There are a lot of great things about Wilmot Mountain Resort, but the best thing in my opinion is that it is about 1.5 hours outside the city. The mountain is in Wilmot, Wisconsin, which is right on the Illinois border. You can wake up in the morning and decide it's a good day to ski/snowboard and be on your way.
With such unreliable weather in this area, it is great to be able to make game day decisions when it comes to hitting the slopes. Further distances require more advance planning, and it has happened to us before that we wind up following through on our advanced plans, only to face extremely unfavorable conditions.
If you do buy your lift tickets online, in advance, (recommended), and your plans do in fact change, Wilmot also happens to offer refunds.
However, convenience isn't everything. Fortunately, there are many other reasons to choose Wilmot Mountain:
1. There is something for everyone with ten total lifts (six chairlifts, two beginner area surface lifts, two high speed rope tows, and two tubing lifts chairs), 25 trails, and four terrain park areas. In many cases, beginner trails are parallel to intermediate, or intermediate to advanced, so if you are skiing/snowboarding with people of different skill levels, you can weave in and out of the more difficult areas while still skiing/snowboarding together. The trails are also very wide, giving you plenty of time to make turns and also not feel crowded by others on the hill.
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2. It is an excellent place to learn. Wilmot's Ski and Snowboard school offers adult group lessons, children group lessons, and private lessons. Children group lessons begin at age 3!
The world-class instructors know exactly how to make learning how to ski/snowboard fun and safe, while taking each students' skill level into consideration and helping them advance their individual abilities. I noticed they are very protective of the kids too, and were monitoring the behavior of older kids/adults on the lines to the chairlifts, calling out anyone using bad language or playing explicit music around the students. I liked that!
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3. The food. You'll work up an appetite from all that shredding. The Ski Hill Grill is a cafeteria-style restaurant with a lot of different hot food options, including pizza, burgers, soup, chili, etc. and also salads, sandwiches, and all sorts of snacks and soft drinks. There is a lot of seating available, though it is first come/first serve.
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If you want to reserve a table in advance, head over to Walt's Tavern. Book your table for lunch and/or dinner as soon as you arrive at the mountain. Once you are sat, you can review the menu via QR code, and then place your order at the bar using your table number. Your food will be brought to you. I recommend an order of cheese curds, and the poke bowl.
At Walt's you can also get alcoholic beverages. After a long day of skiing, we like to take our cocktails to the outside picnic tables, and roast marshmallows by the fire pit (s'more kits are available at Ski Hill Grill.)
4. EPIC Pass. Wilmot was purchased in 2016 by Vail Resorts making it a part of the EPIC Pass program. The EPIC Pass program includes season passes at Wilmot, but more importantly, with the EPIC Day Pass with All Resort Access, guests have access to all 40+ resorts within the Vail Resorts Management Company.
- EPIC Day Pass holders enjoy 20% off on-mountain food and beverage, group ski and ride school lessons, equipment rentals, and more.
- EPIC Day Passes with All Resort Access can be purchased for 1-7 days with the daily rate decreasing with each additional day purchased.
- For each EPIC Day purchased you receive a matching bonus day at Wilmot, Mt Brighton (MI), or Afton Alps (MN.)
EPIC Day Passes with All Resort Access are a great way to take a family ski trip and still be able to get more practice in, before or after the trip, close to home, and without added expense.
5. Wilmot has the best snow tubing around. So if skiing/snowboarding isn't your speed, try shooting down one of twenty-two, more than 1,000 ft. long tubing lanes. The two surface conveyor lifts that take you back up the tubing hill make this thrilling activity relatively effortless. The conveyors even have an optional transparent covering that may be used on extra frigid days. They have their own lodge at the tubing hill, and I love that they blast music over the loudspeakers to create a party atmosphere.
6. Lake Geneva, WI. While you don't necessarily need to stay the night, coming from Chicago, it sure is nice to ski multiple days or go tubing after having made the drive, rented equipment etc. Lake Geneva is a great place to stay, only 25 minutes away, with lots of cute shops, great restaurants, and several excellent lodging options. Come in the night before to avoid having to wake up super early and rushing out the door to arrive at Wilmot in time for a lesson or to make "first tracks." It's also great to not have to drive back home after a full and arduous day on the mountain.
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We stayed at The Cove of Lake Geneva which is an all-suite, lakefront resort, just steps away from the downtown area. From the outside, you would never guess how spacious the suites actually are. The suites are all equipped with full kitchens and fireplaces. The Cove also has an indoor pool, an arcade, an onsite restaurant and a small commissary.
At night we walked over to at Oakfire Pizza which was the perfect spot for our family of four to share three different large, cracker-thin, pizzas. On our second night we ate at Magpie's Den and Pen, where I had one of the best burgers of my life.
Staying in Lake Geneva and Skiing/Snowboarding/Tubing at Wilmot Mountain is a wonderful segue into larger family ski trips to one of the many Vail Resorts around the country.
Visit Wilmot in its 86th season! You'll be glad you did. https://www.wilmotmountain.com/
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The author was hosted to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are their own.
