- Wiscampsin Weekly
- Posts
- Snowiest ski resort, gun-deer opener, legendary WI climber dies
Snowiest ski resort, gun-deer opener, legendary WI climber dies
Story of the week: 5,000+ year-old canoe found in Lake Mendota
Forrest Koslowski
November 27, 2025
This Week’s Wiscampsin Weekly brought to you by:
Mornin’ to everyone stoked that Wisconsin has a Top 10-rated XC destination. Check it out if you want a DNR mug. This is the Wiscampsin Weekly, the email that gets you in the know on the Wisconsin outdoors in 5 minutes or less. New reader? Subscribe here.
This week’s weekly:
🎿 WI snowiest ski resort to stay open after bankruptcy filing
🦌 Preliminary gun-deer opener results
🧗 Update on legendary 84-year-old climber who died at Devil’s Lake State Park
🛶 STORY OF THE WEEK: 5,000+ year-old canoe found in Lake Mendota
⛷️ WI snowiest ski resort to stay open after bankruptcy filing LINK
Whitecap Mountains Resort — famous for its lake-effect powder and calling itself Wisconsin’s “snowiest” ski hill — will stay open this winter after a judge approved its Chapter 11 request to keep operating. Season passes are valid, paychecks keep flowing, and the lifts will spin.
The resort’s finances crashed harder than an icy turn: snowfall plummeted nearly 90% during the warmest winter on record, with revenues dropping from $1.4 million to $197,000 and a lender declaring $1.86 million in default. Even the 2024–25 season brought less than 60 inches of snow — a far cry from the 260-inch norm.
Climate trends tell the bigger story: northern Wisconsin winters have warmed 6–9°F since 1950, squeezing the season on both ends and pushing even snow-rich Hurley to the brink. A seven-county tourism coalition reported millions in losses last winter, and ski areas statewide increasingly depend on snowmaking just to open.
🦌 Preliminary gun-deer opener results LINK
Wisconsin's gun deer opener saw steady hunter turnout with 777,843 total licenses sold (basically flat from 2024) and 538,865 gun licenses — proving that blaze orange season remains one of the state's most reliable traditions.
Harvest numbers nudged upward despite warm, snow-less conditions in the south: hunters registered 90,671 deer (up 3.9% from last year), including 48,748 bucks and 41,923 antlerless — a solid showing for an opener described as “average to slightly better” across much of the state.
Opening weekend wasn’t incident-free: two firearm-involved cases were reported — one non-fatal injury in Grant County and one fatal accidental shooting in Fond du Lac County — compared to just one injury during all nine days last year, underscoring how quickly a quiet season can shift without strict TAB-K safety.
🧗 Update on legendary 84-year-old climber who died at Devil’s Lake State Park LINK
Legendary climber Pete Cleveland, long considered one of America’s most technically gifted rock climbers, died after a 25-foot fall at Devil’s Lake State Park. First responders found the 84-year-old in critical condition on the West Bluff Trail; despite immediate medical care, he later succumbed to his injuries.
Cleveland was revered for his bold first ascents in the 1960s and ’70s, feats that shaped Midwest climbing and earned him deep respect within the Devil’s Lake community. Friends described him as a mentor whose impact spanned generations — from seasoned climbers to people tying in for the first time.
A memorial shared by the community said Cleveland died doing what he loved, climbing on a clear fall day and surrounded by people who meant the most to him — a fitting final chapter for a climber whose legacy looms as large as the quartzite cliffs he helped make famous.
SUPPORT THE WISCAMPSIN WEEKLY — Click on our sponsors or check out the Wiscampsin Shop!
Looking for a great gift? Our friends at Venture Wisconsin have incredible gifts that are experiential, support local businesses, and are Wisconsin through and through!
The Wisconsin Supper Club guide: Huge savings at 135 supper clubs across the state (estimated savings: as much as $1,500!)
Wisconsin Coffee Shop Passport: Get 50% off your coffee at 191 local coffee shops—great way to explore new coffee shops in Wisconsin!
Old Fashioned Passport: Ope, this is awesome! 50% off two old fashioneds at 170 locations in the state.
Ice Cream Shop Passport: Yummy—50% off two ice creams at 110 ice cream shops in the state!
Wisconsin Fish Fry Guide: $10 off your fish fry at 108 restaurants, who doesn’t love that?
And tons more!
🛶 STORY OF THE WEEK: 5,000+ year-old canoe found in Lake Mendota LINK
This week’s STORY OF THE WEEK is unlocked for everyone thanks to Venture Wisconsin - PLEASE SUPPORT THEM WITH A CLICK!
Madison’s Lake Mendota has quietly been keeping a secret for thousands of years: a watery garage packed with ancient canoes. Archeologists have uncovered a staggering 16 dugouts in one shallow section of the lake, including a record-setter estimated to be 5,200 years old — making it the oldest canoe ever found in the Great Lakes. That’s older than Stonehenge, older than the pyramids, and older than your favorite hiking trail map.
The cache isn’t just a quirky collection of prehistoric watercraft; it hints at a sophisticated travel network. Indigenous people likely stashed canoes near the shore for quick access to waterways, using sediment and at least four feet of water to protect them from winter freeze and warping. “What we’re seeing really is a parking lot,” said maritime archaeologist Tamara Thomsen. A parking lot, yes, but imagine a sort of prehistoric canoe rideshare — communal vessels strategically stashed to connect walking trails, rivers, and other lakes. Think Madison’s BCycle racks, but 5,000 years ago and woodier.
The canoe collection spans millennia. Some date back 700 years, others to 3,000 B.C.E. — all crafted from red oak hollowed out with fire, shells, and stone tools. Fascinatingly, research suggests the canoe-makers may have intentionally “wounded” trees over years, prompting a natural water-resistant response called tyloses. Ingenious, water-smart woodworking long before waterproof spray was invented.
The discoveries began in 2021 with a 1,200-year-old canoe and continued each summer with divers carefully documenting and preserving boats before reburial to protect them from zebra mussels. The oldest and a 3,000-year-old sibling are being prepped for display at the upcoming Wisconsin History Center, while the others remain suspended in time (and water) at the lake’s bottom.
This Mendota “canoe hotspot” is likely just the tip of the iceberg. Thomsen and other researchers suspect other ancient boats lie hidden throughout Wisconsin’s waterways, possibly even older than the 5,200-year-old champion. So next time you paddle or hike near Madison, imagine skimming across a lake once brimming with community-shared dugouts — an ancient highway network where ingenuity and watercraft met to keep life moving, thriving, and deeply connected to the land.
Now send this email to a friend and get out ‘der!
WISCAMPSIN WEEKLY POLL
66% of poll voters got last weeks poll right! Well educated bunch here.
The correct answer for the start of mandatory in-person registration is B) 1953!
Explanation: Before 1953, the state relied on an honor system where hunters mailed in a "census card." The switch to in-person registration in '53 created the beloved cultural tradition of gathering at local businesses to check the harvest board, a ritual that lasted until electronic registration took over in 2015.
Shout out to this readers mother FORREST EDIT
The return of the Wild Turkey is Wisconsin’s greatest conservation success story, but it came at a specific price. After years of failure with farm-raised birds, the Wisconsin DNR finally struck a deal in 1974 to trade for wild-trapped birds from Missouri.
To secure the initial shipment of 45 wild turkeys that would restart Wisconsin's population, what specific payment did the state send south to Missouri?Give it a gut check. Click an answer below! |
A review from the trail… Not from WI, yet to visit, and loves the Wiscampsin Weekly? I’d say you best get here quick, neighbor!
Well, how'd we do this week? |
Reply