Skiers prepare to hit the slopes with an instructor. The ski area in Michigan's Upper Peninsula is... 
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Hard knocks at Marquette Mountain apply to more than just tumbling skiers.
The ski area in Michigan's Upper Peninsula has seen its share of weather-related and other challenges in recent years. And like the clients, officials are dusting themselves off for the next ride — getting through a winter in a recession.
More than three-fourths of the nation's 481 ski resorts are small or medium sized in terms of skier-snowboarder visits. They typically are family owned and are located in the eastern half of the country, said Michael Berry, president of the Lakewood, Colo.-based National Ski Areas Association.
Together their numbers help drive the $6 billion U.S. ski industry, which saw a record 60.5 million visits last year.
"I'm not expecting anything fantabulous," Vern Barber, Marquette Mountain's general manager, said of the coming winter, "just because of the economy."
Smaller ski operations like Marquette Mountain offer same-day adventures without the four-star amenities or in-house lodging. Customers arrive, ski and leave. This year these operations are hoping the locals aren't thinking twice about whether they can afford to ski.
"Some of the most profitable ski areas based on cash flow are some of those small and medium-sized areas," Berry said.
This winter, the mom-and-pop places have two positives going for them.
Berry said gas prices now below $2 a gallon will result in lower operating costs and create a mind-set among potential customers that it's cheaper to drive to the local ski area.
And forecasts for good snowmaking weather will allow smaller operations to get off to a good start. In some previous years, warm weather has pushed back opening dates well into December.
"This is the best start for the areas east of the Mississippi River that we've seen in a decade at least," Berry said. "That's a big plus, getting open and getting people excited about it."
North Carolina's Appalachian Ski Mountain had its earliest opening to a season since 2000.
