IPOS 2: Granite Peaks

The next morning we made our way over to the mountain before it opened to meet up with a couple lift mechanics. We were greeted outside the shop by two of the mechanics and Tiller the cat who seemed eager to have new visitors to meow at. Together we walked over to the Comet Express. The Comet was the first high speed six-seater lift we'd seen the whole trip. Riding it was both nice to be able to fit our whole crew and camera bags on the same lift and odd after two seaters and rope tows. We were taken up into the lift terminal to show us how they open the Comet each day. After flipping the safety switch off, a mechanic has to make sure none of the tires that pull the cable are flat. I'd never been up into a lift terminal before but was more captivated by the view out the top window of a snowy Granite Peaks.

Ski racing is alive and well at Granite Peaks. | Izzy Lidsky photo.

Once the lift was opened, we had some time to explore the mountain. The mountain is in kind of an L-shape. When you get off the lift there's a steep pitch pretty quickly and then it flattens out a bit. Near the ends of most of the runs there are also massive roll-overs you can launch yourself off. Perhaps the best combination of the corduroy and these features culminates in a boarder-cross type run that has more of these rollers and massive sculpted berms. Hit it at top speed and you'll quickly find that the run is a puzzle of features that each need to be dialed in to avoid going too big or small on one section. We kept saying 'just one more lap on the course' and would find ourselves riding up for another anyway.

Perfect cord for perfect turns? Yes please. | Izzy Lidsky photos.

Early the next morning, we met up with some local skiers who were well versed in the art of carving up corduroy for the camera. Watching them ski really gave us a sense of just how insanely fast you could go at Granite. It was the perfect glimpse to get us ready for that night's beer league. Wednesdays at Granite Peak mean slalom for all, but the crew putting it on definitely knew how to keep it fun. After watching a huge bottle of whiskey go around to all the racers, I was even more impressed with their dialed, high speed turns. To round out our beer league experience, we were treated to huckleberry brandy, a Wisconsin staple and a great way to end the day.

We're sensing a theme here with the whole midwestern night skiing thing. | Izzy Lidsky photo.

On our last day at Granite, Alison, a dedicated ski instructor we'd become acquainted with throughout our visit, decided to introduce us to a client of hers: Mary Beth. Mary Beth started skiing when she was fifty years old because her dog had died and she suddenly had the time to learn. Her sister went to Aspen every year for Christmas on a ski trip and one year Mary Beth said she wouldn't come back the next year unless she could learn to ski. So, she did just that and learned to ski at Aspen. She skied avidly after that and returned to Aspen every Christmas. Eventually, she also began teaching at Tyrol Basin and said she must have taught tens of thousands of kids how to ski at Tyrol. But then Mary Beth took a twenty-ish year hiatus from skiing, only to return to it last winter. She had to do some re-learning with Alison on newer skis but picked it back up quickly and has skied basically every day since last January that Granite has been open. Mary Beth also collects ski outfits and she says 'if you wear outfits like these, you have to shred.' Since her return to skiing she's also started racing and will be traveling to compete in several races this year. Mary Beth told us that she hopes to inspire people with her skiing and certainly caused our crew to shed a tear or two with her sweet story. Mary Beth and Alison ski together twice a week, every week, for about an hour and a half. Amongst all the characters we'd met so far, Mary Beth was the one that gave me the most hope for the soul of skiing. But as quickly as we'd arrived, it was time to leave Granite again.