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House on the Rock Resort
House on the Rock Resort
Where is The House on the Rock Resort?
The House on the Rock Resort is located west of Madison near Spring Green, Wisconsin. From Madison take USH 14 west to County Road C near Spring Green. The entrance to the resort will be on your left just past the entrance to Tower Hill State Park (which is on the right).
What is it like?
The House on the Rock Resort is located in hilly Iowa County near the banks of the Wisconsin river. There are about 30km of groomed ski trails both flat and hilly. The trails are groomed for both classical and skate skiing when snow permits. There are a selection of easy to advanced trails to ski.
The area around the resort is a golf course with easy skiing that is mostly in the open. A steep climb up a bluff from the resort will bring you to an extensive network of intermediate and advanced ski trails that provide many long vistas and scenic views of wood and glen.
Who will enjoy skiing at The House on the Rock Resort?
This is a good place for families, beginning skiers, and advanced skiers looking for a resort experience. Besides the great skiing, The House on the Rock offers excellent dinning and lodging. They also have a nicely equipped exercise room should the weather prove uncooperative. There is a pool area with a large hot tub should you ski too hard on the trails.
How much does it cost?
Only resort guests are allowed to ski on the trails.
Skiing Stories from The House on the Rock Resort
Skiing for Chocolate
In 1997 The Springs (now called the House on the Rock Resort) put on an event called "Skiing for Chocolate." I've been known to show some interest in food from time to time and chocolate, well, dare I say it, takes the cake.
This year the weather was perfect. With temperatures in the upper 20's to low 30's we would enjoy eating food of all sorts under a beautiful blue ski. The skiing was fine, although getting the wax right on a sunny warm day can be tough. Still it mattered not because this was not about skiing. Sure we skied a few miles of groomed but trackless snow over a mostly flat terrain and we enjoyed doing it. The real feature of the day would be the food.
Chef Dino Simon started at 4am preparing the food that 125 or so skiers would pay $25-30 each to enjoy. He arranged a menu in four courses of stops along the ski route. Groups of about 30 skiers at a time would set out to ski from course to course. The final course would be the chocolate back at the lodge but before that we would be treated to three variations on a theme.
Chef Dino Simon used spice to prepare us for the final assault of chocolate awaiting us back in the lodge. The first stop would feature Italian seasonings and was named "Lake Como." The menu at the first stop included Sundried Tomato and Vegetable Lasagne, Minestrone Soup with coffee. The minestrone soup was lively with black pepper and the lasagne rich with ricotta. At this stop the day and the bonfire seemed to capture the attention of skiers more than the food. For me the lasagne was just right. The sundried tomatos and the ricotta were in perfect balance. A balance that was lacking from the soup that was too heavily spiced with black pepper.
Stop number two was called "Lake Placid." Here Dino Simon's spicy feature was Roadhouse Chili. Those that ventured to try the chili seemed genuinely pleased, however, most chose the Chicken Pot Pie and then raved about it afterward. I skipped both of these and went for a brownie instead. The pot pie was served in a bowl, sans pie.
The "Sapporo" was the name of the third stop and it featured a very spicy Hot and Sour Soup and Pat Thai. The soup smelled great and I could tell that those that enjoy hot food were enjoying it. Unfortunately for me a misinformed server told me that it contained chicken so I passed. Later Chef Simon would tell me it was tofu. The Thai noodles were good but not spicy. In fact it would have been quite easy to sit comfortably in the luxury condo where we were served, sipping plum wine and eating noodles for the remainder of the afternoon but chocolate awaits us.
I must have had a bit too much of the plum wine because my head was pounding a little during the ski toward the chocolate finale. Or was it just anticipation. After all, this is a ski for chocolate. Upon arrival we discover an incredible array of truffles and cakes. Chocolate fondu and coffee rounded out the chocolate choices and crepes and apple pie represented the alternatives. I have to admit to being quite tempted by the pie. Instead I choose a slice of a layer cake that is black as night and a slice of chocolate eclair cake. Normally this is more dessert that I could eat even after skiing all day but I take a couple of truffles anyway. The eclair cake was sliced before hand and had dried out badly and was uninteresting. The Black Forest layered cake was absolutely wonderful. The cake was moist and full of rich chocolate favor topped with a dark icing to match.
The truffles were a new experience for me as I have never had truffles without a shell. I was surprised by the first white truffle when I picked it up and it began to change shape in my hand. It was not sticking but just amazingly soft and delicious. I found myself uttering the word "wow" immediately after consumption. After that experience, I hunted for and found the darkest truffle available and put it on my plate for later. It too was soft but unlike the other it was pure dark chocolate. It was overwhelming. The person next to me made truffles so she wasn't very interested in trying these. She did try a bit of mine, however, and I never saw that truffle again.
In the end it was a fun time. A good way to meet people and enjoy food in a beautiful setting. It seemed to be a bit slow moving at times and it would have been nice to have a hillier and/or longer skiing option. It was a special treat and it was a very special day.
Contributed on 9 February 1997 by Joseph King
