Ski This Weekend

OK we had an ice storm but there is still plenty of opportunity to ski locally. Sunburst, north of Milwaukee, Wilmot, south of Milwaukee or Alpine Valley, west of Milwaukee are all good choices this weekend. They are all open. Drive a bit farther and you can ski at Tyrol Basin, west of Madison or Cacscade or Devils Head north of Madison. Or you can go to the gym and work out inside.

Get some fresh air! Go skiing! You'll love it!

Ausblick

We had the opportunity to ski another Milwaukee area ski club for the first time, Ausblick, "The Midwest's Finest Membership Ski Club since 1973." A storm had rolled in dumping about 5 inches of new snow along with strong northwest winds. We had an adaptive ski event and had numerous lift loads on their triple chair lift with a student in a Mountain Man Sit Ski. (http://www.abledata.com)

A spacious modern chalet provides plenty of room for members and guests. They do have a tree run which is a nice feature.

Marquette University had purchased the hill for $5000 in 1950, according to the web site. Ausblick is known for a superb race team, fine snowmaking and grooming and the advantages of limited lift lines since membership is limited.

Winter Storm Watch

The National Weather has predicted a winter storm warning bringing 5-8 inches of dry powdery snow to the area starting late tonight and continuing till Saturday night. Go skiing! The largest amounts will be to the south and along Lake Michigan.

Ski News

We had the opportunity to ski Chestnut Mountain near Galena, Illinois along the bluffs of the Mississippi River and Holy Hill ski areas recently. Both offer a special experience for any skier or rider. Chestnut has a chalet and lodging at the top which is also where you park so your first move is to ski down rather than ride up.

Holy Hill, across the road from the famed shrine, is a private club known as Heiliger Huegel and offers a chalet complete with indoor and out door fireplace at mid-hill. The club was founded in 1935. It was snowing for our night skiing at HH so we had a "powder night.". Both areas offer beautiful views and excellant local skiing.

Ski Update

Well, we skied in the rain Monday night at Alpine Valley or more accurately we raced in the rain, two runs, on a giant slalom course, 10 of us or so, maybe more, it was hard to see, 40 didn't show, or so, hard to tell, but it was fun, we will move up in the standings because we don't care about weather, or whether we show up.

Local ski report: Sunburst closed today due to rain etc., Wilmot open, Alpine Valley closed, Cascade open. The cold will return Wednesday and February will return as well. Call your favorite resort/hill/mountain before heading out. Granite Peak reports all 72 runs open. 41 degrees at the moment. By the way I think I heard Milwaukee hit a record today of 59 degrees at the airport.

Chestnut Mountain

We had a ski training event at Chestnut Mountain near historic Galena, Illinois and if you are looking for a weekend get away you may want to consider this location. We saw an historic hotel where President Lincoln stayed and also the home of General Ulysses Grant. The majestic Mississippi provides a scenic backdrop. We saw plenty of deer and a bald eagle.

One run called "Warpath" has a vertical drop that many skiers may find challenging.


http://www.chestnutmtn.com

Boy Injured At Olympia

A 10-year old snowboarder fell from a chairlift at the Highlands of Olympia ski hill yesterday and was taken away by Flight For Life, according to published reports. Olympia which has two double chairlifts closed after the accident. The resort is a great training ground for locals and has enjoyed two consecutive snowy winters.

Snow Totals

Mount Bohemia in the Upper Peninsula reports 231 inches of snow year to date. Wow! Keystone Resort in Colorado reports just over 118 inches mid-mountain. Milwaukee reports 48.5 year to date. Grand Targhee where we skied last week reports 301 inches and Jackson Hole reports 300.


This weekend will bring a warm-up around here and some spring-like conditions on a big base. Enjoy