Top Stories

Are your skis and snowboards ready? Ski season is open in the Heartland. Minnesota’s Wild Mountain, located in a river valley east of the Twin Cities, opened for their winter season today.

Something unusual in the ski industry: instead of announcing the usual price hike, Michigan’s Marquette Mountain is rolling back its daily pass to $25 and season passes to $249 with student passes (7+) $99. At the end of February this year an old web page shows lift tickets weekday were $38 and $48 on weekends and a season pass was $429.

Family friendly terrain, ski and snowboard teaching programs, and a good variety of advanced and expert terrain. Here are my top five recommendations for ski resorts in the Midwest to keep a family of differing abilities happy.

Good news for St. Louis snowsports lovers. Missouri’s Hidden Valley Ski Area has settled its dispute with the city of Wildwood and will be allowed to build a zipline, which will open next spring. The resort had initially threatened to close the ski area if the zipline had not been approved.

Autumn sweeps across the Midwest like a blaze this time of year. One of the best ways to enjoy breathtaking fall views is a slow chairlift ride to the top of the ski hill. Here’s some of the best around the upper Midwest.

Zipline tours are popular pursuits at ski resorts throughout the nation. You don’t need a mountain to offer some excitement. Ski resorts in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois offer you the rush of zipping through treetops, over gorges and some fantastic views along the ride of Great Lakes and great rivers. It's great summer fun.

The small city owned ski area Hickory Hills, located in the tall hills surrounding Traverser City, Michigan, is getting a major upgrade thanks to a Preserve Hickory $4.1 million project.

The Hemlock Open takes place April 28 on Boyne Mountain. (Boyne Mountain)

With plenty of snow on the slopes and in the glades Michigan’s Boyne Mountain, located in the Lower Peninsula, and Mount Bohemia, in the UP, have thrown down the gauntlet. Who will remain open longest this season for the Wolverine State title?

Nubs spring runs are silky smooth. (Nubs Nob/Facebook)

With snow in the forecast this week across the upper Midwest and plenty of snow still on the slopes the snowsports season is extending into April, and a couple may stay open into May.

Whitefish has received above average snowfall this season.

The ski season is winding down across Montana with the last day taking place at many this weekend, but a few are staying open later through Easter. At least one has extended their season with all the snow that has fallen this winter.

Boyne Resorts takes on ownership of Loon. (Loon/Facebook)

Boyne Resorts has announced an agreement with Ski Resort Holdings, LLC, an affiliate of Oz Real Estate, to acquire six mountain resorts and a scenic chairlift attraction currently leased by the resort company.

A concept of the new eight-seat, high-speed Doppelmayr lift. (Big Sky)

Boyne announced they will install North America’s first eight-seat, high-speed lift at Big Sky Resort over the summer and it will be ready for next winter, and additional improvements will focus on the Mountain Village.

Overlooking Nub's Nob slopes. (Nub's Nob)

Nub's Nob, known throughout the Midwest for meticulous grooming and snow conditions, is actually a pair of 427-foot peaks that encompasses 53 trails and numerous glades scattered over 248 skiable acres. It’s an array of imposing steep, western-like slopes in front, narrow intermediate runs with a New England feel on the southwest side, and open bowls on the north side. Pintail Peak with its stunning overlook of Lake Michigan’s Little Traverse Bay is a separate outback experience. They routinely stay open through early April.

Spring skiing at Lutsen Mountains overlooking Lake Superior. (Facebook)

Although it's been an up and down weather pattern across the Heartland and Great Lakes, across the northern tier they are in good shape heading into March.

Wilmot Mountain in the early days. (Wilmot/Facebook) 

Three of the Heartland’s oldest ski areas, Granite Peak and Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin, and Caberfae Peaks in Michigan, turned 80 this winter, and all are thriving well. 

Densmore taking a turn on Boyne Highlands' slopes. (Boyne)

Spring is quickly approaching and that means ski trips to the mountains for many Heartland gals. Are you ready to enjoy all that skiing and riding?

Lou Batori, the oldest known skier, takes a run down Crystal Mountain slopes last year at 106 years old. (Crystal Mountain)

Getting older carries with it some pretty special benefits if you’re a skier or snowboarder. There are 15 resorts scattered across the Midwest that allows seniors to ski or ride free at a certain age.

Taking a ride through the glades. (Boyne Mountain)

When you ski and ride at Boyne Mountain you can’t help but think about the history that’s attached to this storied resort. They opened in 1947 with the first ski chairlift in the Midwest and followed with introducing the first three-, four- and six-seat chairlifts in the U.S. There were lots of other firsts, but the Mountain has aged well and the newer village and Mountain Grand Hotel are among the best in the Heartland. Classic straight forward wide runs plunge down the fall line, and Hemlock, their legendary advanced run and slope centerpiece, is still the “dean of Midwest steep.”

New high-speed quad unloading for the first time this season. (Giants Ridge/Facebook)

Minnesota’s Giants Ridge opened two new, much needed, chairlifts this season in an effort to turn around declining numbers of skier visits the past few winters.

Baumgartner in the starting gate wearing his trademark houndstooth pants. (Nick Baumgartner/Facebook)

Nick Baumgartner, who lives in Iron River in the Wolverine State’s UP and calls Ski Brule his “home hill,” got word last week that he has been named to the U.S. Olympic snowboardcross team. He also competed in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.