Best Mountains in Wisconsin?

[DrCR]

Anyone have an opinion on the best mountains in Wisconsin?

My sister just recently got married and moved up there with her husband. Not sure where exactly they are at, but I know more south than north. I'm in the southeast and have to drive a nice bit just to get NC ice, so I'm hoping for some free lodging in WI come winter.

[Snowman]

Mt. La Crosse.

[rwmaron]

Depending on where in Wisconsin she is, you might want to consider heading up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and try places like Indianhead, Big Powderhorn, or Blackjack; all are in the lake effect snowbelt on the north side of the peninsula.

[Speedzilla]

I have not ridden at Granite Peak, but I've driven past numerous times and it looks like they have great terrain.

Blackjack in the UP is closed (and not just because it is summer).

[bjvircks]

I like Granite Peak (just outside Wausau... central Wisc) but my opinion is based on 4 years ago. On the UP... was Mt Bohemia still going?

[LeeW]

Ive never been to Wisc myself, however I vividly recall Tyrol Basin's the place for kicking it and jam it with snowboarding back in mid 90s ?

[Arc2Arc]

If she is in southern WI come to Cascade. Runs are shorter than Granite Peaks but not as far to travel and GP has a lot of wasted terain the whole bottom 2/3 is very flat. They have a beautifull base facility and great highspeed chairs.
Cascade has a high speed quad, has the best snow making, and grooming by far. I like Cindy Pop the best. short but pretty steep and no or very short lift line. Sunday am I am usually doing laps bymyself till nearly 11.
Devils Head has very old snow making and faces south in spring it is pretty tough. No high speed chairs, great food, and party atmosphear.
Tyrol is more of a freestyle set up but they do have a cool alpine race program headed up by Brent Alderman and he is whicked fast. very short runs litterally 20-25 seconds. Some really good steeps on the west side but scary narrow for me.
lacross is the same deal as Granite Peaks the bottom can be painfully flat on a board. but if they have aux chairs running it helps out.

[$trider]

There's a large group of carvers at Tyrol. Its a half hour from Madison. The hill is short, but never too crowded and no flat runouts at the top or bottom. Any given weekend there will 3-4 of us carvers out there, and on Monday nights there will be up to a dozen or more between the high school racers and the adult beer league that goes on. We also have the best bar and bartender of the WI hills

As far as terrain goes, I like Granite Peak, even with the runout at the bottom. Definitely the largest of the hills nearby. The UP is great, especially Marquette Mtn., but is a 4+ hour drive from the southern part of the state. Mt. LaCrosse has a couple of great steep runs, but short again. Cascade is close to Madison as well, but gets super crowded on weekends and has a flat top so the part of the hill thats decent isn't much bigger than Tyrol. Devils Head has the worst grooming, and the southern exposure just kills the snowpack.

Just up the road from Mt Lacrosse you can get close to Welch, BUck Hill and a few other in MN that are nice and also host a decent crew of carvers. The Midwest Expression Session is usually set up by those guys each year so you could plan your trip accordingly. Nothing like the ECES or SES wit hdemos and all, but a whole bunch of Midwest carvers ripping it together.

[djlepper]

I second Tyrol. Great group of carvers. I used to drive up to Tyrol each weekend from Chicago when I lived there. The hill is pretty small (average midwest "resort") but it's still a lot of fun.

[Algunderfoot]

