"We are pulling in anybody and everybody we can get to the hill open," Deputy City Manager Valarie Handy told The Ticker earlier this month. She was talking about Hickory Hills, the ski area the City of Traverse City owns. Her line is the clearest guide to this winter at the hill.
Every December, families who ski at Hickory watch the forecast. This year a second question matters just as much. The city has a list of seasonal jobs to fill before the snowmaking guns, tow ropes and ticket window can run, and its goal is to open before Christmas break. How fast those jobs fill will decide that date about as much as the cold will.
How the Hill Ended Up Back With the City
In July, city commissioners voted unanimously to hire North Country Alpine Services for one winter as a trial. The company is a Traverse City-based ski operations firm that has worked at Hickory, Mt. Holiday and The Homestead. The city would keep ownership. NCAS would handle staffing, snowmaking, maintenance and the rest of daily operations. After one season, the city planned to decide whether to bid the work out, go back to running the hill itself, or try a hybrid.
The contract never got finished. The Ticker reported that talks stalled over insurance and liability, in part because a city running a ski hill raises questions about governmental immunity. "The lines of where that immunity would remain intact and where the risk would fall on the vendor…could not be worked out in time," Handy said. With the season getting close, NCAS withdrew, and the city took the work back.
Last January Already Showed Where the Bottleneck Is
The outside-operator plan came out of a rough season. Hickory didn't open until January 4 last winter, and by mid-January only 4 of its 16 runs were open. The city cited employee shortages and equipment issues. The same Ticker report lists the longer-running problems the NCAS deal was supposed to fix: corroded or malfunctioning snowmaking equipment, winters shortened by a changing climate, and trouble hiring staff.
So the staffing problem that slowed last season is back on the city's desk, and this time with a shorter runway. The difference is that the city is recruiting harder and earlier, with perks it hasn't offered before.
The Jobs That Decide the Calendar
The City of Traverse City's October 2026 Bay Brief newsletter lists the openings for the 2026–27 season at the ski area and lodge:
- Snowmaker
- Tow Operator
- Slope Supervisors
- Rentals/Ticket Sales
- Lodge Supervisor
- Kitchen Lead
- Food & Beverage
The first four are the jobs that put skiers on the hill. The last three run the lodge, and that is where the city has said it might trim if it has to. Handy told The Ticker the city isn't planning to cut runs or hours. Concessions are less certain. "We might limit the hours there, or the types of food," she said, and a food truck operator is one option under discussion. "Getting the hill open is our highest priority."
The perks are aimed at keeping people through the whole winter. Seasonal staff get a season completion cash incentive of $1.50 to $3.50 per hour worked, depending on the position, plus a season pass, equipment rentals and a shift meal. Applicants must be at least 18, and pay depends on position and experience. Applications are on the city's jobs page and go to [email protected].
The city is also looking for expertise beyond hourly staff. On October 9, 9&10 News reported that Traverse City is seeking ski-hill advisers as well as seasonal workers. City staff are working closely with the Hickory Hills Advisory Committee on operations. The committee is chaired by Mayor Pro Tem Laura Ness, a co-founder of Preserve Hickory and a past president and Hall of Fame member of the Grand Traverse Ski Club.
What's Settled and What Isn't, as of Mid-October
| Question | Where it stands |
|---|---|
| Who runs the hill | City of Traverse City, after the NCAS deal fell through |
| Opening goal | Before Christmas break, then open up to or through spring break, weather permitting |
| Runs and hours | The city says it isn't planning to cut either |
| Lodge food | May have shorter hours, fewer food types, or a food truck |
| 2026–27 pass prices | Not posted yet |
| Phase 2 snowmaking upgrades | In the master plan, with no completion date announced |
Two rows in that table depend on each other. The city's Hickory Hills Master Plan Phase 2 page calls for snowmaking on the wooded Nordic trails, more hydrants on Swede to make snowmaking more efficient, and a third booster pump. It doesn't give dates for any of them. Until those upgrades are done, how early the hill opens depends on how much the current equipment and crew can produce in the first cold stretch. That is why the snowmaker job carries so much weight this fall.
Last Season's Prices, for Reference Only
The city's season pass page still links to the 2025–26 rate sheet, and the online store showed no season passes for sale in mid-October. Until new rates come out, last winter's numbers are the only benchmark. They aren't a promise for this season.
For 2025–26, an adult alpine season pass cost $170 for city residents and $215 for nonresidents. A family pass covering up to four people was $405 for residents and $520 for nonresidents, with each additional family member $45 or $55. Adult daily tickets were $23 on weekdays and Sundays and $28 on Saturdays. The conveyor lift was $5 for ages 13 and up and free for kids 12 and under. Last season's Nordic passes ran $70 for adult residents and $90 for nonresidents.
The gap between resident and nonresident prices depends on an actual line on a map. The pass store asks buyers to choose Resident or Non-Resident based on the City-boundary map. Under last season's rates, that line meant a $115 difference on the same family pass. Daily tickets are sold at the ticket window.
The January Birthday
Hickory turns 75 in January. "Seventy-five years ago, those lights were turned on, and I see no reason why we wouldn't be here for another seventy-five years," Ness told The Ticker.
Those lights are a big part of how the hill works for people who live nearby. The city's history page notes that improvements in 2018 added a new lodge, a maintenance building and more terrain, and expanded night skiing to most runs. One kilometer of the Nordic trail system, which is more than 5 km long, is lit for night skiing. The city's posted regular schedule matches that after-school, after-work pattern: Monday through Friday 3:30 to 8:30 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In February, The Ticker reported that the Advisory Committee would discuss a potential 75th-anniversary event for January 2027. Longer term, Ness pointed to the master plan's year-round goals, such as better ski operations, mountain biking, lodge rentals and disc golf, as the path to a stable future for a city-owned hill. The city's mountain-bike plans are still at the feasibility stage.
For this winter, Ness told The Ticker she's "still very optimistic and confident we'll be able to have an even better season than last year." She added one condition: "Weather dependent." Last year's bar was a January 4 opening.
If Hickory is part of your family's winter, the city boundary may matter to you more than you expected. We know where the line falls across Traverse City and the townships around it, and we're happy to walk you through it house by house. The team at Craig Real Estate would love to hear what you're looking for. Schedule your free consultation.
