As the XXV Olympic Winter Games approach, we find ourselves thinking about Bill Murray. No, not about his cult classic “Groundhog Day,” but rather an idea he hatched on Twitter about a decade ago.
“Every Olympic event should include one average person just for reference.”
Suddenly, Olympic aspirations returned. We dug up our old ice skates, pulled the cross-country ski poles from the crawl space and convinced ourselves that this time the snowboarding lessons would actually stick.
Yeah, it’s safe to say none of us are heading to Milan for the 2026 Olympic Games, but it won’t stop us from making our own winter fun. We’ll ski, snowboard, skate and glide downhill with one goal in mind. One day, we’ll be the average person included in an Olympic event, just for reference.
Milan may be 4,500 miles away, but the Milwaukee Olympics are for all. All over town, you can find places to hone your craft and get ready for your event (starting on the bunny hill). On your mark. Get set. Go for the gold in Milwaukee!
Downhill Skiing & Snowboarding
Slalom, mogul and the daunting Super-G are the proving grounds of athletes participating in the 2026 Olympics. But before you hurdle yourself down a double black diamond course at the speed of a car on the highway, maybe start with the bunny hill and work your way from there. Just remember: pizza, French fry.
Crystal Ridge
Over in Franklin, Crystal Ridge has everything you need to go pro (or at least feel like it). They’ve got four paths for you to ride, ranging from beginner to expert, a free-style area with three different types of terrain, a slow zone, and high-speed ropes and lifts to get you to the top. You can practice your form or work on staying upright, all in an area that is well-suited for you. And, if you’re looking to test your competitive mettle, Crystal Ridge even has a Sunday racing league that welcomes skiers of all abilities from 4-6 p.m. every Sunday. This event is free with your lift ticket. Just meet up with the group at the bottom of Whitnall Way.
Sunburst Ski Hill
Then there’s Sunburst Ski Hill with even more downhill thrills to explore. The ski park has nine paths to explore, ranging from the tame White Carpet beginners hill all the way to the Holy Moly hill, which advises extreme caution. Sunburst also has two terrain parks to keep you on your toes. Throughout the course, you’ll find several ropes, varying in speed according to the course’s difficulty level and lifts that’ll take you to the top. If you make it through all of these courses standing up, you probably deserve a medal.
More to Explore: Wilmot Mountain, Alpine Valley Resort
Cross-Country Skiing
Downhill skiing’s more leisurely cousin is anything but a walk in the park. Cross-country skiing requires endurance, agility and many of the fine motor skills of its downhill brethren, along with the strength to climb the gentle (or not so gentle) hills along the way. Many of Milwaukee’s parks have groomed XC skiing trails, but these are a few of our favorites.
Brown Deer Park
Par for the course, this trail leads through the roughs, fairways and greens of the Brown Deer Golf Course. The 4.5 miles of terrain is varied enough to keep it interesting, while still also being a great place for beginners to test out their skills as they cross bridges and glide down gentle hills framed by sweeping landscape views set against a blanket of fresh snow. We could wax poetic about this course all day.
More to Explore: Kletzsch Park
Figure Skating
You are grace incarnate. Equal parts gymnast and track star, you can land a triple-axel without a problem. Or, if you’re like the rest of us, you’re shuffling one foot in front of the other, desperately hoping you don’t wipe out (again). We can’t promise a freshly Zambonied sheet of ice, but there are tons of spaces for you to practice your routine.
Lynden Sculpture Garden
What is figure skating’s graceful elegance if not a work of art? At Lynden Sculpture Garden in Brown Deer, you can beautifully couple the performing arts and physical art in a snow globe setting that’s as good as any Olympic venue. Skating is free if you bring your own skates, and afterwards, you can traverse the pathless grounds to uncover more than 50 sculptures that seem to float above the frozen ground.
Slice of Ice at Red Arrow Park
The Slice of Ice at Red Arrow Park is as popular a skating location as you’re likely to find, but for those looking to glide across the frozen earth, its convenient location and skyline views make it a local favorite. Twice the size of Rockefeller Center’s rink in New York, the Milwaukee gem has been serving the city’s families and skating novices alike for 27 years, sparking a lifelong love of skating for some, while others settle for trying to stay upright. Skating is free as long as you bring your own skates.
Explore More: Lake Park, Humboldt Park Lagoon, WaterStone Bank Ice Rink, Cahill Square Park, Pettit National Ice Center, Dan Jansen Family Fest Rink
Speedskating
You may not have the Lycra suit emblazoned with the letters U.S.A., nor the long-track skates, but you know in your heart that you have the need for speed. Speedskating is gliding effortlessly in a circle after all, meaning that you can get your start at just about any rink around town. However, these places have an Olympic-sized legacy that makes them worth a visit.
Pettit National Ice Center
Fresh off hosting the U.S. Olympic Long Track Speedskating Team Trials earlier this month, there’s no better way to stoke your inner Olympic flame than by visiting an official Team USA training facility. Sadly, unless you’re one of the competitors, you likely won’t be able to glide around the official track used by the top-tier athletes, but the two Olympic ovals found inside the track host open skate every day.
