The Tail End of the 2020-21 Winter Season
The Tail End of the 2020-21 Winter Season
Holiday Valley celebrates the tail end of ski season with spring conditions; readies for golf, Sky High
Wow, what a winter! What began with many worries and doubts turned into a very successful season for Holiday Valley. Challenges abounded, with the Canadian border being closed (we still miss you Canada!) and many of our loved ones and friends being affected by COVID-19. But we planned for the best and moved forward. Once New York State released the Ski Area Operating Requirements in November, it was a huge sigh of relief that as long as Holiday Valley, our employees and our guests complied with the regulations, we were able to open the slopes for skiing and riding. Turns out that lots of people felt safe being outdoors and skiing and snowboarding were activities that appealed not only to our core group, but to many new participants and those who had given up the sport.
And now we’re winding down the season with spring rates for lift tickets and lodging. A little education about spring skiing … on warm sunny days when it gets into the 40’s or 50’s, the snow gets soft during the day, then it stiffens up quickly as the sun goes down. We try to time the end of night skiing with the warm-up. Spring is upon us now and as of March 21st, night skiing has ended. The week of March 22nd is “Twilight skiing” where most lifts close at 4:30pm, except for Cindy’s and Sunrise that remain open until 7:00pm. Next week, all lifts will close at 4:30pm.
There’s an art to spring skiing that depends on the temperature. If it drops to the lower 30’s at night and the snow stiffens, the groomers can get out and work their magic. If it’s still cold as the lifts open, the snow will have set up due to evaporative cooling, so bring out your narrow waisted skis and start on the slopes that face east, like Morning Star, Cross Cut and Mardi Gras. Follow the sun to Eagle, Cindy’s and Sunrise, then save the Yodeler face for mid-day. As the day gets warmer, the snow will soften quite a bit and that’s when to bring out the fat skis for some surfin’ fun. Afternoons are for those big soft bumps, followed by tailgating in the parking lot!
Now is the time to purchase your season pass for next year, as the prices are as low as they’ll go until April 30th and a fee-free installment plan is available. Classic Passes, including unlimited days, nights or days and nights are on sale now. Season-long programs like Rangers, Eagles, Race, Freestyle and Snowboard Teams and Masters are also at the early rate. If you’re a new passholder and you’re paid in full, you can ski free the remainder of this season. Classic Passholders who refer a new Passholder receive a $50 gift card, or a $100 gift card for a new family. Ultimate Passes, including the White Pass, Flex Pass, Ultimate Sunday and Ultimate Select options are also on sale now and also offer the installment plan. You can find more information and purchase any of these passes and programs at holidayvalley.com, or stop in the Customer Service office.
The driving range will be opening soon and the Double Black Diamond golf course is targeted for April 10th, weather permitting. The front nine is snow-free, and the crews will be working their magic soon to clean up and green up the course. Sky High Adventure Park is still a bit snowy, but there’s lots of prep work to be done in advance of the May 7th planned opening date for the Adventure Park, May 21st for the Sky Flyer Mountain Coaster, and May 22nd for Spruce Lake Chairlift rides … this year with lift-serviced mountain biking! For details go to holidayvalley.com/skyhigh. The Holiday Valley pools are scheduled to start weekend operations on May 29th and will be open daily starting June 14th.
Now is a great time to check out the Holiday Valley summer jobs available at holidayvalley.com/jobs. We’re currently hiring Sky High Park Monitors, Harness Shop staff, Mountain Coaster Staff and chairlift operators and also lifeguards for the pools.
The new High Speed Yodeler Quad project will be underway starting in April. The old lift has been sold to Catamount Ski Area in eastern New York and the new lift has been purchased from Doppelmayr USA. Watch the construction progress at holidayvalley.com