Wilmot Mountain

By Vanessa Day

Located only an hour away from Chicago, Wisconsin’s Wilmot Mountain has been a much-frequented Midwest ski destination since its humble beginnings in 1938. As Wilmot Mountain grew in popularity, so did its reign as a successful ski resort, especially when it became one of the first to introduce “snowmaking.” Today, Wilmot is lovingly called the “Matterhorn of the Midwest” and hosts thousands of avid skiers and snowboarders looking to enjoy an entertaining day on the slopes.

Of course a lot has changed since the early days of skiing – still it’s easy to forget just how popular the sport was back then. If you’ve seen the Alfred Hitchcock film The Lady Vanishes which involves a trip to a European ski resort – the slopes are literally covered in skiiers. Now Wilmot is just as popular, though you’re unlikely to find it too crowded.

Ski technology has, of course, changed immensely since 1938, the other big difference is the improvement in Après-ski – in the old days skiiers probably went home for a hot cocoa and might listen to the phonograph and read a bit of Emerson before bed, while now it’s more likely to be a night on the town, or at least playing partypoker, checking facebook and watching DVDs. Wilmot still offers good skiing, however the night life has changed.

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