Popular Montana ski area Bridger Bowl will be ready for ski season with two new lifts that will access over 500 acres of multi-level terrain. More than $4 million is being spent on the installation.

Grand plans for Jay Peak, Burke Mountain, Newport and the entire Northeast Kingdom in Vermont may well take another step forward next week as resort and state officials pursue funding in China and Vietnam.

Many season passes add extra value through discounted rentals, food, ski shop apparel, and other perks, but several Heartland season passes also include alliances with western and eastern ski resorts. Check them out. There are some good benefits if you’re planning a ski vacation outside the Midwest this winter.

Sochi’s Olympic Winter Games are still five months away, but the run-up to the competitions in Russia starts next month for many American athletes. Not in Russia, but at Lake Placid, N.Y.

Long before Disney World, MGM, Universal, and all the rest, Wisconsin Dells, in the south-central portion of Wisconsin, was entertaining visitors with natural wonders. Dell’s guided boat trips on the Wisconsin River through glacial carved canyons of sandstone have been going on for over a century.

It may have been the worst kept secret in ski country. Three media outlets in western Pennsylvania reported last week on the purported sale of Hidden Valley Resort to Bob Nutting, the owner of Seven Springs Mountain Resort, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Ogden newspapers, based in Wheeling, W. Va..

As part of $3 million dollars in improvements underway this summer at Michigan’s Crystal Mountain, skiers and riders can look forward to a new quad chairlift, regraded slope and new glades. 

Colorado skiers and snowboarders will find significant savings on ski passes at the holiday weekend sales, according to Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA), a trade association. 

Ski areas like Vermont's Okemo Mountain Resort are looking for the best of all worlds when it comes to snowmaking: make the most snow, in the least amount of time, reducing their use of electricity while being as sustainable as possible.To that end the technology is there to help them achieve those goals. 

 Two months ago the picture at West Mountain outside Glens Falls, N.Y. in the southern Adirondacks, looked uncertain with current management declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy to avoid a foreclosure proceeding. West owed Zion National Bank nearly $5 million, and was left with no cash. The mountain was its collateral.

CrossHarbor Capital Partners LLC and Boyne Resorts, owner of Big Sky Resort, has entered into an agreement to purchase Moonlight Basin Resort, which straddles the other side of Lone Mountain. The acquisition will create the largest ski resort in the Lower 48.

The Town of Johnsburg in New York’s Southern Adirondacks, wherein lies Gore Mountain, is using its cooperative relationship with FrontStreet Mountain Development to contribute to a better ski and ride experience at the resort.

Mackinac Island, immortalized by period movie "Somewhere In Time" with Christopher Reeves, has long been one of the Great Lakes most recognized vacation destinations. Conde Nest Traveler calls it “One of the top 10 islands in the world.” 

The dream of Olympic mogul skier Evan Dybvig, Dylan Goodspeed, and Frank Sparrow officially ended Aug. 1. That’s when Whaleback Mountain, in Enfield, N.H., was sold at a foreclosure auction, or perhaps better yet, retained by the Randolph National Bank, the sole bidder for the 154-acre property.

Vail Resorts purchased two Midwest ski areas, Michigan’s Mt. Brighton and Afton Alps in Minnesota last winter, promising $10 million in improvements for each area during the off season, and it looks like they are on schedule.

Private ski areas in New York’s Catskill Mountains are not sitting quietly as neighboring Belleayre Mountain is approved for $74 million in state money for capital improvements over five years.

Lift served mountain biking takes place at many western and eastern ski areas and is a popular summer draw for customers. Heartland mountain bikers aren’t so lucky, but there are five ski areas offering lift availability in the Midwest.

Sean Hayes is a man with no experience in the snow sports industry, yet he’s the front man with a keen vision. Along with Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park, who are the new owners of the defunct Powder Ridge, the ski and ride area in Connecticut, intends to open once again Nov. 27. The two – Powder Ridge and the nearby discovery park – are nine miles apart.

With the heat wave dripping across the Heartland thoughts of winter, skiing and snowboarding keep running through my head. Take heart Midwestern shredders and check out the new summer snowboard and freestyle ski camps taking place at Treetops Resort in northern Michigan.