Dear Dr,
Well ski hills yes, mountains, no. The info shared here is spot on. I do ride with my friend Tom at Cascade, particularly early season as they have invested in snowmaking gear over the years and they do seem to get a jump on the season. We have had 6-8 booters running dizzy laps on Cindi Pop. Rib Mtn. now called Granite Peak has the highest vert in WI, most is on the top half of any given run as Tom mentions. A definate go to hill with a recent fresh snow, but tends to ice up quickly with out new natural snow. Some of the Buck Hill boys from MN hold a session there each year which is worth noting. I hold a season pass at Indianhead in the UP (Bessemer, MI), which is the only carver friendly hill up there now that Blackjack is closed (Temporarily?). Marquette Mountain further to the east has a strong hardbooter contigency. Of note though are the Porcupines, it's a poorly maintained state park but can be fun under the right conditions, they offer snowcat service for off piste, and has nice views of Lake Superior. Then there's Mt Bohemia, our dream weekend destination north of Hoghton This is a bare bones non groomed powhound haven on the right days with only one blue run...the rest are Black, double, or OB. There are several other destinations around but they are small and marginalized, most offer night riding which can be alright to work on skills stretch the legs etc. Most are cheap too. Alpine Valley, Sunburst, Olympia (LOL), Wilmot Mt. Lake Geneva and Nordic, with a couple private hills near Milwaukee e.g. Ausblick & Heiliger Huegel which are not so cheap and have certain restrictions.

In any event, have her post up come December, I'm certain they will find folks here happy to show them the ropes...

[Snowman]

Hey Al

Do you ride with Joe Frost at Cascade? We instructed together at La Crosse, the guy was a rip ass skier now on plates.

[Algunderfoot]

Hey Mark,
No I don't know Joe off hand, but Tom might (Arc2Arc), Cascade is Tom's home base.
First day of Winter was Two Sundays ago it's just a matter of time now. I've got two new decks coming too, I would plan on Chile, if I only had the coin.

[Arc2Arc]

Joe Frost (fast ski guy) is awsome. He and I taught at Cascade for years he is one of the best skiers you will ever see anywhere and has great tech knowledge as a level III on ski's. He picked up plates on the snowboard and in one season was running circles around all of us. I spent a day riding with him last season and I was blown away by how good his riding is. Each time I run into him I try to convince him to come to SES. I think he and his dad are very close and it conflicts with a trip they do each year. His Dad is also a great skier and had taught at Cascade for years.

[wjholm]

Certainly I am biased - but no shortage of opinions on this forum. I live on Granite Peak and I have tried many areas throughout the midwest. Granite Peak is certainly one of the best - IMO you have to head west - Mountains - to get any better. Check the ride board this winter. I usually meet up with a few each winter....I'd love to find more carvers here!

[wjholm]

The new owners (about 5 years now) have invested alot of money in snowmaking and grooming. Ice is almost never an issue - though I do avoid busy weekends things can get polished-up. Updated lodge/bar is very decent. Don't forget to try the fried cheese - a WI delicacy. Plenty of beer and Packer games too - I am not a native and much of this is lost on me, local brewry beer is very good!!!

[Fastskiguy]

Joe Frost....He and I taught at Cascade for years...

Thanks for the nice words guys I've gotta tell you, I picked up a ton of stuff riding with Tom a couple of years ago. I need to hook up with you guys again soon, ideally with a video camera!

As far as Wisconsin....the places I've been to the most have been cascade (with Tom), alpine valley, tyrol basin (with Brent and all of the ski race guys), and half a zillion years ago, mt. lacrosse(with Mark). They've all got their strong points....probably it depends on where you are living at the time but I'll shoot for a summary

Alpine: high speed lift, no flats on the top or bottom, moderate pitch, can get crazy crowded but pretty empty weekday mornings and you can bag 50 runs in 3 hours!

Cascade: high speed lift, flat on top and bottom but has a nice pitch in the middle, a little steeper than alpine, great snow, empty during the week, not sure about weekends

Tyrol: cool place, great bar, measures our < 300 ft vertical by my watch, moderate pitch, lots of freestyle stuff, racing, and a pretty large bunch of alpine riders, fixed grip lifts

Mt. Lacrosse: I think it was steep, like the steepest in wisconsin, but it's been like 15 years or something....

Was at granite peak a couple of years ago, high speed lift, decent pitch on top, long flats on the bottom but with the fast lift it was pretty good

Where in wisconsin is she going to live?

[scotts.Scheinman]

boarding in southern wisconsin is the worst thing in the world for a kid who grew up on it. Dont bother to bring your stuff if you live near a real mountain. I had a lot of great memories at wilmot and alpine valley though.