Wisconsin's Tyrol Basin Turns 55

When most skiers were still using lace-up leather boots, Tyrol Basin, near Mount Horeb, Wis., then operating under a different moniker, was already a favorite for snow-seekers from nearby Madison, south to Chicago and Rockford, Ill.

And, 55 years after it opened, it remains so.

Its 17 runs spread over a 300-foot vertical are often the first to open in the state and the last to close, thanks to the area’s extensive snowmaking. This season, for example, Tyrol started operating in late October.

It’s also a favorite of jibbers, who can careen down one of the Midwest’s remaining half-pipes, as well as the features included in the Barnyard terrain park and other runs.

January is Learn to Ski/Snowboard Month, with a kicker: Take at least one lesson a week for three weeks that includes lift ticket and rental for $129, and you’ll earn a $440 season pass.

Other specials include weekday lift tickets for $12 from 10 a.m-4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. A normal full-day ticket is $42. On Tuesdays, ride or ski all day until close at night for just $12.  And, Tuesday skiers and riders can also rent for $12 and take a lesson for $12.

This season, the ski area purchased its own airbag, where riders and skiers can catch some air and loft to return to earth, pillow-soft. The cost is soft, too: $5 for one launch, $25 for all day or $150 for all season. Mogulhounds will love the new run, named Nutcracker.