Wisconsin’s ‘Snowiest Resort’ Declares Bankruptcy After Second Snowless Season

November 25, 2025

Snowless winters are a bummer for skiers and riders, but for resort operators, they can spell disaster. Wisconsin’s Whitecap Mountains Resort (WMR) is learning that harsh truth firsthand. On Nov. 19, the resort, once named the “snowiest” ski area in the state, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after two consecutive low-snowfall seasons torpedoed its revenue.

During the 2022/23 ski season, the resort saw a whopping 260 inches of snowfall. But in the 2023/24 season, just a year later, WMR’s winter precipitation dropped to less than 30 inches.

According to court papers, WMR’s revenue plummeted 86% that year, from $1.4 million to just $197,378. In order to keep its doors open, WMR’s parent company, Midwest Skiing Company (MSC), took out a loan with Brighton Asset Management, banking on the prospect of more snow in 2024/25.

However, last season, WMR got skunked again. The resort received less than 60 inches of snow, and its revenue for the year was just $532,639.

“The revenue was insufficient to service its debt — primarily with its largest secured lender, [Brighton],” Evan Schmit, an attorney for MSC, told GearJunkie.

In turn, Brighton filed a lawsuit seeking to liquidate WMR’s property to settle its remaining $1.86 million in debts. To avoid that fate, WMR filed for Chapter 11 “to stop those collection efforts and preserve the value of its business,” Schmit said. Gear Junkie