Wisp Resort, McHenry

The main thing to know about WISP: avoid weekends at all costs. We had a nervous time skiing Friday. Unfortunate weather, subsequently poor snow conditions/coverage, and massive crowds made all of the trails feel unsafe, especially the narrower, beginner-focused ones like Possum. We straight up didn't get to ski Saturday because, even in the furthest lot, there were no parking spaces. Truly, none. In fact, we noticed folks had started parking in the grass beyond the lots and, occasionally, even directly behind other cars, blocking them in. People complained to the attendants about this, but those funneling traffic at the front nonetheless continued to wave in even more cars. We checked back periodically throughout the day, hoping to find a spot, but we never did. It might be for the best, though. I can't imagine skiing under these conditions with this many people was a positive or at all safe experience. I understand WISP cannot control the weather, but they can control how many tickets they sell and when they open versus close and give folks refunds. I'm disappointed and honestly sort of feel that they stole from us this weekend, ALTHOUGH, it should be noted the office attendants who were swamped with (often aggressive) requests for refunds were lovely, patient, and unfortunately long-suffering. God bless them.

We went to Wisp Mountain for a few days. My children 11 and 9 were signed up for half day ski/snowboard school. First off, everyone I spoke with on the phone were extremely nice and helpful. Every single time! Second, at check-in on the first day we were running a couple minutes late and needed to update some paperwork. Everyone at the kids school were so nice and Patient with me. My son who snowboards was not thrilled to go to, however that turned around super quickly. He walked right in to the back and when I picked him up he was smiling and couldn’t wait for the next day. My daughter who skis had a great time too. Snowboard instructor was Kylynn and ski instructors were Dylan and Merrill. My husband had an instructor for two days, Jim, who was also amazing. My children are already asking as to when we can go back again! Awesome time and experience!!

This was my first time skiing. Took the beginner's lesson. Ken was out instructor. He was awesome, patient and made sure we were comfortable. I would love to come here again for skiing. Food: I am a vegetarian. We tried the Cafe near learning center. Did not have many options. I wish there was better food available.

This resort is very hit or miss. I’ve been going here on and off for fourish years and there always seems to be something wrong. Today, my lift ticket wasn’t scanning (this has happened on numerous occasions) so I had to go to guest services to get that fixed. As far as the mountain, it is poorly maintained which can make it difficult for beginners. Even as a long time snowboarder, it’s easy to slip on hidden ice patches all over the mountain. On a day with snow coming down consistently, those patches get covered up but that is rare and I wouldn’t ever count on it. If it’s not snowing, I don’t see any effort to fix these issues. Prices are outrageous for what is offered. If the mountain was fully open, I would say $100 a day is a decent deal. However, every time I go, there are MANY closed trails with most of them being blue/black trails. In most cases, entire parts of the mountain are completely closed with NO snow on the trails at all. This means you get a few greens and a blue trail to spend the entire day on. I understand the mountain needs to make money but charging the prices they are for the amount of closed lifts and trails just isn’t right. If the mountain wasn’t conveniently close to where I live or if this mountain had any competition at all, I would most likely go somewhere else.

****DO NOT STAY HERE**** This place hasn't been updated since 1987. The rooms are weird, with a long hallway in the room, bed off to the side and a living room like area with outdated furniture. The tvs are both terribly small, and u get limited channels. Also, there is a door between the hotel rooms and u can hear everything from your neighbors. Bathroom exhaust fan had old dirty dust falling from it, the shower had 1 glass door that didn't work, and the toilet took 9 seconds to flush(yes I timed it). The mini fridge is in the hallway wall. We were charged $249 a night with the Oktoberfest package, and that room wasn't worth $49 a night. The stairwell is poorly lit and leads u to a staff area where they stage food and drinks which was just weird. Had questions about the bill and no one could help....for 2 days. You get dinged for a reservation service retention fee of $5, which when I asked isn't that why we make reservations in the first place, no one could answer me. Many other options in the area for hotels and I would encourage everyone to stay elsewhere.