Ski for yourself

Getting high on the white stuff Cascade Mountain offers you a chance to shake the “flatlander” moniker.

Winter in Chicago is a lot more fun if you make the most of the cold and snow. One of the best ways is by clicking into a pair of skis or a snowboard and hitting the white stuff. Here’s a rundown of some skiing and boarding opportunities in the topographically challenged Midwest.

It’s an inconvenient truth that global warming seems to be pushing back the ski season, so be sure to contact the hills mentioned below for updates before booking your chalet with hot tub. All of them can make the fake stuff, but only if it’s cold enough. “The warm spell this past month hasn’t helped our business,” says Dennis Sheen, general manager of Wilmot Mountain, which opened a week later than usual this year. “But you have to ride it out.”

You may be able to find a cheap pair of cross-country skis at a thrift store. I once bought a serviceable set of skis and poles at the Salvation Army for a measly Jackson. The easiest way to go cross-country skiing is to just take a spin around your neighborhood during a big snowfall. The blanket of fresh powder creates an eerie hush, a nice contrast to the usual cacophony of the city.

A great place to cross-country ski in the city is the Bloomingdale Line, a 2.7-mile disused elevated railroad track with breathtaking views. At Bloomingdale Ave (1800 N) and Whipple St (3050 W) you can climb up an embankment to the tracks and glide for miles without crossing streets.

For even more adventure, you can catch the South Shore Line train downtown with your skis in tow and head to the Indiana Dunes State Park. It’s a scenic 1½-hour train ride to the Dunes Park station, just a few blocks from the park. You can ski on numerous trails, including ridges along the tops of the dunes, and then zoom down the snowy slopes to the beach.

As for downhill skis or snowboards, you can rent them at a ski resort or visit Viking Ski and Snowboard (3422 W Fullerton Ave, 773-276-1222), which has been outfitting folks for more than 40 years. Asked whether it’s difficult to own a ski shop in the Midwest, longtime owner Bob Olson says, “We make a living, yes. Am I rich? No.”

If you don’t feel like springing for a plane ticket to Colorado, there are several modest ski areas to choose from in the region. Four Lakes Alpine Snow Sports (5790 Forest View Rd, Lisle, 630-964-2551, www.skifourlakes.com) in west suburban Lisle has just four runs and the altitude won’t give you a nose bleed, but a daily lift ticket plus ski gear rental will only set you back $34.

Villa Olivia (1401 W Lake St, Bartlett, 630-289-1000, www.villaolivia.com) is another local option that features 12 downhill runs, equipment available for rent and lift tickets starting at just $20. These might be the perfect options to cut your teeth.

You don’t even have to leave the ’burbs to find a hill dedicated to the oh-so-trendy sport of snowboarding. Raging Buffalo (Rt 31 at Wilbrandt Rd, Algonquin, 847-836-RAGE, www.ragingbuffalo.com), near the Fox River in the Northwest Suburbs, offers half pipes, kickers, table tops and other rad features, plus a “magic carpet” (basically a slanted moving sidewalk) on the beginner hill. During the summer it even offers wakeboarding or “skurfing,” water skiing on a snowboard.

For higher-altitude skiing, our man Olson recommends Wilmot Mountain (11931 Fox River Rd, Wilmot, WI, 262-862-2301, www.wilmotmountain.com), just beyond the Cheddar Curtain in southeast Wisconsin. “Wilmot is one of the larger, closer hills,” he says. “There’s a lot of lift capacity, a good ski school and a lot of snow.” Wilmot has a whopping 260 feet of vertical drop, eight chair lifts, three rope tows, 25 runs and a terrain park for boarding.

Still not enough excitement for you? Two and a half hours from Chicago is Cascade Mountain in Portage, Wisconsin (800-992-2SKI, www.cascademountain.com), between Madison and the Dells. Cascade has 500 to 600 feet of vert and, because the slopes face north, the white stuff tends to stick around for a while. Randy Axelson of Cascade tells us, “It skis bigger than you would think.”