granite peak

We have been coming here for ten years and it never disappoints. Great skiing for where it is and the runs really do a good job of keeping you excited and interested. Of course it would be great if this was a 4000 plus foot mountain but for what it is, it really is a great time. Our friends brought their kids for the first time and they enjoyed ski school to the point we had them on the lifts within one day. If you are a social person, the lounge area is a great place to warm up and you HAVE to try their Bloody Mary...love that drink!

I did not want to go all the way out to Colorado and I did some searching for a midwest ski areas. This came up to the top, so I thought I would give it a try. We stayed at a down town hotel, but I was still only about 5 minutes away. Very convenient. The time I was there, it was bitterly cold, and it was during the week, so I had the whole mountain practically to myself. I could make a couple of runs, go to the chalet, warm up and be back on the lift in no time. It is not colorado, and after a couple of days of skilling the runs, I was ready to go. I consider myself an intermediate skier and primarily ski blue runs. However I was able to handle some the of blacks without any problems. I would certainly consider going again, but I don't think I would not want to be there on weekends or holidays and deal with the crowds.

While there are a lot of ski runs and terrain parks for every ability, this place can get crowded with people from Chicago on the weekends and holidays.

Despite bitterly cold weather with a heavy wind and a busy travel weekend the hill did a good job of accommodating skiers. My friend and I are intermediate skiers and found the hill not so accommodating for us. There are not many blue runs and some of those can only be accessed via black runs and for some reason one of the few blue runs was cut off and we could only get down using a black run. A beginner would love the hill there with lots of varied long runs for them. Black diamond skiers also had a lot of variety. We did not use the inside accommodations as no carry-ins are allowed.

Granite Peak has many blue and black runs making it the perfect drive to destination. Skiing is great!Food service in the chalet has many issues with being over priced for poor quality food (hair in soup). Staff was not trained in how to weigh and price salad bar. Young staff without hair nets, gloves or supervision. Insufficient ski racks outside of the chalet for an average weekend of skiers. Over priced lockers causing people to leave there bags and clothes at tables. Needs some fine tuning.

If you are new to skiing and want to have a nice family weekend on the slopes without paying airfare, go to Granite Peak. They take care of their slopes, and offer some challenges for the more experienced skier. My kids love it there and we go every year!

We spent a weekend skiing and snowboarding here recently and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a 4-4 ½ hour drive from the north and west suburbs of Chicago, so a great weekend getaway. It’s a bit farther then Cascade and Devils Head but well worth the extra time. The parking lot is convenient with no spots too far away from the hill. They have a few high speed lifts so it moves quickly. There is plenty of terrain for all levels of experience. Most of the stuff at the top is blue or black with the beginner runs starting at mid-mountain. There is a huge beginner area serviced by a magic carpet or a double and triple chair lift. The bunny hill has lots of little obstacles (inflatables to go around, through etc.) to make it fun for the kids.They also offer night skiing on the weekends and have snow making so the snow was pretty good. A couple of spots on some of the blacks got a bit icy late in the day but not bad.There are several terrain parks spread over the mountain. A beginner area with smaller jumps, rails, boxes near the lower part and then some huge ones for the experienced skiers and boarders that like to go big are higher up.We were at Granite Peak on a Saturday and Sunday and it never seemed very crowded. We never waited more than a couple of minutes for a lift and the runs were not congested. I think it’s because they have a pretty large area of terrain so people can spread out. The only place we ran into crowds was lunch time in the bar. We waited until 1:15 on Saturday but it was jam packed. There is another building, to the left of the bar when you are on the mountain that was less crowded. Food is typical burgers, hot dogs, chicken, salad, and chili. It would be nice if they had some healthier choices but okay for what it was.They have a gift shop with a decent selection of hats, gloves, gators, sweatshirts or anything else you may need for your day on the slopes.We spend time out west every year so are a bit spoiled and generally, don’t enjoy skiing in the Midwest but we were impressed with this place. It’s not a ski mountain but if you want to ski or board it’s a nice place to go. Overall, I would say it’s one of the best places in the Midwest.

I am not a skier, so no skiing, but at some point I will be taking my kids to ski there. The atmosphere is nice and the facilities seem great. I know lots of people really enjoy coming there!!

I had a few hours to ski after a business meeting in the area.The hills were a little icy, especially the black diamonds, just a thin top layer on the mostly man-made snow base.But its still a very interesting mountain with enough choices to keep you busy.Night skiing is more limited and they close off the western most slope.Food is decent in the lodge, they make a great burger, and there seemed to be enough tables available for everyone that wanted to claim one.

Granite Peak is always a fine skiing and snowboarding experience. Food is good and they improve things every year.

Drove 4 hours North to try this ski hill instead of expensive, far away Summit County. Husband and I had a ball exploring all the terrain on this mountain. Ski lifts were fast, staff was great and beer/food available steps away from the hill. We skiid hard for 4 to 5 hours each day. Can't wait to take the kids!

This is probably the best skiing in Wisconsin. They have a lot of hills, especially for more advanced skiers. There was limited hills for intermediate skiers. It was a little icey when I was there, but we had not had a lot of natural snow. The high speed lifts were nice. It really could use another restaurant, though.

Granite Peak is trying to be comparable to skiing our West. Their effort is good, but I don't think they need to charge $80 a lift ticket. This is definitely the best place for skiing/boarding in Central Wisconsin. There was enough natural snow to not be so icy. I went on a Friday and there was never a line and the runs were almost empty. The lodge is nice. The ski shop was seriously lacking.. what ski resort doesn't sell gear? Maybe I went to the wrong shop.I would definitely go back and I'd even say it is worth it to drive the extra hour north instead of going to Cascade. Cascade just gets busier with their 'Kids under 12 Ski Free'. However, The black diamond runs are never that busy at Cascade.

While I picked up skiing in 2004 and only ski 1-2 times a year (same with my 3 kids), my wife and her son have skied Crested Butte in Colorado for many years. This resort offers a lot of runs with decent altitude and we all feel challenged and enjoy the runs. We were up on MLK weekend this year and were afraid it would be too warm (35ish) with no new snow during the week - but the conditions were good despite. There were minimal slush or icy conditions and there was still a little snow to push around. We make a point of hitting almost every run and then go back and hit our favorites over a 2 day span. There are times where the ski lift lines get a little long but if you head to the east or west sides of the hill those lifts are generally less crowded. You can experience a lot of skiers on the hills so you almost have to pay more attention to that than the terrain in front of you. If you are renting the equipment it is decent and you can upgrade to better skis if you prefer. If you don't get there early on busy days lockers will not be available. Plenty of options for food and drink. We will continue to visit annually.

The skiing at Granite Peak was awesome. Holiday weekend with tons of people but the place is so big that it never seemed crowded on the slopes.Fast chairs keep the lines moving and the conditions were perfect! My kids are getting older and really enjoyed the variety of runs offered at Granite Peak. Back next year!