Christmas Holiday at Titus

We left home in Western New York around noon on Friday after a few consecutive days of holiday festivities. With sleet in the forecast locally, we planned to hit the road and make the best of our time off of work.

The Face

When holiday crowds swell and conditions feel uncertain, Evan and I often find ourselves heading north to Titus Mountain. A place we trust for consistently great snow, zero lift lines, and a refreshingly stress-free ski experience, even during the busiest weeks of the season. As we drove north toward Malone, muddy ground slowly gave way to a blanket of snow and single-digit temperatures.

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Royal Mountain Opens 2025

I’ve noticed a pattern among the family-owned independent resorts here in New York. Often I find a female owner running the business behind the ticket desk, while a male owner is off dealing with operations. Royal mountain was no exception last Sunday on opening day. Brooke Tennis was all smiles as she handed me my ticket, telling me she was surprised by the turn out.

Jake Tennis manages the crowd

The parking lot was filling up fast. I strapped in and pushed down to the Hadley Chair to start the season. I thought I was running late as I saw the first wave of skiers ripping down the mountain. Royal prides itself on tight operations and if they can spin the lift a little early, why not? I rode right on to my first chairlift.

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Gore Opens in 2025

It’s been cold in the northeast and here in the mountains, it’s been snowing. Lows have been in the twenties every night for a few weeks and the ski areas have been taking full advantage, opening more terrain, faster than any year in recent memory.

Gore Mountain opening day 2025

Gore was no exception, opening a week before Thanksgiving. Lifts spun on East Side and the North with three lifts and ~four ways down the mountain for the weekend. Conditions were good, and skiers were impressed with the wall-to-wall coverage on all the open terrain. Friday was for passholders and the weekend was open to the public.

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