January is starting to wind down, which means winter sports like tubing and skiing are in full swing. However, Triangle Sports Area in Green Bay has yet to open for the season. Jan. 22, 2026. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — January is starting to wind down, which means winter sports like tubing and skiing are in full swing.
However, Triangle Sports Area in Green Bay has yet to open for the season. A combination of equipment issues and not enough help from Mother Nature led to the delay.
But the city expects Triangle Hill to be open by the weekend.
If you take a stroll by Green Bay’s Triangle Sports Area, you’ll notice cannons blowing snow. That equipment was originally slated to be installed around Thanksgiving.
“We ran into just some lead time issues on equipment. There’s some specialized electric panels, the pump. All of that had a longer lead time than what we anticipated. So, it wasn’t until about a week ago that we could start making snow out there,” Green Bay Parks, Recreation & Forestry Director Dan Ditscheit said.
Ditscheit said the new snowmaking equipment simply didn’t arrive fast enough because of shipping delays.
The city spent about half a million dollars on a groomer and snow machines. Another half a million was spent on permanent infrastructure like a water line and electric service for that equipment.
Ditscheit said by the time everything was received, installed and everyone was trained, it was mid-January.
“We all had hoped that we would be opening sooner and we’d be able to make snow sooner,” Ditscheit said. “It has been frustrating for staff, waiting for the project to be completed, and it’s been frustrating for the public, too. They want to get out there, they want to enjoy it.”
Mother Nature was another factor in the delay. While there’s been a lot of snow so far this winter, Ditscheit said six to eight inches of snow is consistently needed throughout the entire hill.
“All of the snow that we’ve gotten to date has been very light, fluffy snow that just blew off of the hill,” Ditscheit said.
Delayed openings of Triangle Hill have been a topic of conversation in Green Bay for a couple of years. By comparison, Titletown’s Ariens Hill and Kewaunee County’s Winter Park Ski Area both opened around mid-December.
Ditscheit said that’s because they already had the infrastructure to make snow. Going forward, he expects Triangle Sports Area’s opening dates for future years to be much sooner than in the past.
“We’ve been working diligently to keep the project moving, get it done as quickly as possible,” Ditscheit said.
The city also won’t open the hill if temperatures are too cold.
Once Triangle Hill opens for the season, Green Bay hopes it stays open through mid-March.
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