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, its a delightful ski area, and that alone is worth the trip. Its 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, with the longest being about three-quarters-of-a-mile, one chairlift, and three surface tows. Situated on a long ridge, the best skiing - serviced by a T-bar -is tucked away along the back of the 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. Theres even a cliff jump, a rare occurrence in the heartland.