Dan Jansen Family Fest Rink
How about an Olympic legacy to go with a fresh sheet of ice? Named after the 1994 Olympic gold medalist, the Dan Jansen Family Fest Rink is located in Greenfield’s Konkel Park and offers free skating rentals on a first-come, first-served basis. Once you wrap up your training for the day, you can thaw out and grab a cup of cocoa inside the warming house, which is open daily.
Explore More: Lake Park, Lynden Sculpture Garden, Humboldt Park Lagoon, Slice of Ice in Red Arrow Park, WaterStone Bank Ice Rink, Cahill Square Park
Luge (Tubing)
Our permit for a giant luge course that takes over Wisconsin Avenue was denied, so I guess you won’t be doing that any time soon. We have it on good authority that a good amount of training is required to luge anyway, so let’s slide into something a little more beginner-friendly: Tubing. Pure adrenaline and no steering required? That’ll do.
Crystal Ridge
Alongside skiing and snowboarding, Crystal Ridge, located just 15 minutes from downtown in Franklin, is also home to a whopping 19 lanes of tubing, giving you the chance to ride and slide to your heart’s content. The winter wonderland makes its own snow, meaning that there’s never a bad day on these slopes. Be sure to get your pass online to save on admission!
Wilmot Mountain
For nearly 90 years, Wilmot Mountain has drawn snowbirds of a different feather to the Illinois border for tubing, skiing and snowboarding. They’ve got 22 lanes to explore, and if you time it just right, you can race your friends to a photo finish at the bottom. Loser buys the hot chocolate after!
More to Explore: Sunburst Ski Hill, Alpine Valley Resort
Bobsled (Sledding)
As with our luge course dreams, bobsled in Milwaukee may have to wait until the 2030 Olympics, but the city’s hilly terrain won’t stop our cool runnings. All you need is a sled, a keen eye for a quality hill, and the world is your playground.
Kletzsch Park
This park in Milwaukee’s North Shore community is everything you think of when the words “packing snow” ring in your ears. The sprawling green space is beautiful all year round, but it shines in winter for one reason: its sledding hill. With a gentle path to the top and a steep grade to the bottom, this hill was tailor-made for sledding.
Bradford Beach Bluffs
There’s no more iconic a setting to sled than the bluffs above Bradford Beach. Overlooking the crashing waves of Lake Michigan, the city spreads out underneath you as you feel your heart beat in your throat. It’s a straight down drop, but don’t worry, there are tons of flat grass at the bottom to slow you down and a stairway back to the top.
Bayside Village Hall
This hill rises to the sky, punctuating a mostly flat landscape outside of Bayside’s village hall. Without trees or obstacles in any direction, the man-made mountain is a great beginner hill for sledders looking to slide into the popular winter sport.
More to Explore: Brown Deer Park, Lafayette Park, Washington Park, Whitnall Park
Ski Mountaineering (Snowshoeing)
Milwaukee’s terrain is, in broad terms, mountain-free, so ski mountaineering isn’t exactly on the table. The closest we’ll get to this one is snowshoeing, and here we have no shortage of options.
Havenwoods State Forest
You can get lost in the woods without ever leaving the city at Havenwoods State Forest, Wisconsin’s only state forest, with its six miles of snaking trails through wetlands and prairies that are completely free to wander if you have your own snowshoes.
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
To get the full spectrum of natural splendor found throughout Milwaukee, head to Schlitz Audubon Nature Center over in Bayside. The six miles of trails will wind you past scenic views, bounding wildlife and some of the 260 species of birds that flutter around the nature center, all leading you to the stunning Lake Michigan shoreline.
Urban Ecology Center & Wehr Nature Center
The Urban Ecology Center and the Wehr Nature Center are both havens for beginner snowshoeing enthusiasts. You can rent a pair for cheap and then get to stepping across their scenic landscapes in Riverside Park, the Menomonee Valley, Washington Park and Franklin.
More to Explore: Whitnall Golf Course
Hockey
Look, none of your teammates are going to be Dylan Larkin, Auston Matthews and Sydney Crosby. And that’s okay. Your scrappy, rag-tag crew of beer league buddies has heart, character, and most of all, a sense of humor when everything goes hilariously wrong.
If you’re serious about getting into the game and want to sharpen your competitive mettle, you’ll find pick-up hockey sessions at the Pettit National Ice Center. But for the rest of us just trying to stay upright, you can toss down a couple of gloves as goal posts and glide around the oval, reliving your favorite Olympic moments or outdoor Stadium Series lamp-lighters. Just be mindful and courteous to the other skaters. And maybe take it easy on the checking.
Biathlon
This should probably go without saying, but there’s nowhere that we know of where you can cross-country ski and shoot a rifle at the same time. So the best place to be a part of this one is to kick back in your cozy hotel room after a big day in the great outdoors, all for less during Milwaukee Hotel Month.
