Granite Peak a top choice for Midwest schussing with the family
WAUSAU, Wis. -- Our chairlift swiftly carries us upward as swirling snowflakes and bursting fireworks mix across an inky Midwestern night sky. Down below, a bonfire throws a yellow glow and the sound of music and laughter echo through the tall pines.
It isn't quite the Rockies -- but, here in central Wisconsin, Granite Peak does rock.
(Courtesy of Granite Peak)
Just out of the usual Chicago-area orbit of Wisconsin ski areas, Granite Park bills itself as 3½ to four hours away, though it's closer to give or six with typical stateline traffic. True enough, it's tempting as you see the signs for Cascade Mountain in Portage to stop and surrender.
But soldier on for another 100 miles north and you'll be rewarded with a large, well-run ski area that satisfies both bunnies and snow beasts alike. And, on Granite Peak's family weekends, it's downhilling at a downright bargain.
Several years ago, my wife and I, once Rocky Mountain regulars, decided we wanted our two kids to embrace the beauty of outdoors in winter. Real mountains and airfares seemed an expensive way to introduce them to skiing, so we explored something a little closer. Now 14 and 10, my son and daughter are skilled and enthusiastic skiers but neither they -- nor their parents -- have outgrown Granite Peak.
Built on billion-year-old quartzite, Granite Peak is 700 feet above the surrounding plain, giving skiers a magnificent view of frosted farm fields and, during sunny days, an azure Lake Wausau. Once known as Rib Mountain, the Granite Peak Ski Area began expanding in the late 1990s, thanks to some help from the state of Wisconsin. Since 2000, some 60 new runs have been added (for a total of 74), seven new modern lifts have been built (including a high-speed six-man ferry) and 400 blizzard snowguns have been installed.
But the number that really matters for the budget-conscious: a family of four pays about $450 for two days of skiing, including lift tickets and equipment rentals, two nights lodging, a tasty hillside barbecue lunch plus nighttime fireworks. Basically, arrive Friday night and ski the weekend away, leaving, all too quickly, on Sunday afternoon.
Family weekenders select from more than a dozen or so Wausau area motels, most being of the mid-priced chain variety. Many have indoor pools for those who prefer to swim rather than schuss after dinner. (Though, unplugged from electronics and infused with fresh air, most kids seem to knock out early.)
The overall atmosphere is sane, secure and celebratory -- there's a certain joy in turning on your kids to shared healthy pastimes, and Wausau seems delighted to turn out its best Wisconsin hospitality during family weekends. Ski breaks spent playing Scrabble in front of the chalet's fireplace have made for some lasting family memories.
Of course, while money matters, skiing is the thing. Granite Peak scores on that account, too.
The ski rental equipment is top notch -- some 2,000 new pieces have been added in recent years. And with rentals being part of the package deal, they're a good reason to free yourself of lugging your own stuff from home. The ski area has enough varied runs to keep it interesting for everybody: 17 greens; 33 blues, and 24 blacks, laid out sensibly to separate the newbies from the veterans. There's some great tree skiing, too, for those of us who need a little more excitement in our downhilling.
Whether it's the distance from Chicago or the size of the facility (a fat 400 acres), Granite Peak is usually uncrowded -- especially in the more remote wooded areas. My son and I have spent hours in near solitude playing "top-this" around thick trunks and under low branches with heart-pounding abandon. Only our own grunts, our skis slicing through the snow (and the occasional goose honk) break the sweet, wintry silence.
This year's remaining family weekends are Feb. 1-3 and March 7-9, though the trip is worth the hike even on regularly priced days.
As for the Rockies, we'll get there, eventually.
But until then, Granite Peak offers some solid skiing fun.