By Brian E. Clark
Special to Channel3000

WAUSAU, Wis. -- I love to ski. (On snow.) I'm also a big fan of the beach.

Alas, combining the two activities in one day is nearly impossible. Unless you live in southern California, where you truly can ski or snowboard in the morning and surf in the afternoon.

But we live in Wisconsin. So what do you do? Heading to a Lake Michigan or Lake Superior beach for a dip in the water at this time of year is clearly not an option for most of us.

You can, however, go to Granite Peak, the largest and best ski and snowboard resort in the Badger State, where you can ride a high-speed, six-passenger chairlift, dine in a classy ski chalet, carve turns down 700 feet of vertical or do tricks on boxes and rails in the terrain park.

Then, combine that with a stay at the Lodge at Cedar Creek, a Northwoods-style resort that features a 50,000-square-foot indoor water park with seven water slides, a lazy river and enough other features to wear out my munchkins: Anders, 4, and Maddie, 6.

Granted, there is no sand at Cedar Creek, but you can't have everything.

My entourage arrived late on a Thursday night after the 160-plus mile drive from the West Side of Madison. We checked in a few minutes before 9 p.m., just as the water attraction was closing down.

After a good night’s sleep, the 4-year-old wanted to go straight to the water park. But we told him it wouldn't open until late that morning (OK, it was a fib) and made it out the door to Granite Peak with no meltdowns.

Once at the ski hill, which has seen major improvements since Charles Skinner bought it six years ago, we headed for the resort's Teddy Bear ski school. Skinner -- who is also part owner of Minnesota's Lutsen Mountains -- has invested $12 million in lifts, enhanced snow-making equipment and new buildings that have turned Granite Peak into one of the top resorts in the Midwest. And more lifts are on the way.

Though Maddie can handle a rope tow just fine, one of the things that made the learning experience better for our youngsters was the resort's Star Lift Wonder Carpet. Much like a conveyor belt that you'd find in an airport, the moving carpet means beginners -- both young and old -- can simply step on the contraption and ascend the modest hill.

Another thing that's great about the resort for novices is that the bottom section of the hill has a long, gradual descent that makes it great for learning.

Once the little ones were situated with their instructors (Maddie loved "Grandma Jane," a former Madisonian who has been teaching kids how to ski for a decade) mom and dad headed off for slightly more challenging terrain. But we didn’t stray too far, swinging by the kids' area everyone once in a while for a look-see.

The children were all smiles, though there were a few spills, and they especially liked the hot chocolate break mid-way through the two-hour lesson. When the class was over, they wanted more.

And they also wanted to ride a real chair lift. Enough of the moving carpet. And enough of the T-bar that Maddie got to use to ascend a bit further up the beginner slope.

After a few family runs that took us past 1 p.m., we headed back to the water park at Cedar Creek. I could hardly keep up with the 4-year-old, who zipped from the tree house to the Powder Keg Puddle to the children's water slides. The little devil especially liked a water gun that he used to spray other water park visitors.

Maddie spent most of her time with her mother, though we swapped kids a few times during the afternoon for rides down the lazy river. We ended the visit with a soothing soak in the hot tub. But not before one last time trip to the tree house, where I stood, children sheltered under my wings, beneath the huge waterfall that tumbled periodically from the huge, 800-gallon tipping bucket.

Dinner led us to Hudson's, a car-themed restaurant that had auto memorabilia hanging from the ceiling and off the walls. Then it was back to Cedar Creek for cookies and a bedtime story in front of the lodge's big fireplace.

Saturday morning at Granite Peak reminded me of why skiing midweek is the way to go. Even though the parking lot wasn't entirely full, there were many more people on the slopes. But I shouldn't complain, the longest lift line wasn't more than three minutes.

We followed the same drill with ski school and again made a few additional family runs after their classes were over. Then, when the 4-year-old and his mother headed for lunch in the Sundance Chalet, his older sister and I got in a few more descents together.

An hour later we were back at the Cedar Creek lodge's water park for 90 more minutes of play before driving home to Madison. Truth be told, we could easily have stayed for a couple more days. If we had, we might have tried out cross-country skiing, snowshoeing or even visited the acclaimed Woodson Art Museum or the Grand Theater. Alas, that will have to wait for another visit.

For more information on Granite Peak Resort, go to skigranitepeak.com. For details on the Lodge at Cedar Creek, see lodgeatcedarcreek.com. For details on additional winter lodging, dining and tourism options -- including snowmobiling -- in the Wausau area, go to the Web site of the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau at visitwausau.com.