hand to give free ski instruction for novices while other activities included snow angel making, a three-legged relay, a ski waxing clinic and snowman building. The range of activities proved a draw and kept attendees at the event for hours, where collectively they snarfed up every hot dog offered as well as downing cocoa and other refreshments.
"I can't believe how many people are here,” said Kristin Levesque, co-owner of Timber Ridge.
Snow sculpting kept the Voss family, including daughters Aiden, 10, and Lucy, 8, busy making a menagerie that included animals and a multi-generational family.
"We have a grandpa with gray hair, a guy sitting in a chair, a kitty, kids and a bunny and reindeer,” said Aiden.
The girls later joined dozens of other children at the base of the Timber Ridge tower, situated at the beginning of the ski trails behind the lodge. There, co-owner Gordon Waggoner delighted the assembled youngsters by shooting candy out of a cannon into the snow below, where a scramble ensued to grab as much as possible.
"Really, this is to get people outside because you know when you live in northwest Michigan why not get outdoors?” said Sara Klebba, marketing and events director for Timber Ridge.
Roger Putman of Brick Wheels was on hand to facilitate outdoor satisfaction with a waxing clinic where he patiently stripped from and reapplied wax to ski after ski. Holding forth on the Tao of waxing, Putman said it is not rocket science but mastering it's use is key to cross-country skiing success, whether at the racing or recreational level.
"If skis aren't waxed properly, [skiers] get frustrated and go back to watching TV,” he said, adding that properly fitting equipment is also a must. "The big key is the sport is a significantly wonderful sport to enjoy, especially in a place like Timber Ridge.”
Timber Ridge hosts a series of outdoor events throughout the winter aimed to get people of all ages outdoors enjoying the snow. Upcoming activities include the weekly kids ski club, Wednesday Women's nights and the Second Annual Suds and Snowshoe event, which will feature ten microbreweries from around the state.
"We want to combine two lesser known pastimes in Traverse City — everybody knows about wine and skiing but we're trying to promote something you don't usually pair with Traverse City: beer tasting and snowshoeing,” said Klebba.
For more information on upcoming Timber Ridge activities, call 947-2770 or see their web site at www.timberridgeresort.net.