It’s demanding to see the glowing side of the spring snowstorm that dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of Wisconsin last weekend.
But if there’s any consolation, it’s that downhill skiers and Nordic skiers have a chance to try some spring skiing.
While most downhill ski resorts closed in March, Wausau’s Granite Peak extended the season until the end of April. The hill usually stays open until mid-April, but this extension will make Granite Peak its latest closing date, according to operations manager Vicki Baumann.
“Being fully open at the end of the season, we decided to stay open until the end of April because we can, we have so much snow,” she said.
The ski hill, which has the steepest drop in Wisconsin at 200 meters, will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays through April 29, even if temperatures rise in the coming months. several weeks. Spring specials include $50 for single-day lift tickets and $80 for two-day lift tickets.
“We have an amazing snow base here with all the natural snow we had, combined with our snowmaking,” Baumann said. “Warmer weather will make spring skiing great.”
Big Snow Resort Indianhead Mountain in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula also plans to remain open. The mountain is located in the Lake Superior snowpack near Wakefield and regularly receives over 5 meters of snow during the winter.
Indianhead has 30 trails and a 230-acre terrain park with 200 feet of elevation gain. Accommodation on the slope makes it easier to plan a weekend trip to UP
The hill will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from Friday to Sunday, conditions permitting. Spring offers include free skiing for children 17 and under. Adult single-day lift tickets are $49.
Cross-country skiers can also take advantage of late-season snow blasts. Although most state facilities have stopped maintaining trails, Pattison State Park and ski slopes after hours Brule River National Forest in northern Wisconsin near Superior, they groomed the trails on April 17 and they were in excellent condition.
Pattison State Park facility superintendent Kevin Feind said the park likely won’t groom the trails again this season, but that’s the last activity he remembers doing in 20 years of working at both facilities.
An addition to skiing at Pattison State Park: two waterfalls, including the highest in the state, gushing with spring meltwater. The 55-foot Big Manitou Falls is the fourth tallest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains, and the 31-foot Little Manitou Falls is a lovely twin cascade. Feind said both are still mostly frozen, but will soon be impressive.
Trail crew for the granddaddy of ski trails in Wisconsin, the Birkies, continues rolling and follows the loops around the County Highway OO trailhead and heads north. Grooming usually takes place on Tuesdays and Fridays and will continue as long as conditions allow.
From April 8 Minocqua Winter Park reported some of the best ski conditions of the season — and that was before the April 14-15 storm. The cross-country ski park, which normally closes on March 30, continued to prepare trails after the storm and plans to remain open as long as the snow lasts. Check out the park Facebook page for update.
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The WinMan’s traces near Winchester in Vilas County were also cleared after a storm that dumped more than a foot of snow on them.
While downhill skiing at Mount Ashwabay outside of Bayfield is now ready for the season, the cross-country ski trails remain open and have been prepared and marked after the major storm.
Snow still covers much of southern Wisconsin and although trails are not maintained on systems like Greenbush Trails in the northern part of the Kettle Moraine National Forest, skiers were still tackling fresh powder.
The same applies Mirror Lake State Park outside Wisconsin Dells.
“Ungroomed, but amazing. It’s April 15 and these have been the best skiing conditions within an hour of Madison all season,” wrote Ken Walz in SkinnySki.comwebsite for tracking trail conditions in the Midwest.
