Christie Mountain, Bruce

Sometimes the nicest surprises come in small packages. Tiny Christie Mountain, which is tucked away in the Blue Hills of northern Wisconsin, falls into that category. Located east of Rice Lake, it’s a delightful ski area, and that alone is worth the trip. It’s not a big ski hill, even by Wisconsin standards, but it makes the most of its 350-foot vertical drop with a nice mix of slopes, trails, and some surprising steep. Christie boasts 20 runs, the longest being about three-quarters of a mile, one chairlift, and three surface tows. The best skiing - serviced by a T-bar - is tucked away along the back of a long ridge. Wildcat and Bobcat are long rolling black diamonds with good sustained pitch from top to bottom. A couple of double black diamond chutes, cut through rocky bluffs along the ridge, are accessed from the double chair. Both offer some quick, Western-like steep. There’s even a cliff jump, a rare occurrence in the heartland. ActivitiesSnowboarding: Snowboarding is allowed on all trails, and there's an interesting terrain park.LodgingOn-site log cabin rental available. Other lodging available in nearby Rice Lake.Winter RecreationNordic skiing nearby, snowboarding, snowtubing park with handle tow and 5 chutes, and snowblading.