The 2023/24 season was one of the warmest winters with the least amount of snowfall ever recorded for our area. Instead of our normal average of 140 inches of snow, we only received 83 inches. Most of the snow that fell was from three large storms in which all the snow that fell melted a week later. Any winter activity that didn’t have snowmaking attached to it, did not fare well this year.
We definitely felt the impact of such a warm winter, but once again, the snowmaking loop allowed us to provide great skiing for most of the season. With the loop, we were able to host at the last minute Vasa’s Midwest Nordic Rendezvous and a classic ski race usually held at Hansen Hills. Even with the lightning strike in November delaying the snowmaking, we were still able to be open for 66 days versus 82 days last year. Our overall skier visits were down from 5,500 last year to only 4,000 this year. Sales in the shop and trail fees were down over $40,000. That is a huge number for us to absorb. That $40,000 was needed to fund projects, like finishing the pole barn and adding more trails to Crybaby, as well as paying our bills until next season.
We were given a very generous anonymous donation to help us weather this past winter’s lack of income. This donation will enable us to continue to pay our bills and to finish the new pole barn. We will have to table other projects like expanding trails on Crybaby, fixing the parking lot and other improvement projects, but we are grateful to be given this support to continue improving Forbush Corner Nordic and help us move forward with our expansion.
A technical addition to the 2023-2024 season was adding Nordic Pulse, a realtime grooming and trail report showing which and when each trail in the system is groomed. In addition, it provides the skier a map on their phone showing them their location within the trail system.
We are actively working on becoming a four-season center. We are consulting with mountain bike trail designers to build 6-8 miles of trails. We are also working with the state to possibly expand onto the surrounding property to build out at least a 16-20 mile trail system. Northbound Outfitters is working closely with us to make these trails a reality. In April we worked with John Morton to develop a 2.5/5 km loop that will work for a biathlon range. This will be a much larger project to complete and is many years in the future, but we have the groundwork laid to start thinking about a snow making expansion. We were given a $10,000 grant from the Great Lakes Sports Commission to help pay for the trail design work for the biathlon and mountain bike trails.
We were also awarded a very large grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) to fix the exterior of our 30-year-old pole barn/ski school and to install a two-seat ADA compliant vault toilet. This grant will allow us to move towards our four-season expansion with critical infrastructure improvements. Carlton Ketchum, one of our ski instructors, helped us secure this grant. Instructor Alan Hough refreshed our website and social media presence. Thank you to our very versatile instructors.
Listed below are a few of our off season projects we are hoping to accomplish.
Revenues | Expenses | |||
Donations- | $118,000 | Operating expenses- | $96,800 | |
Sales- | $49,000 | Repairs- | $9,100 | |
Rentals- | $3,700 | Capital Outlay- | $79,700 | |
Trails fees- | $71,700 | Loans/interest- | $46,875 | |
Miscellaneous- | $9,700 | Human resources- | $3,000 | |
Total | $252,100 | Total | $235,475 | |
Cash Assets | Debts | |||
Savings- | $ 99,000 | Groomer loan | $65,000 (plus future 4.5% simple interest) |
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Checking- | $30,000 | Land purchase | Final payment of $33,500 Due: January 1, 2025 |
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Total | $129,000 |
The quality Nordic Skiing at Forbush Corner would not be possible without all of our generous Donors. Thank you for your continued support and trust to make Forbush Corner Nordic even better.
GOLD LEVEL- $5,000 + | BRONZE LEVEL- $1,000-2,499 | |||
Frank Nizio/Linda Allen | Barb Wade | Todd Hubbard | ||
Ernie Braumbaugh/Carole Muller-Braumbaugh | Glenn Goodman | Jean/Steve VanDam | ||
Anonymous | Mary Mckinley | Paul/Simona Drake | ||
Chris Halter/Bill Fraser | ||||
SPONSOR LEVEL- $500-999 | FRIEND- $500 | |||
Kathy Conway | William Kaltz | Mark Randolph | ||
Tim/Cerri Faas | Robin Luce | Robert Vancl | ||
Martha Avery | Steve/Nancy Biggs | Helene/Dan Rimer | ||
Gwenn Stevenson | Stokes Schwartz | Robert/Julie Pettibone | ||
Gaylord Middle School Ski Club | Robert/Julie Pettibone | Jay Fozgoua | ||
Anonymous | ||||
Board of Directors | ||||
Howard Hansen- President | ||||
Todd Hubbard- Secretary | ||||
Ann Wagar- Treasurer | ||||
Larry Damic- Director | ||||
Mario Kennedy- Director |
Borchers Riverside Bed and Breakfast 101 Maple St. Grayling, MI 49738 989-348-4921 www.canoeborchers.com |
Woodlands Motor Lodge 267 I-75 Business Loop Grayling, MI 49738 989-348-9094 www.woodland-motel.com |
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Au Sable Riverview Resort and Market Special promotion 20% of cabins and lodge rentals for Forbush skiers! 10935 Linger Longer Rd Grayling, MI 49738 Ph: 989-344-2164 ausableriverviewresort.com |
ARBNB Snuggle In and Stumblin Terry and Kelly Vandecar vandecark@gmail.com Grayling, MI 9738 989-390-0452/989-348-3130 |
Contributions can be made through this Paypal link, through an individual’s charitable mutual fund, stocks/bond transfers or by check. We are a 501(3)(c) non-profit organization, registered with GuideStar and with the State of Michigan. Checks should be made out to Forbush Corner Nordic and mailed to the following address. Forbush Corner Nordic PO Box 118 Gaylord, MI 49734
To promote social welfare through the enjoyment and appreciation of the natural environment and promotion of activities that emphasize healthy, family-oriented winter outdoor sporting activities.
Days of Operation Peak Season Thu thru Mon Early Late Season Sat and Sun Open 9 AM to 5 PM those days
Contact Us Telephone - 989.889.2843 email: info@forbushcorner.com PO Box 118, Gaylord, MI 49734