Ready to embrace this winter weather and challenge your kids (or yourself) with some downhill skiing? Try out this nearby mountain...
We took a quick road trip to Wilmot Mountain for a kid's half day lesson (9:30 am - noon).
It was our 7 year old son's first time on skis and first time seeing a ski resort. The resort is cozy and easy to maneuver with (resort map) a ski school, rental area, main chalet (food, drink, lounge, small store, etc), and trails.
The ski school check-in is efficient, and they quickly had us signed in and on our way to pick up our rentals (see Rentals note below). Instructors were easily visible, good at directing us to the next steps, and patient answering my numerous questions.
Once rentals were in hand, we were running late, and the ski instructors were great about quickly joining our son with the rest of his class on the mountain (i.e. bunny hill).
The school is strict on their parent drop-off policy, keeping anxious moms (me) and dads at a distance so the kids can focus on learning the ropes. I tried to watch for a bit, and then couldn't figure out which kid was mine and sought solace at the nearby (warm) chalet.
From what I saw of the lessons, the kids receive good instruction and by the end, Chase was able to go down the full bunny hill unassisted and successfully maneuvered himself through narrow cones!
Noteworthy:
- Rentals: If you need rentals, arrive with plenty of time. It took us a full 30 minutes to get our boots, skis, and helmet - and we had pre-registered online. The area is TIGHT and difficult to figure out the first time. That said, staff was incredibly helpful and did their best to keep lines moving.
- Goggles: Rentals do not come with goggles, but would highly recommend you borrow/purchase some.
- Viewing Lessons: It is difficult to get a good view of the kids in lessons, depending on where they are on the mountain. And the fact that every kid looks the same size and is most likely wearing the identical black and gray colors and matching rental helmets.
- Food: Walt's Tavern is on property, with a fire pit outside. The cafeteria has a mix of comfort foods and snacks.
- Tubing: They have a large tubing hill (which we didn't experience), and it looks amazing.
Cost Savings:
You probably know this, but skiing isn't cheap.
- If your family gets the ski-bug (much better than this year's flu bug), be sure to review their website for deals on season passes, bulk discounts, or Epic passes (deductions at Colorado destinations and more).
- Groupon may have deals for ski resorts in the area as well.
Location/Transportation:
Other Locations near downtown Chicago with ski lessons for kids:
- Four Lakes Alpine Snowsports - near Lisle, IL
- Villa Olivia - Bartlett, IL
Kid's Jury: 4 stars
So while my son gave it 3 stars, I added a star as his rating is very misleading. His only complaint was that he didn't get to do harder aspects of skiing. Everyone has to start with the basics, so he got a little bored and I should have set expectations on the first lesson teaching basic skills; not going down a black diamond.
Random Recommendation: For first time skiers, I recommend starting with a private lesson (if affordable) to get a sense of skill level. I wish we would have done this to make it is easier to determine his skill level for future group lessons (avoiding boredom or over-taxing on either end of the spectrum).
