01.17.17

BeloitDailyNews.com

Slopes Seeing More Visitors

LAKE GENEVA — The cold weather doesn’t seem to bother skiers, because area ski resorts are doing well during the winter season.

In fact, The Mountain Top at Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, is having the best season it’s had in at least the last five years, said Chad Hart, director of ski operations.

Weather for Saturday and Sunday in the Stateline Area is expected to be in mid to high teens. Hart said good skiing weather is around 20 degrees and sunny with no wind.

“That’s when we see all the moms and dads come up with their kids,” Hart said.

He’s expecting a long and strong season this year.

“The early snow and then the really good conditions have really gotten everyone into the winter mindset,” Hart said.

Over at the Chestnut Mountain Resort in Galena, Illinois, Michael Murphy, president and general manager, said the ski resort is doing very well compared to last year’s mild season.

This winter season is more comparable to the seasons in 2013 and 2014. He said it’s too early to tell how many visitors the resort will receive this year, but Chestnut Mountain typically has 90,000 to 100,000 visitors each year.

He said if skiers dress for the weather, they’ll have fun.

Murphy said cold weather isn’t a concern unless temperatures get to 10 below zero and there’s wind. Warm weather in the 30 or 40 degree mark also isn’t a concern with 40 to 50 inches of snow already on the hills. The only concern there would be is if it rains.

“There might not be a lot of snow in people’s yards, but we have a tremendous amount of snow being made,” Murphy said.

He said this year the resort wasn’t able to open until Dec. 8 due to warmer than usual weather and a lack of snow. The ski resort usually opens around Thanksgiving. Despite a later start, the season is still going strong.

Both resorts will offer skiing into mid-March.

Wilmont Mountain, at 11931 Fox River Road, Wilmont, Wisconsin, also is open. It opened on Dec. 14, and offers about 120 skiable acres, 23 trails, seven lifts, two magic carpets and progression terrain parks with a double high speed rope tow. This season it unveiled more than $13 million worth of improvements by new owner Vail Resorts.

See more here.