Learn to Love Winter
Learn to Love Winter
Holiday Valley Hosts a Number of Events This January
Whether it’s the fun family “New Year’s Eve Celebration” event that ends with colorful fireworks filling the sky, the “College Daze” special skiing/snowboarding package deal for college students, or the “Your Turn Women’s Clinic” to improve your skiing skills, there’s something for everyone at Holiday Valley as we head into 2024. After all, January is officially known as “Learn a Snowsport Month”. Perhaps it is on your New Year’s Resolution list to learn to ski or snowboard! Well, now’s the perfect time!
Director of Marketing for Holiday Valley, Dash Hegeman, says there are so many reasons one would want to visit the resort. “People have been making memories here for generations,” he told ellicottvilleNOW. “Families grow up here. This is a year-round resort, but the roots of Holiday Valley are firmly planted in winter. Whether you want to ski or snowboard, ride through the woods on the Sky Flyer Mountain Coaster, go snow tubing, or just sit in the lodge and enjoy some food and drinks, there is so much for people to do here. And when you combine that with everything that the village of Ellicottville has to offer, it makes for a fantastic place to vacation.”
He went on to explain, “If you live in this region, you can either resent the cold and do your best to hibernate all winter long, or you can embrace it and enjoy being outside in nature while having a lot of fun. Holiday Valley is an amazing place to embrace winter!”
Start the New Year off with fun family-oriented activities at Holiday Valley at their New Year’s Eve Celebration event that ends with a bang as colorful bursts of fireworks cover the sky. “Between the fireworks and the excitement of saying goodbye to 2023 and ringing in 2024 with festive people having a great time, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate the New Year at Holiday Valley,” Hegeman said. “The Main Lodge is a fantastic venue to hang out at with your family and friends while enjoying a great fireworks show!” (Find more details on page 04.)
COLLEGE DAZE
College Daze features a special lodge and lift package designed with college students in mind, providing skiing and lots of fun! Cost is $242.48 per person for quad occupancy at The Inn at Holiday Valley for three days and two nights with accompanying lift tickets. Already a college season passholder? You can deduct $100 from your package price. New to skiing or snowboarding? Get a FREE 1.5-hour lesson, rental equipment and a beginners area lift ticket.
The Cabana Bar (adjacent to the Holiday Valley Lodge) will have a Pre-Game Party from 9:00-11:00pm. Two drink tickets, food and drink specials and giveaways are all part of the fun. On Monday, enjoy a yummy continental breakfast in the lobby of The Inn. Ski/ride at your leisure from 9:00am-9:00pm. A hot dog cookout will take place from noon-2:00pm on the Yodeler Deck. A fun time for all will be had as music, snacks, pizza, free drinks and cocktail tasting by Fireball will be offered from 6:00-8:00pm on at the Apres/Drinking Games Cabana Deck. All will cheer when the College Football National Championship Game watch party begins at 8:00pm. Take advantage of Holiday Valley’s shuttle service from 10:00pm-2:00am to and from The Inn to Madigan’s for post-game festivities.
On Tuesday, once again enjoy a delicious continental breakfast in the lobby of The Inn, followed by skiing/riding all day!
“College Daze has some good history here at the resort and we’re looking forward to welcoming this year’s group of college students for a great time on and off the slopes!” said Hegeman. For additional details about this year’s College Daze, including a complete schedule, head to holidayvalley.com.
YOUR TURN WOMEN’S SKI CLINIC
Holiday Valley will host the 10th Annual Your Turn Women’s Clinic led by Lisa Ballard on Wednesday, January 24 and Thursday, January 25. Ballard, a ski racer and widely acclaimed coach, will be joined by many fine women instructors from Holiday Valley as new skiing skills are acquired by women while they make new friends, improve their skiing confidence and may even win a door prize!
The two days of clinic includes video analysis, equipment information and demo equipment. Attendees will be fed a continental breakfast and lunch both days. Dinner will be provided on Wednesday followed by a presentation to help folks ski more confidently. Lodging and lift tickets will be available at special rates!
Ballard, author of the top-selling ski instructional book, “Ski Faster! Guide to High Performance Skiing and Racing”, has written thirteen books as well as hundreds of articles. Besides competing, Ballard has successfully coached and instructed skiing for over thirty years. Finishing second overall in the world in 2023 and ranking 1st in Super G, Ballard (member of the U.S. Ski Team in the late 1970’s and 1980’s six-year veteran of the Women’s Pro Ski Tour) has topped 100 national titles several years back. Named “Masters Skier of the Year” six times by U.S. Ski and Snowboard, what woman wouldn’t want to attend this clinic as over 8,000 women have had breakthroughs in their skiing while taking Ballard’s clinics!
“Every year, women look forward to taking part in this event,” Hegeman said. “It’s all about camaraderie and fun; along with picking up some new tips and tricks on how to be a better skier and have even more fun out on the slopes.” Clinic registration begins at 8:00am with breakfast. For information or to reserve your spot, call 716-699-3506 as attendance is limited and pre-registration is advised. The cost of the clinic is $389 per person.
Why not make the most out of winter this January during “Learn a Snowsport Month” and make your way on over to Holiday Valley to learn how to ski or snowboard? Check out the Holiday Valley website at holidayvalley.com for more information as they offer numerous other ski and snowboard programs for both kids and adults and so much more!