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