When the colorful fall blanket settles across the land, the next thought on many peoples mind is when is it going to snow. This is especially true in Traverse City, Michigan, where the folks at Shanty Creek Resorts are already ringing in the 2010-2011 winter season by introducing new runs at their amazing ski destination. With low prices on lift tickets, and an impressive schedule of winter-themed events and festival outings at its Schuss Mountain and Summit Mountain ski areas, the Shanty Creek Resorts are going to be a hot spot for everyone who enjoys crisp beauty of winter.

The Shanty Creek Resort is adding three new downhill runs on the north face of Schuss Mountain, bringing its total number of skiable runs to 52. Two of the new runs will weave skiers and boarders through the wooded glades to the Red Lift, while a new all-natural terrain park located between Purple Daze and Village Way, on the north face of Schuss Mountain, will offer enthusiasts another option for grinding their way downhill this winter. All three new runs are rated “difficult.”

Shanty Creek is a 4,500-acre recreational complex perched above the village of Bellaire, about 30 miles northeast of Traverse City, and is the region’s leading full-service winter resort for skiing, tubing and snowboarding. When visiting you'll discover that Shanty Creek is actually a complex of three interlocking “villages” -- The Summit, Cedar River, and Schuss. Each of these interlocking “villages” are connected by trail systems and serviced by a reliable shuttle system: Its ski areas feature a 450-foot vertical with 49 runs for every ability level, plus four snowboarding terrain parks and a tubing park. Its other facilities include over 500 rooms, 72 holes of championship golf, a Wellness Spa and over 35,600 square feet of meeting space.

Once again the resort is offering what it calls “Michigan’s most affordable lift ticket,” the Summit Only package. At just $18 a day, it’s considered one of the best ski values in America, and includes a ski/snowboard rental option for an additional $17 a day. As if that weren’t enough, on three dates (Jan. 8, Jan. 18 and Feb. 5) Shanty runs a funky discount called the Sardine Special, where an entire carload – no matter how many are squeezed into it – skis or rides for one price at Schuss Mountain.

For those who prefer to stay closer to Traverse City, Mt. Holiday and Hickory Hills provide another option for winter fun. Mt. Holiday is a community-run ski area just east of town with 16 runs, two chairlifts, a tubing run and terrain park, a pleasant day lodge, and awesome views of East Bay. On the other side of the city is Hickory Hills, a small municipal ski area nestled in a deep bowl of tree-topped hills less than five minutes from downtown that offers eight runs served by old-fashioned rope tows that hearkens back to a time when skiing was simpler and just plain fun.

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