A popular Wisconsin ski resort that has been around since the 1960s has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it fights to survive another winter on the slopes.

Midwest Skiing Company LLC, which owns and operates the Whitecap Mountains Resort in Upson, Wisconsin, said in court papers that it filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday after back-to-back winters with “extremely low” snowfall gutted its revenue and left it buried in debt.

The resort, with 43 ski runs across 400 acres, has been touted as the “snowiest ski resort in Wisconsin,” a court filing in its bankruptcy case said, adding that Whitecap Mountain annually gets “some of the highest snowfall in the state making for excellent conditions and regular powder days.”

However, the past two winters have brought little of the snow that built the resort’s reputation.

Snowfall at the resort plummeted from 260 inches in the 2022-2023 season to less than 30 inches the next winter, slashing revenue from roughly $1.4 million to about $197,000, the court papers said. The most recent season brought less than 60 inches of snow and only about $532,000 in total revenue.

“The low revenue in 2023 put the Debtor in a position where it needed additional funding to cover its revenue shortage,” said the filing. “While the Debtor survived the 2023-24 season, it required short-term financing to bridge the gap until the next ski season and payoff several expenses.”

Lender declared resort ‘in default’

The resort — which is all-season, but known for its skiing — turned to private lender Brighton Asset Management for a short-term loan to help it get by. Another “slow” 2024-2025 season prevented the resort’s owner from extending or refinancing the loan, the court papers say.

Brighton said Midwest Skiing Company was “in default” on about $1.86 million in debt and, through a lawsuit, moved to foreclose on the resort’s property, according to the court motion seeking approval to use cash collateral.

A court ruled in favor of Brighton in August.

Midwest Skiing Company filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy “to put a stop to the collection efforts and speculation within its community and among customers over the upcoming snow season,” the filings said.

“The automatic stay under the bankruptcy code stops Brighton from moving forward with collection through foreclosure or replevin,” attorneys for Midwest Skiing Company wrote in the filing.

Customers and employees “can be confident,” the filing said, that Midwest Skiing Company “will retain control and continue operations through the upcoming snow season.”

In its bankruptcy petition, Midwest Skiing Company estimated its assets as between $1 million and $10 million, with the same range for its estimated liabilities.

Attorneys for the company wrote in court papers that the Chapter 11 filing “provides a path forward” for the resort “to continue its operations for years to come under a plan of reorganization.”

The court papers say that Midwest Skiing Company — which has been owned by ski and hospitality industry veteran David Dziuban since 2008 — merged this week with Glebe Mountains, Inc., allowing for a “more efficient and less costly reorganization.”

Attorneys for Midwest Skiing Company and Brighton did not immediately respond to requests for comment by Business Insider on Friday.

EXCLUSIVE — Michael Alfonso, the grandson of Cuban refugees who fled communism and who helped pay his way through college by working construction and paving roads, on Wednesday launched a GOP bid for Congress for an open seat in a solidly Republican House district in northern Wisconsin.

“I’m running for Congress because Northern Wisconsin needs to continue to have a representative who will truly put our families, communities, and America first,” Alfonso said in a statement shared first with Fox News Digital.

Alfonso, who his campaign describes as a “pro-Trump conservative,” is the son-in-law of Fox News host Rachel Campos Duffy and Sean Duffy, who serves as Transportation secretary in President Donald Trump’s administration. And he’s running for the congressional seat that Duffy held for a decade. It’s the same seat currently filled by incumbent Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, who launched a 2026 campaign for governor last month.

“I was born and raised with the traditional Wisconsin values of faith, community, and hard work — and now I’m ready to give back to the area that gave so much to me,” the 25-year-old Alfonso said.

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He lamented that he’s “watched as the American Dream has continued to slip away from the people who so deserve it.”

And in an accompanying campaign launch video, Alfonso said, “Our district needs to bring in high-paying jobs, so people can plant their roots, raise their families here, and build a future they’re proud of.”

“Because when young people can’t get ahead, they start listening to the lies of socialism,” he added, under pictures of longtime Cuban communist leader Fidel Castro and Cuban Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara that cut back and forth with pictures of progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, along with democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, the frontrunner in this year’s race for New York City mayor.

