New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Skiing Wisconsin.

post #1 of 56
12/17/07 at 6:02pm
Thread Starter 
Hi, I have 4 days, I'm planing a ski trip on this Christmas to Wisconsin. I've been only to Tyrol, Wilmot, and Cascade, never gone further up north. I like Cascade most because of its pretty long runs and fast lift. I have no favor of park or those jump stuff .

My current plan is to visit Cascade for 1 day, Granite Peak for another day(just because I've heard that it's got the longest run the Midwest ??).

Could you suggest some more places I should consider ? Thanks...
Reply
post #2 of 56
12/17/07 at 8:46pm
Granite Peak is one of the flattest ski hills in existance, and not really worth it if you're coming from Chicago. For a more relaxed, touristy-type vacation, I'd stay in the Dells at one of the indoor waterpark hotels and split my time between Cascade and Devils' Head. If you're looking to make it more of a roadtrip, you could swing past Cascade and Devils' Head and then head over to Mt. Lacrosse for some of the steepest skiing in Wisconsin and maybe hit Alpine Valley on the way back.
Reply
post #3 of 56
12/18/07 at 7:15am
I heard that Granite Peak has a really sweet new parking lot, though.....
Reply
post #4 of 56
12/18/07 at 7:46am
Keep driving and hit Indianhead & Whitecap
Reply
post #5 of 56
12/18/07 at 10:13am
Thread Starter 
heh, thanks for Granite's warning, moving it out of the list. Yes, I'm driving up from Chicago, IL is so sad for snow sport. Last week I tried the skifourlakes , 5 miles away from my office, it's a big shock :, 2 ropes + 2 bunny hills...
Reply
post #6 of 56
12/18/07 at 10:46am
yeah, skip granite peak. i was there this year sometime january, and my experience was pretty bad. so bad that i actually decided to drive back to illinois to ski at chestnut where i had decent amount of fun a few weeks prior to making trip to wisconsin. i mean.. think about that.

they claim like 700 ' of vertical drop, but it's really deceiving. maybe they included the 'sweet' new parkinlot. one x-factor might be that new farside slopes that they've been renovating. i did NOT get a chance to ski so i can't really tell you how that would be. but they do look a bit longer and steeper.

otherwise.. .yeah i've been to cascade, which was little longer than other resorts (s.a. chestnut, wilmot) but nothing special. have not been to devils head. but they are literally 5 mins apart i think.

i did some research as i wanted to go skiing when i got back to chicago for winter vacation, and i found out that indianhead in upper pennisula michigan is one of the best midwest destinations other than lutsen in minnesota. but i think it's about 400 miles from chicago.

so i recommend... cascade/devil's head and indianhead if you can manage to drive 7-8 hours in possibly bad driving conditions.

you'll have fun no matter where you are as long as theres decent snow.
Reply
post #7 of 56
12/18/07 at 11:27am
We get a lot of Chicago skiers at Marquette Mountain on the weekends. Usually ski clubs that come up on buses from Chicago and/or Milwaukee. It's a pretty easy drive. 6 hours straight north on 43 to Green Bay, then 41 North to Marquette.
It's equivalent to Indianhead/Powderhorn/Whitecap/Blackjack and an easier drive.
Reply
post #8 of 56
12/18/07 at 11:34am
Drive 90 minutes past the NW corner of Wisconsin and go to Lutsen.

Or try Mt. Bohemia in the UP. My favorite place, but not everyone's cup of tea, and unlike anything else in the Midwest. But with 275" of snow a year (87" so far), it wouldn't be. http://www.mtbohemia.com/.

They don't groom, and post this warning prominently: http://www.mtbohemia.com/warning.html
Reply
post #9 of 56
12/18/07 at 11:42am
My vote would be Devils Head/Cascade, try both as they are only 15min. apart from each other. Though I am heading up to Granite Peak the first week in January. Fellow Chicagoan here.........Good Luck
Reply
post #10 of 56
12/18/07 at 1:15pm
You might look at the "coupon book" at http://www.skiingwisconsin.com. Could save you money by trying new places. You might be able to buy it at Cascade, but call them first. You can definitely buy it at Tyrol.

