Skiers and snowboarders were making turns in Wisconsin over the weekend, but it wasn’t because of an early-season snowstorm.
Trollhaugen in Dresser opened a small terrain park on Saturday, Oct. 3, and Sunday, Oct. 4, for its annual Open Haugen celebration, using snow the ski area saved from last winter and preserved through the summer.
The two-day event featured skiing and snowboarding from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, with an intermediate terrain park and rope tow providing access to the snow. Trollhaugen also held separate ski and snowboard contests on Sunday.
It was a temporary October opening rather than the beginning of regular 2026-27 operations, but it still gave hundreds of skiers and snowboarders a chance to get back on snow weeks before winter normally arrives in western Wisconsin.
Snow Saved From Last Winter
At the end of the previous ski season, the area consolidated a large pile of snow and covered it for the warmer months. The preserved snow remained on the property throughout spring and summer before crews uncovered the pile last week and began spreading it across the terrain park.
Trollhaugen had already announced in September that it planned to open Oct. 3 and 4 using the saved snow. By the time the weekend arrived, demand was not a problem. The more than 300 available skiing and snowboarding registrations sold out in less than five hours after registration opened Sept. 17, setting a record for the event.
The official Open Haugen schedule divided Saturday into three 90-minute freeski sessions for riders ages 8 and older. Sunday featured a youth AM Jam followed by the Pro Jam, with cash prizes available in the men’s and women’s ski and snowboard categories.
An October Tradition In Wisconsin
Trollhaugen describes the weekend as its annual kickoff to winter, with free scenic chairlift rides, hayrides, a ski and snowboard swap, a gear sale and a food and coat drive taking place alongside the on-snow sessions. 2026 marked the 21st year of Trollhaugen’s fall rail jam.
Snow farming is used in several parts of the world to preserve winter snow through the summer, particularly at Nordic centers and high-elevation training venues. Trollhaugen has adapted the concept to a small Midwestern ski area, allowing it to reliably put skiers and snowboarders back on snow during the first weekend of October regardless of the weather.
Now that Open Haugen is over, the wait begins for the real thing. The ski area’s normal 2026-27 season will depend on sufficiently cold temperatures for snowmaking and natural snowfall.
But for two days this weekend, winter briefly returned to Wisconsin thanks to a pile of snow that never really left.
