The Rock ski area getting new operators
Schmitz family plans to expand, improve winter sports offerings at Franklin location
Improved skiing, snowboarding and tubing operations are coming to The Rock in Franklin, the new operators of the small ski area said Wednesday.
The Rock winter sports operations will be taken over by Schmitz Brothers LLC, ROC Ventures announced. That will allow ROC to focus on development of the Ballpark Commons baseball park and related developments, said ROC Ventures owner Michael Zimmerman in a news release.
The Schmitz family operates two other ski areas, Little Switzerland in Slinger and Nordic Mountain near Wild Rose.
The winter sports operations at The Rock, which was long known as Crystal Ridge, will be expanded, RIck Schmitz said in an interview.
“We’re going to be reopening terrain,” he said. “We’re going to be using every inch of the ski-able area.”
Although the hill is small, there’s enough pitch to support ski racing, while also expanding beginner programs, Schmitz said. In recent years, the Rock catered primarily to snowboarders attracted to its
terrain park.
“We’re also going to focus on families,” Schmitz said. “The family is the bread and butter of the ski industry.”
Schmitz said he and his partners liked that The Rock is located in a highly populated area.
“The location really makes a difference,” he said.
Zimmerman said Schmitz Brothers were a logical operator for winter sports at The Rock, a complex which now includes a variety of baseball fields.
“After seeing them turn around Little Switzerland so dramatically, we knew we’d found the folks we wanted to work with.”
Schmitz Brothers have run Little Switzerland for five years, and Rick Schmitz has operated Nordic for 12. Schmitz also ran Blackjack ski area in Upper Michigan for several years.
Zimmerman hopes to eventually see all-season programs at the hill, including “zip lining, summer tubing, adventure zones and camps for youth, just to name a few.”
The Ballpark Commons mixed-use development has received approval from Franklin officials but awaits approval from the state and a financing package. ROC is also in negotiations with Milwaukee County to buy the land.
The project calls for a stadium for an independent professional team and golf driving range, along with other commercial developments and more than 300 apartments.