Named after the original owner's daughter, the Villa Olivia estate was built in the early 1900's in the town of Bartlett. Among the luxuries of the estate, there was a golf course that now serves as the cornerstone of the Villa Olivia Country Club, purchased in 1966 by the Corrado Family.

The golf course is just the beginning of what is offered at Villa Olivia. In 1968, the Corrado's realized the underutilized potential of their property during the winter months. As a result, a ski facility was opened with enhancements finished in 1975. The ski operation currently offers 12 lighted downhill runs serviced by one four-person chair lift and six tow rope lifts. The ski facility is the most professionally run in the immediate Chicagoland area and currently hosts the Chicago Tribune Ski School aimed at beginners and intermediate skiers. It is the ideal facility for the novice skier just getting his/her first taste of the sport or the advanced skier perfecting his/her ability. The facility has complete ski snowmaking machines, snow-grooming vehicles cross country trails, ski equipment rentals, and clubhouse facility to service that most important time when the skiers are not perfecting their craft.

Since the opening of the golf course and its clubhouse facility, the clubhouse has been host to countless weddings and banquets and currently serves both the Elgin and Bartlett Rotary Club luncheons on a weekly basis. The clubhouse has two full banquet rooms and can accommodate up to 850 guests. It is booked on a year round basis and is one of the finer facilities in the northwest suburban area.
 

There are actually 3 training areas that need to be accomplished to be certified as a basic patroller:

1. The first (and these are not necessarily in the order they need to be accomplished) is Patroller 101. Part of this is the on-hill portion of the training. A certain level of skiing/boarding experience is expected. Although we will work on performance enhancement, most of the scheduled time is spent developing techniques needed to handle a recovery toboggan with and without a patient. Total time commitment for completing the Patroller 101 training is 1+ days a week for about 3 months.
   
   
2. The second part of the training involves the Outdoor Emergency Care training. Different patrols offer this training at different times of the year. The total time commitment for completing OEC training is 1+ days a week for about 3 months.
   
   
3. The final part of training is CPR for the Professional Rescuer. This Red Cross course can be taken anywhere. We typically offer it as an extension of the OEC training.