If you go to Cascade, give Devil's Head a try. Slow lifts but nice, tree-lined runs with a steady pitch.

I am a bit surprised by the animosity towards Granite Peak. I was there a few years ago and I think there is no need to skate at the bottom of the runs to the west (skiers' right).
Reply
post #11 of 56
12/18/07 at 5:17pm
I too am surprised at how often Granite Peak gets trashed on this site.
I would reccommend it if you have never been. If for no other reason than to draw your own conclusion.

Granite's stated 700' vertical and 74 runs are slightly misleading. The top portion of the mountain is mostly quite steep. The bottom portion is fairly long and nothing more difficult than an easy green. So even the black diamond runs are only difficult at the top. Their run total includes every little cut off and trail merge.
With that said I like Granite Peak. It is quite large and there is a lot of varying terrain. The tree skiing is a nice change of pace when its open. The high speed Six man lift is top notch. The lodge is nice and has lots of room if you want to bring your own lunch.

I went to Cascade last year and found the upper part to be fairly flat and the lower part to be steeper. Kind of reverse from Granite.

For your trip I would say head up to Lutsen, hit Granite the next day, and then Cascade and Devil's Head the next two.
Reply
post #12 of 56
12/18/07 at 7:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fishEH View Post

I went to Cascade last year and found the upper part to be fairly flat and the lower part to be steeper. Kind of reverse from Granite.
Good point about Cascade

But Cascade does not advertise 71 runs and a new parking lot. I think Granite Peak is getting a bad name not because of the skiing, but rather, because of their aggressive advertising - - - - and high prices???

I found plenty of good skiing at Granite Peak - using midwest standards.
Reply
post #13 of 56
12/18/07 at 7:21pm
Cascade and Devil's Head are both good, though the lifts and snow (manmade variety) are better at Cascade. I've only been to Granite Peak once, and the runs to skier's right are a definite upgrade...worth the extra drive and $$$...up to you to see (I won't go back this year). Indianhead is yet another upgrade, again the drive is longer.
Reply
post #14 of 56
12/21/07 at 11:53am
Depends on how far you want to travel. I'm also from Chicago and instead of making the trek to Granite Peak, go through Indiana and across to Michigan and head up to Crystal (comparable distance). Maybe even to BigPowderHorn up through Wisconsin (farther though).

If you definitely want to stay in Wisconsin, I would stick with Cascades or Devil's Head as I usually can't seem to find the motivation to make the extra trek to GP unless they get dumped on in snow compared to its southern neighbors. JMO of course. No matter what you're skiing!
Reply
post #15 of 56
12/21/07 at 8:03pm
Supposedly Rib Mountain is supposed to be nice now, it has a high speed and 70 runs I believe
Reply
post #16 of 56
12/22/07 at 6:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Niko303 View Post
Supposedly Rib Mountain is supposed to be nice now, it has a high speed and 70 runs I believe
Rib Mountain has new ownership/management, and is now the previously mentioned Granite Peak.
Reply
post #17 of 56
1/17/08 at 12:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cowpix View Post
Rib Mountain has new ownership/management, and is now the previously mentioned Granite Peak.

yep...rib mountain is granite peak...change of ownership resulted in a change of name
Reply
post #18 of 56
1/18/08 at 11:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by eyecon82 View Post
yep...rib mountain is granite peak...change of ownership resulted in a change of name
Isn't that considered bad luck in nautical circles?



FYI...I have never heard of any of these mountains (besides bohemia) before, so thats not meant to be a loaded comment...
Reply
post #19 of 56
1/18/08 at 11:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dumpy View Post
Isn't that considered bad luck in nautical circles?



