Devil’s Head Resort, located north of Madison at South 6330 Bluff Road in Merrimac, is one of the more popular skiing areas in Wisconsin. It was originally built in 1970, and although some of the amenities are a bit rundown now, the skiing there is still first class.
The resort usually attracts big crowds, especially on weekends when lots of college-aged skiers and snowboarders flock there.
Trail Variety and Difficulty
Midwest resorts tend to focus on having easy trails, but Devil’s Head uses its 500-foot vertical drop to concentrate on expert runs. Indeed, 16 of the 28 trails have a “black diamond” rating, and only six of the alpine runs are constructed for beginners. However, that’s still a sufficient number for novices to have a good time, and they are all typically well-groomed.
Besides the 28 runs, there is a 3,000-foot terrain park dubbed “The Serpent”. I’m impressed by the wide variety of jumps, rails, and boxes to be found on it. Of course, the terrain park is only designed for those with a decent amount of experience.
Pricing and Hours
The prices at Devil’s Head are fairly standard. An adult single-day lift ticket will put you back $44 on weekdays and $29 on weekends. Kids (12 and under) and seniors (60 and over) both receive $7 discounts, while children 5 and under get free admission. Frequent visitors may want to get season passes, which can range from $175 to $449, depending on the particular package.
If you need to rent gear, the cost will be very reasonable. For example, an adult rental package is only $26.
You can use the lifts starting at 9 a.m. on weekends and 10 a.m. on weekdays. They stop running at 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and go until 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Lessons
Those who are new to skiing and snowboarding should try and take advantage of their Learn-to-Ski lessons. For a mere $30, you get a 1.5-hour lesson, which is a hard deal to beat.
Additionally, if you already have the basics down, then you might want a private lesson. They start at $60 for an hour, though you can take one for as long as three hours.
Special Events
What really differentiates Devil’s Head from other ski resorts in the area is its special events, which are often aimed at a younger crowd. For example, there is a College Week early in the season, and a Mardi Gras Celebration that will start on Feb. 24 in 2012. They even have a three-day Jamaican Reggae Fest starting on Feb. 18–how many other ski resorts can say that?
Furthermore, some of the events offer lower prices. Most notable is its $16 lift tickets nights, which occur every Thursday.
Floyd Saunders, a native of snowy Minnesota, has been a downhill and cross-country skier since childhood.