It is early February at Pedaling Beans Coffeehouse in Lake Leelanau, and despite the rare snowfall outside, the talk is of this strange winter.

"There's something about this weather that makes me uneasy," one customer says.

"Those poor ski resorts, relying on snowfall," another says.

A third customer agrees: "White is green up here. Snow is how they make their money."

Michelle Begnoche, a spokeswoman for Travel Michigan, said things are not as bad as they may seem. Smith Travel Research reported that hotel occupancy rates in Michigan were actually up slightly in December and January compared with the same months last season.

But those are statewide figures. At least anecdotally in northern Michigan, the winter of 2011-12 has been a big bust in a region where the color of money is white.

Still, businesses are adapting and, while still losing money this year, at least are surviving to tell the tale.

Just ask Tim Brick, owner of Brick Wheels, a Traverse City ski and bike shop. In winter, December is the make-or-break month. The lack of snowfall meant business was down 40 percent that month. In January, it was down 20 percent.

It was so bad that Brick had considered laying off some of his 15 employees.

Then a funny thing happened as the customers trickled in. Many were intrigued by a display of "snow bikes" — machines with big tires that can be used when the there's not enough snow for skis but too much for ordinary mountain bikes. Snow bikes seemed to satisfy a longing for hard-core sports enthusiasts in northern Michigan — where they take their skiing and bicycling very seriously.

The snow bike is not cheap —$1,500 to $4,000 — but drastic times call for drastic measures for those itching to get outdoors.

"It's for the guy who's got cabin fever," Brick said.

In the winter of 2010-2011, Brick sold about half a dozen of the snow bikes, made by Quality Bicycle Products of Minneapolis. This winter, he has sold 25.

"Snow bikes have been somewhat of a savior," Brick said. "They're certainly a show-stopper in terms of people wanting to know what the hell they are. We've sold a pretty fair number of them, but it doesn't necessarily offset the lost revenue from the ski end of it."

But snow bikes bode well for the future. Brick was promoting them during the weekend of the North American Vasa cross-country ski race in Traverse City, which went ahead Feb. 11-12 despite a significant lack of snow on trails. Only about 700 skiers showed up out of an expected 1,200.

But the Vasa crowd is the perfect customer base for snow bikes, which were all the buzz.

Brick is a major sponsor of the Vasa ski race, an event that the region considers lucky to have held at all this year. The problem, event President Pete LaPlaca said, isn't just the measly 33 inches of snow the region has had this winter, compared with 70 inches for an average winter through February. But the lack of snow nationwide kept contestants from training.

So where does that leave — as the coffeehouse customer said — "those poor ski resorts"?

Shanty Creek in Bellaire reports that although lift ticket sales are certainly down this year, the resort is adapting. Shanty Creek has one product that is in great demand in this year of less snow: the ability to make snow.

That came in handy for the Motown Winter Blast the weekend of Feb. 11-12 in downtown Detroit. Shanty Creek supplied enough snow to cover two city blocks with snow close to 2 feet deep.

Chris Hale, vice president for sales and marketing at Shanty Creek, said that although selling snow does not completely make up for lost revenue this year, "It certainly makes a big difference." The resort also has hosted snowmobile races canceled in other parts of the state because of a lack of snow.

Michele "Mickey" MacWilliams, executive director of the Michigan Snowsports Industries Association, said industrywide visitor numbers will not be available until April or early May. But Shanty Creek, she said, is doing what other Michigan ski resorts are doing — making the best of what they've got.

"Although it has been unseasonably warm and dry this winter," MacWilliams said, "it's been cold enough, often enough, to make a good snow base on our slopes."

She also said ski areas use social media and "snow-cams" to keep people coming to the resorts. "Anyone can see the ski runs at anytime, day or night," she said.

And, like Shanty Creek, resorts are getting creative with their offerings. Snowsnake Mountain in Harrison, for example, has a zip line system working all season long — allowing users to get an adrenaline rush riding a cable down the slopes.