WILMOT, Wis. — Proof there’s a positive in everything, snowboarder Clay Ellis-Escobar made the most of the near-40-degree temperatures at Wilmot Mountain on Friday.
“I’m probably going to take my jacket off soon,” said Ellis-Escobar, a 17-year-old from Plainfield, Ill. “It actually feels quite nice now, I’m not going to lie.”
Ellis-Escobar was one of many Wilmot Mountain visitors who didn’t have to worry about frozen fingers or long lift lines.
As local ski hills struggle to operate throughout one of the warmest Decembers on record, Wilmot Mountain remains committed to staying open.
“I was snowboarding I think to like eight o’clock last night,” Ellis-Escobar said. “There was like no one out here. I basically had the whole place to myself, which I really loved honestly.”
Wilmot Mountain is located near the Wisconsin-Illinois border in Kenosha County. It has 25 trails but only three were open on Friday due to a near snow-free December.
Wilmot Mountain general manager Chuck Randles said if there’s snow on the hill and the conditions are safe, they will stay open.
“The midwest skier is a passionate and committed individual in general,” Randles said. “We have folks that come out in the warm weather, in the rain, all the way through to a midwest powder day.”
Wilmot Mountain is planning for a big weekend with a DJ scheduled for Saturday and Sunday on the patio, according to Randles.
Even better news, there’s snow in the forecast for Sunday.
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