FYI...I have never heard of any of these mountains (besides bohemia) before, so thats not meant to be a loaded comment...

well i went go granite peak back in 2005 and had a great time....but I guess it's not the best....I haven't been to devils head or cascade yet...jut have been to alpine valley and wilmot (granite peak is def better than those 2)
Reply
post #20 of 56
1/19/08 at 10:13pm
If the frontside isn't steep enough for you at Granite then ski the backside, but be prepared to hike or skin back up. The backside is on state land as well.
Reply
post #21 of 56
1/20/08 at 11:20am
Dont ski granite peak, so flat. Id do Alpine valley, Wilmot might be steeper, but it is way shorter. And alpine has a high speed. Marquette Mtn is fun, but IMHO not realllllly worth the extra hours. It might be fun if you dont mind driving though. Ive skiied it all really, and id stick with alpine. cascade is fun too. Just not granite peak
Reply
post #22 of 56
1/20/08 at 12:06pm
What is going on with Alpine Valley? It seems it has really gone down the tubes this year.
1) There are lights out all over the place. Timber Trail is nearly dark the entire run.
2) Their grooming seems to be non-existent. I was up there Jan. 3rd, technically still a a "holiday" which means $39 for a weekday ticket. OK fine. Alpine's website says the runs close from 5:20-6pm on holidays and weekends for grooming. This did not happen and it REALLY needed to be groomed. Say what you will about Granite, at least they keep up on their grooming.
3) The last two nights I have been to Alpine Valley they have had unadvertised high school racing. This is a pain in the A**! The kids are like a swarm of mosquitos flying down the mountain and swamping the lift line while they wait for the race run to be set up. The race run is closed for a majority of the night. When it finally is opened back up its all tore up. I'm not saying they shouldn't race but AV should inform people of the run closure and reflect thet on their website and run status.

Anybody else notice this?
I'm goingto Wilmot Tuesday for the first time in about 5 years so that should be fun.
Reply
post #23 of 56
1/20/08 at 2:04pm
I would save your dollers and ski Utah once a year. Costs;

Hotel $72/night + tax
Rental car (full size) 180/week + tax
Airfare about $350
Reply
post #24 of 56
1/20/08 at 10:08pm
I skied Utah the first week of April last lear. It was awesome! Unfortunately my "ski itch" can't be satisfied by one week of skiing. That and I don't have the scratch to ski out west this year. So I'll probably just keep skiing the mid-west and keep complaining! Ha Ha!
Reply
post #25 of 56
1/20/08 at 10:16pm
Dunno if I'll be at Wilmot this Tuesday but I am there often on weeknights. Drop a line sometime when you're up there.
Reply
post #26 of 56
1/21/08 at 8:08am
I must admit I like alpine valley better b/c of their jumps over wilmot...has this changed recently at all? Thanks
Reply
post #27 of 56
1/21/08 at 2:08pm
Honestly I'm not sure about their jumps. I seldom ski those runs. I'm not a big jumper. I prefer Alpine over Wilmot b/c of the longer runs and smaller lift lines/fewer people. It'll be interesting to ski Wilmot again after such a long break.
I'll be wearing a red/black Mtn Hardwear jacket, gray pants, black helmet and Oakley goggles. Skiing 2005 Fischer WC SC 170 and Space Blue Lange Comp 120's. If you see me push me down and let me know you're a Bear!
Reply
post #28 of 56
2/12/08 at 12:44pm
any new opinions on the NEW granite peak? they have a crazy amount of runs now
Reply
post #29 of 56
2/12/08 at 3:34pm
It's just like the old Rib Mountain except they have a big fancy new lodge, a high-speed six-pack and they broke all the trails up into top, middle and bottom and gave them all separate names - hence the crazy amount of runs. They also have a new improved ridiculously high-priced lift ticket.
Reply
post #30 of 56
2/12/08 at 3:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jer View Post
It's just like the old Rib Mountain except they have a big fancy new lodge, a high-speed six-pack and they broke all the trails up into top, middle and bottom and gave them all separate names - hence the crazy amount of runs. They also have a new improved ridiculously high-priced lift ticket.
Can you please tell me how cascade or devils head is superior to granite peak? Im sincerely asking because I want to go to 1 of these 3 places this weekend..which would you choose? cascade, devils head, GP? Thanks
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: General Skiing Discussion