Dry, dormant grass surrounded Terry Peak this winter. The ski area was a patch of artificial white amid miles of brown.
The Black Hills experienced one of its driest, warmest winters on record, according to state climatologist Laura Edwards.
“You see a lot of top 10s across South Dakota, essentially,” Edwards said. “I think that’s the story of the winter.”
In the Black Hills, winter weather is an economic lifeline during tourism’s offseason. The visitor industry of the northern Black Hills, in particular, is built around snowy winters.
From October through early April, snowfall in the northern Black Hills was about 8 feet less than average. Other parts of the Black Hills saw deficits of 2-3 feet.
That lack of snow impacted businesses that depend on winter recreation, such as downhill skiing, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. Owners and industry workers expect warmer winters to continue, forcing them to adapt.
Winter precipitation amounts are trending downward and average winter temperatures are trending upward in Lawrence County, which encompasses the northern Black Hills, according to data from the National Centers for Environmental Information. The county is trending an inch less in precipitation between December and March compared to the late 1800s, and it’s trending 4 degrees Fahrenheit higher.
$6.5 million investment keeps ski area open
This winter was among the “most challenging” in Linda Derosier’s 38 years at Terry Peak.
“It’s tough to remind people or get them to understand that there was snow at Terry Peak when they’re looking at brown grass in their backyard,” said Derosier, the ski area’s marketing director.
Winters have become warmer in the last few decades, Derosier said, and snowfall in the northern Black Hills varies widely year to year.
The resort spent $6.5 million over the past two years to update its snowmaking system, replacing water lines, adding snowmaking locations and installing permanent snow guns.
The investment more than tripled snowmaking capacity and helped sustain operations this season. Ski resorts across the United States closed early — or didn’t open at all — because temperatures were too warm to make snow.
Derosier said employees often made snow overnight when temperatures were cool enough on the mountain, which is one of South Dakota’s highest with a summit above 7,000 feet. She added that the visitors who came this year are more likely to return and buy season passes because they saw the resort was able to maintain reliable conditions.
Cross-country skiing, snowmobiling nearly nonexistent
No snow means no business for Recreational Springs Resort, said owner Brent Eslinger. In addition to lodging, the resort offers a restaurant, bar and snowmobile rentals.
Snowmobiling relies entirely on natural snowfall, and riders were largely unable to get out in the Black Hills this winter.
The annual Deadwood Snocross National was canceled in January because of lack of snow. Eslinger still hosted an annual vintage snowmobile club gathering, though members couldn’t take their usual ride.
Cross-country skiing was nearly nonexistent, said Eric Anderson, volunteer grooming coordinator for the Black Hills Nordic Ski Club. The nonprofit maintains cross-country skiing and snowshoe trails in the northern Black Hills.
The club typically grooms trails 30 to 40 times a year. This winter, Anderson said the club groomed three times.
“When skiing isn’t available, people pivot to other things to do,” Anderson said. “It makes it tough to maintain your user group, community and interest level when you don’t have snow every year and it isn’t as predictable.”
Without winter recreation, Eslinger has to work harder to bring locals and visitors into his business. Recreational Springs Resort also rents all-terrain vehicles and hosts events and private parties, such as weddings and reunions.
“You need to have that winter traffic to help make it through the rest of the year,” Eslinger said. “It’s either that or become a seasonal operation. Which, even then, I have fixed costs I have to pay for and that winter income helps offset a lot of that.”
Economic, visitor impact
Other Black Hills winter events were canceled due to warm, dry conditions. Chinook Days in Spearfish and the Burning of the Beetle in Custer were canceled, the former due to lack of snow and the latter due to high fire danger.
Visitor spending varied across the region this winter. Meade County, which includes Sturgis, experienced declines in winter visitor spending, according to the South Dakota Tourism dashboard, while Pennington County, which includes Rapid City, posted gains.
Custer County visitor spending fluctuated — down 23.8% in December compared with the previous year, up 22.6% in January and down 25.5% in February. Lawrence County, which includes Spearfish and Deadwood, had modest gains in December and January before a 7% drop in February.
Michelle Thompson, president of the Black Hills and Badlands Tourism Association, said snow-dependent businesses struggled, but other businesses benefited from the milder weather. Visitors had easier access to hiking trails, parks and museums.
The Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo in Rapid City, an annual indoor winter event, “had a great year,” Thompson said, with record crowds and sold-out performances.
Thompson said visitor numbers throughout the Black Hills and Badlands region remained comparable to years past — total visitor trips were down 0.8% compared with last winter, while visitor spending increased 1.7%. The winter season accounts for just under a quarter of annual visitation.
“We feel for the businesses that rely on winter sports, and we know it wasn’t great for them,” Thompson said. “When the weather is good, we draw in visitors for other experiences we have.”
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