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Two ski resorts in Michigan’s UP plan on skiing and riding this weekend, and one plans on staying open through mid-April. With the recent return of winter across the upper Great Lakes, conditions should be prime spring skiing and riding.

Vail Resorts, which purchased Wilmot Mountain, located between Chicago and Milwaukee, in January, has announced that they will spend $13 million to completely transform the guest experience at one of the nation’s oldest ski areas. The ski area first opened in 1938.

The Heartland’s backcountry skiing giant Mount Bohemia has confirmed that it plans to expand the snowcat skiing terrain on Voodoo Mountain this summer by adding an additional peak and 100 more acres of backcountry terrain to explore.  

Fat tire snow biking, popular at western and eastern ski resorts, has been gaining traction in the Midwest recently. Several ski resorts in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula and northern Minnesota are now offering rentals and trails to ride. 

Terry Peak, South Dakota, opened in 1936, and celebrates 80 years this year. It opened the same year as Sun Valley in the west and Bromley Mountain in the east, both credited with kicking off the North American ski resort industry. Terry Peak, with a 1,100-foot vertical drop, largest in the Heartland, offers true mountain skiing. Located in the Black Hills, it tops out near 7,000 feet.  

It may be something you thought you would never hear about in the Midwest, but Mount Bohemia, in Michigan's UP, has opened Voodoo Mountain for cat skiing. It's the first commercial cat skiing area east of the Rockies.

It’s one of the more unusual ski weekends in the Midwest. Pine Mountain, Michigan’s UP, hosts an FIS sanctioned Continental Cup jumping event Feb. 20-21, which is often dubbed the “Midwest’s biggest winter tailgate party.”

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner and coming on a weekend, here are some of my favorite Heartland spots to combine snow sports and romance. Enjoy.

Several Midwest ski resorts are adding a little zip to their attractions, literally. Zip Lines have become a big addition at ski resorts across the country, especially in the western mountains and New England.

I’ve been skiing at Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands in Michigan since the mid-1970s and watched them grow over the plast 40 years. Both have added more terrain, trails and terrain parks and lots of non-ski related activities.

Check out Gaylord, Mich. if you like cross country skiing laced with nice amenities, good downhill choices, and an appealing village dressed for winter.

Ever wanted to try a luge run, which always looks pretty exciting in the Olympics?

Vertical Express for Can Do MS, the only national event series that combines skiing and fundraising to empower people with multiple sclerosis (MS), kicks off Feb. 6 with seven ski resort events across the country. This event supports lifestyle empowerment programs for people with MS and their support partners. 

Stein Eriksen, beyond his international persona and all his accomplishments, also had an impact on Midwest skiing even though he was here just three years.

How would you like to get a free lift ticket every time you fill your vehicles gas tank?

It may be a slow start to the Midwest ski season, but things are supposed to improve by the holidays and several Heartland resorts have plans to celebrate the season. Let’s all ask Santa to bring the snow.

El Nino continues to play the same tune across North America with abundant snow in the west and spring-like temperatures throughout the lower midwest and Northeast, and the forecast shows little signs of change.

Mountain top dining is popular at ski resorts in the west. But, there are a handful of resorts scattered around the Heartland that offer distinctive mountain top dining experiences as well.

 Once again Minnesota’s Wild Mountain, east of the Twin Cities along the Wisconsin border, is the first to open for skiing and snowboarding in the Midwest. A major winter storm is sweeping across the region, leaving 3-20 inches in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.

Three ski resorts in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula—Shanty Creek, Treetops and Caberfae Peaks— have been busy making improvements for the coming winter season. Look for more snowmaking capability, lodge renovations, upgraded rental equipment and cross country improvements.