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“My grandparents’ decision to flee communist Cuba to ensure a better life for our family should not be in vain. The radical left wants to change this country to be what my grandfather, and many before and after him, fled their home countries to escape,” Alfonso argues in his video. “We cannot let that happen, and I will fight every day to ensure Wisconsin, and this nation, continue to provide us with the freedoms and opportunities that my grandparents came here for.”

Alfonso also pledged that if elected, “I’ll work with President Trump to reform government, keep us safe, and bring down the cost of energy, food and housing.”

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The House district, which includes most of northwestern and north central Wisconsin, is solidly red. Trump by 22 points in last year’s presidential election, and Tiffany won re-election to a third term by 27 points.

Alfonso joins a GOP primary field that includes conservative businessman and attorney Paul Wassgren and public relations professional Jessi Ebben.

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Business owner Chris Armstrong and former state Rep. Fred Clark have launched campaigns for the Democratic congressional nomination in the district.

Allen Park — Kelvin Sheppard knows what people have thought about the Detroit Lions in years past.

The Lions, under a head coach who came up under Sean Payton, have predominantly relied on their offense to win games in recent seasons. It’s easy to see why. Dan Campbell spent a decade in the NFL playing on that side of the ball, and the Lions roster some the league’s best offensive talent. Why not lean into it?

But in his first season as defensive coordinator, Sheppard set out for his half of the ball to pull more weight. He desired a complementary situation, with the defense helping out the offense as much as the offense had been helping out the defense.

Sheppard’s efforts have largely been successful through 10 games. The defense having the offense’s back is best illustrated in sudden-change situations, when the opponent takes over possession after an interception, fumble, turnover on downs, missed field goal or blocked punt.

The Lions have faced 20 of these moments this season. They’ve given up only two touchdowns, and that’s despite the opponent’s average drive starting within five yards of midfield. There were six sudden-change instances in last week’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Lions held the Eagles out of the end zone each time, limiting the damage to three made field goals.

“It started back in the offseason, and it started at training camp. We went into this thing understanding that we wanted to play complementary football,” Sheppard said this week. “We didn’t want to just live on the back of our offense. … That narrative has been such in Detroit, that we win games because of offense. As a defensive player, as a defensive coach, that’s a luxury. But at the same time, it makes you feel a certain type of way.”

The Lions have allowed an average of 21.6 points and 291.8 yards per game this season, numbers that rank 10th and fifth in the NFL, respectively. They’re also near the top of the league in run defense (99.7 yards, eighth), pass defense (192.1, eighth) and, notably, third-down defense (34.4%, fourth).

Getting off the field in those critical moments goes a long way when there’s sudden change.

“We’re the firefighters on this team,” Sheppard said. “What does that mean? If Jack Fox, which he rarely does, shanks a punt, we’re not complaining, nobody’s sucking their teeth. We’re running on the field even faster to make sure we’re able to go put out that fire. That’s the mentality you’ve got to have as a defensive player. No pointing the fingers. No ‘what if’ this, no ‘what if’ that.”

With the defense playing as well as it’s been, and with the offense — outside of an exception versus the Washington Commanders — sputtering since Week 7, some have suggested it’s time for Campbell to have a philosophy change. Campbell’s aggression on fourth down is well documented. It’s worked well in the past because the Lions needed their offense to win them games. Maybe that’s no longer the case, and maybe Campbell should prioritize putting the defense in positions to succeed.

Ask Sheppard, though? He sees Campbell’s gambling mentality as a nod to his group: “I love it. I absolutely love it. Because that speaks volumes to me directly that our head coach believes, no matter where I put this defense, they’re going to put the fire out. So, I don’t care if Dan goes for it on every fourth down. It’s our job as defense to go out there and stand tall in that test.”

“We want this to be a complementary team. … We want to win because we win in all three phases of the game, and I think that’s something this team is trending towards. … You see it, when the offense is on, when the defense is on, when the special teams is on, man, we have a chance to do something special this year,” Sheppard said.

rsilva@detroitnews.com

@rich_silva18