Warm weather melts a bit of Minnesota's winter fun

A recent coating of freezing rain and snow has much of Minnesota looking more like winter. But the wintry covering isn't nearly enough for the state's cold weather recreation business.

Temperatures that crept into the 50s last week brought a temporary end to many winter recreation efforts across the state. Ski trails have melted and lake ice thinned. Cold weather has returned but the thaw is still affecting snow sports.

"There's a lot of brown out there," said Amy Barrett, parks and trails supervisor with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Snowmobilers are basically out of luck. Most state trails have little or no snow, she said. "In the northeast there's 2 to 4 inches. But for snowmobiling, they really like to have a foot on the ground to groom."

Cross-country skiers too, were dealt a sad hand this winter. Many trails are closed and conditions at the open ones are poor, she added. "There's really no good place to ski or snowmobile anywhere in the state."

Minnesota state parks had a good year overall as visitors poured in during the fall to see the beautiful colors, Barrett said. But the dismal snowmobiling and skiing opportunities have recent park visits down sharply, she added.

There is good news for downhill skiers. An early cold snap allowed many downhill recreation areas to open early. Lutsen Mountains resort in northeast Minnesota opened a few runs before Thanksgiving.

Last weekend's warm-up brought 40 degree drizzle down on Lutsen but didn't cause much snow loss, said Jim Vick, the resort's marketing director.

"We have 3 feet of base snow," he said. "The warm weather didn't do much. It was actually sort of a relief to our snow making crew. They had been working around the clock since Nov. 7. They finally got a day off."

Lutsen visitor numbers are still up over last year despite the weather, he added.

The DNR continues to warn that lake ice is also thinner than usual. The agency recently reported thin ice on southern Minnesota lakes.

Lakes to the north aren't much better off, said Capt. Stacey Sharp, the DNR's northwest regional enforcement manager.

"Over the weekend we had warm temperatures," he said. "We had rain. We had drizzle. Everything that's not good for ice."

Sharp said his officers have received multiple reports the past few days of trucks and ATVs falling through the ice.

"You can't snowmobile," he said. "You can't really ski or snowshoe. If you want to recreate, you get to ice fish and that's about it."

It's too early yet to know if the lack of snow is hurting state tourism. Alyssa Ebel, a spokeswoman for Explore Minnesota Tourism, said a quarter of the state's $12 billion tourism income rolls in over the winter.

So far, Ebel says tourism is doing just fine.

"There's a lot to do in Minnesota besides the winter sports," she said. "Minnesotans are still getting out there to enjoy all the great things the state has to offer."