Wilmot Mountain’s long-awaited face-lift opens to skiers Wednesday.
The revamped southern Wisconsin ski area, one of the closest downhill spots to Chicago at about 65 miles from the Loop, will unveil $13 million of improvements after a sale early this year to industry heavyweight Vail Resorts.
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The renovation includes new lifts, increased snow making, a renovated base lodge, a revamped ski and snowboard school for kids, and an expanded terrain park in the 79-year-old ski area. Vail Resorts, which operates high profile ski areas in Colorado (Vail, Breckenridge), Utah (Park City) and California/Utah (three in the Lake Tahoe area), has pledged to bring increased professionalism and sheen to the 79-year-old Wilmot Mountain.
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“Bringing the Vail Resorts brand and elevated level of resort experience to this area allows us to showcase the best of snow sports in such a beloved destination,” Taylor Ogilvie, Wilmot Mountain’s general manager, said in a news release.
Details on the updates include the following, according to the news release:
* Three new four-person chairlifts, a new high-speed rope tow in the terrain park, and two new surface conveyor lifts in the beginner area. The additions increase uphill capacity by up to 45 percent.
* The base lodge has been renovated, which includes a redesigned Iron Kettle restaurant and the renamed Walt’s Tavern (in honor of the founder of Wilmot Mountain), where parents will be able to watch their children ski and snowboard from the comfort of a bar.
* Expanded snow-making capacity includes more than 4 miles of new snow-making pipe and 56 new snow-making guns.
* The learning terrain has been re-graded to be easier for beginners to manage.
Twitter @joshbnoel
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