Adriane Morabito points out one of the more fun baskets on the disc golf course at Minocqua Winter Park, the launch pad is up a hill with basket below.
“We call this the dive bomber,” she said with a laugh.
The disc golf baskets were put away at the end of fall, but Winter Park brought them back out in December.
“The disc golf season is extended this year,” said Morabito, the Executive Director of the Minocqua Winter Park Foundation.
Change of plans
She explains they had switch gears a week before Christmas when there was no snow on the ground, and none in the forecast.
With kids off school, the week between Christmas and New Years typically is a busy time in the Northwoods for people looking for winter recreation.
Without the cold and snow, Minocqua Winter Park tried to make the best of it.
In addition to disc golf, they opened the ski trails to bikers and hikers.
The annual Santa Spirits went from skiing to running or walking.
The Tea House opened. Instead of skiing or snowshoeing out to it, people either hiked out there or took a wagon ride.
The New Years Eve party still went off with its bon fire and chalet party. The annual candlelight ski and snowshoe just turned into a candlelight hike.
“We had at least 350, probably close to 400, people come out for the candlelight hike on New Year's Eve,” said Morabito.
About 800 people came through the chalet that week. Its numbers Morabito is happy about given the lack of snow, but pales in comparison to the nearly 5,000 people that visited Winter Park during the same time last year.
In fact, Minocqua Winter Park had one of its best ski seasons last year with more than 16,000 visitors.
The unpredictability of winter is one of the reasons Minocqua Winter Park has diversified its offerings.
“The disc golf, the hiking, the biking was fantastic on our ski trails, which isn't normally an option this time of year. People came out to play and enjoy the park. We're a four-season park now and we're planning for this we are planning for years of low snow,” said Morabito.
At this point, Morabito says the park needs at least three, preferably four, inches of quality snow to groom and open the cross-country ski trails.
Until then, they’re making the best of it, a notion Jackie Powers is very familiar with.
SISU Ski Fest Race canceled
“We were watching the weather for a long time with nervous apprehension because there was no snow since mid-December, and the forecast was for continued lack of snow,” said Powers, the SISU Ski Fest Race Director.
The Ironwood ski race was supposed to happen this Saturday. Organizers made the call to cancel it a week ago.
“On that day, we actually had zero amount of snow on the ground. We were looking at bare ground. It was pretty hard to imagine that turning around in just a few days,” said Powers. “It hasn't. It hasn't turned around, we did get a little bit of snow, we're talking about maybe three inches of snow, which is not enough to ski on, let alone to have a ski race on.”
It’s the second time in the race’s 15-year history that they had to cancel it. The last time was in 2013. That was also weather-related, but not due to lack of snow. Rainfall had created icy and dangerous conditions on the trails.
Powers is hopeful they won’t have to cancel it again next year.
“This is the UP. We are known for unforecasted, heavy snowstorms or lake effect snow,” she said.
While there’s not enough snow to race, SISU is still planning to party.
The Depot Dash for Kids is still happening today, January 5, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. There’s enough snow for them to make a track at the depot for to ski or snowshoe.
Powers says they’ll still have the vendors and organizations set up booths for the Expo on Saturday at the Ironwood Memorial Building.
Plus, they’ve beefed up the SISU Ski Fest Party also happening at the Memorial Building from noon to 4:00 p.m.
“Racers can come and pick up their race gift which they would have received if we had a race. They can still have their pasty lunch at no charge, which they would have received if we had had a race,” said Powers. “Then we added the DJ music of JD bass. He's normally playing music and doing the announcing at the starting line and the finish line, so we just moved him indoors to DJ the party.”
Using what Mother Nature gives
With no ski race to look forward to, Minocqua Winter Park decided to host an alternative race Saturday with the idea that racers could come to Lake Minocqua in the morning for an ice-skating race and then head up to Ironwood after for the party and expo.
“I think that would make a pretty adventuresome day, and so I hope that event is successful,” said Powers.
Winter Park is bringing its skates out for people to borrow.
There will be a $20 suggested donation with proceeds going to the Minocqua Winter Park Foundation.
It starts at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. You can register online before 10:00 a.m. that day or in person at the Boathouse lower level.
“The funds go towards maintaining our trails. It goes towards the operational costs associated with managing trails on 6500 acres of land,” said Morabito. “We have over 65 miles of trails. If you were to stretch that out in a line, that would be from here to Wausau worth of trails. We need to maintain those all year round, especially during weather events.”
The Minocqua Winter Park Ski Shop and volunteers spent Thursday laying out the 20k and 40k courses at the aqua bowl on Lake Minocqua.
“We're looking at this more as a social skate, but if you want to race you can. [It’s] also an opportunity to get out on the ice while it's so beautiful, these ice conditions are so rare. We wanted to work with what Mother Nature has given us and blessed us with this year, which is awesome wild skating opportunities,” said Morabito.
While those itching for snow keep their eyes on the more active weather system next week, people are still finding ways to enjoy what the Northwoods has to offer.
