Shanty Creek Resort has had new owners since February 26. Nearly eight months later, nobody has announced a new lift, a new run or a new restaurant for the coming season. The one change Bellaire skiers can act on is on the price table. It falls on October 24, when early season-pass pricing ends and every adult, teen, senior and youth pass goes up.
This winter will look a lot like last winter on the hill. So for the first season under new ownership, the decision that matters most is what you pay and when you pay it.
What the New Owners Have Said, and What Has Happened Since
The sale was announced the day it took effect. As 9&10 News reported, Shanty Creek Ski and Golf Resort, LLC bought the resort from Trinidad Resort & Club, LLC, effective Feb. 26, 2026. In the same report, Andrew Reh, the resort's COO and general manager, thanked Trinidad for "20+ years of stewardship."
The buyer was described in that coverage as a Michigan-based investment group. Harper Sibley, executive vice president of the new venture, laid out the plan in a few words:
"a strategic plan includes hotel updates, a new website and growing the resort's family-friendly activities."
That is how 9&10 News summarized Sibley's remarks. The outlet also reported that the current team would stay in place to keep daily operations running, and that guests may see "thoughtful enhancements" in the future. SAM, the ski-industry trade publication, covered the deal on March 3.
The most specific item came in April. Meetings + Events reported that a comprehensive renovation of the Lakeview Hotel is planned, including redesigned lodging and refreshed meeting rooms. As of mid-October, our research found no public confirmation that the work has started. It also found no announcement of lift, snowmaking, terrain park or tubing changes for 2026-27.
The resort is hiring for the winter season, according to its careers page. The dining lineup is The Lakeview, CoffeeBAR, River Bistro and Ivan's, with 2026 menus posted for The Lakeview and River Bistro. Those are the places you already know.
A "What's New" page about snowmaking pipe, snow guns and mSnow lift-loading technology is still on the resort's site. Its wording refers to a past La Niña winter, so it describes earlier upgrades, not the new owners' work.
The Twelve Days That Change the Pass Math
With the mountain unchanged, the date to watch is October 24. That is the last day of early SuperPass pricing on Shanty Creek's 2026/27 lift ticket and pass page. Early pricing started September 1.
The price increase alone doesn't tell you much. What matters is how many days you'd need to ski for the pass to cost less than daily tickets. The resort's posted Wednesday through Friday, non-holiday all-day ticket is $95 for adults, $84 for seniors and teens, and $71 for juniors ages 9 to 12. Using those midweek rates as the baseline:
| Pass, 2026/27 | Through Oct. 24 | In-Season | Increase | Midweek days to beat daily tickets, early | Midweek days, in-season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult, 18-61 | $489 | $565 | $76 | 6 | 6 |
| Senior, 62-69 | $459 | $505 | $46 | 6 | 7 |
| Teen, 13-17 | $459 | $505 | $46 | 6 | 7 |
| Youth, 9-12 | $329 | $359 | $30 | 5 | 6 |
| Cross Country Only, 9-69 | $104 | $116 | $12 | not applicable | not applicable |
The adult row is a close call either way. Six midweek adult days cost $570, which tops both the $489 early price and the $565 in-season price. For seniors, teens and youth, buying after the 24th takes one extra ski day to come out ahead. A senior pass at $505 needs seven midweek days, because six days at $84 come to $504. A youth pass at $359 needs a sixth day, because five days at $71 come to $355.
These are rough comparisons. Weekend and holiday tickets cost more than the midweek baseline, which helps the pass. The resort's weekly specials lower the cost of a single day, which helps buying day by day. Passholders also get resort-wide discounts on lessons, Nordic skiing and lodging, according to the pass page.
Where the Pass Table Is Most Generous
The bigger savings are in the rows that don't change on October 24.
- Ages 8 and under, and 70 and older. The SuperPass is $40 both before and after the deadline. A daily lift ticket for these ages is $10 every day of the season, so the pass costs less than daily tickets starting with the fifth visit.
- College students and military. Both passes are $325, before and after October 24. That is $164 less than the early adult pass and $240 less than the in-season adult pass.
- Magic Carpet only. Lift tickets are $10 for all ages, which suits a family whose youngest skier is still on the beginner conveyor.
- Night only. A Wednesday through Friday night-only ticket, 5 to 9 p.m., is $42 for all ages from 9 through 69.
The posted 2026/27 pass table has no separate rate for Antrim County residents.
Schuss Mountain Carries the Season
The resort's dates add up to a season centered on Schuss Mountain. Daily skiing is projected to begin December 17, 2026, and the projected closing date is March 28, 2027. Night skiing is planned to begin December 26, 2026. It runs Wednesday through Saturday at Schuss only, with no night skiing on Sundays, Mondays or Tuesdays except on holiday dates. The season-pass terms also name Schuss Mountain for unlimited skiing on any day it is open to the public.
Holiday pricing applies December 26, 2026 through January 2, 2027, plus January 16-17 and February 13-14. Outside those windows, the special offers page lists a recurring weekly lineup for the 12/13/26 to 3/14/27 season:
- Super Sundays
- Manic Mondays
- 2-for-1 Tuesdays
- KHQ Ski Nights, starting January 6, 2027
- Thursday specials, starting January 7, 2027
- Sardine Specials on January 18 and February 15
For anyone deciding whether to buy a pass, 2-for-1 Tuesdays matter most. Two skiers on a Tuesday pay for one ticket, which cuts the cost of a day roughly in half compared with the midweek rates in the pass table above.
One date on the pass page needs a second look. The passholder-only early opening is printed as "November 27, 2027," even though the rest of the page covers the 2026-27 season and a close in March 2027. It looks like a typo, but the resort hasn't corrected it publicly. Passholders counting on an early start should confirm the date with Shanty Creek directly.
Off the Lifts: Summit Nordic Center and Schuss Village Trails
The cross-country-only pass is $104 through October 24. It covers the resort's 9.5 km of groomed Nordic trails. They start from the Summit Nordic Center and pass through the resort's villages, according to Shanty Creek's Nordic trails page. The same page lists a separate 3 km groomed multi-use trail at Schuss Village for fat-tire biking and snowshoeing.
The pass math is simpler here. The increase after October 24 is $12, the smallest on the table. That makes the cross-country pass the one where waiting until you've seen the snow costs the least.
The Nordic page describes the White Pine Stampede as a point-to-point race held on the first Saturday in February. It offers 10, 20 and 50 km distances and finishes at Schuss Village. The most recent event page lists the last race on February 7 and marks it as past. If the race keeps its usual date, the 2027 Stampede would fall on February 6. The resort hasn't posted that date yet.
What Could Still Change Before December 17
Three public items could change before the lifts start turning:
- Lakeview Hotel. Whether the planned renovation Meetings + Events reported in April starts during the ski season or waits until spring.
- The website. Sibley named a new website as part of the plan, so the corrected passholder opening date and a 2027 Stampede listing may show up together when it launches.
- Family programming. "Growing the resort's family-friendly activities" was the third item in the strategic plan. No specific new activity has been announced for this winter.
None of those changes the price on October 25. On that day the adult SuperPass goes from $489 to $565, and the senior and teen passes go from $459 to $505.
If you're thinking about a winter place within reach of the Schuss Village trails, or about what a Bellaire-area home could bring in its first winter with Shanty Creek under new owners, The Trillium Partners can walk you through it. Get Your Instant Valuation and we'll show you how resort access shows up in Antrim County pricing this season.