Belleayre Opens Early in 2022

Each year the season creeps up on me. I always believe there is still time to go to the gym and get fit. Another week before I need to wax and tune our skis and boards. I can wash the old neck gator tomorrow.

Belleayre main base area

Yet the snow falls and I find myself scrambling to get out the door to the mountains. I will never take a pre-thanksgiving opening weekend for granted, but maybe if I had one more week I would have been ready. Probably not.

ORDA was ready, and they were not messing around. The weather window opened up earlier in the week and they jumped through it. Tales from opening day at Whiteface gave me pause. I agree, snowmaking efforts have really paid off.

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ORDA Skier Visits (Update 2022)

Following are updated numbers for ORDA skier visits and revenue for New York’s state-owned and operated ski areas as reported by the Olympic Regional Development Authority in the most recent annual report.

For the first time in the 2013 annual report, numbers for Belleayre Ski Center were included.

As of the 2010 – 2011 season ORDA had not reported skier visits for Gore Mountain. In the 2018 report, there was back data on skier visits for Gore dating back to 2013-2014, so a data gap remains for the two previous years. In addition Whiteface revenue numbers were revised upward by over 20%.

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The Re-Opening Belle

Something is in the water this year, up in Lake Placid, at ORDA.  Maybe it’s Snowmax. At all three mountains, the snow was deeper than any time in recent memory, and maybe deeper than ever.

Route 28

This season, the three state-run hills were the last to operate in NY, and it wasn’t even close. Belleayre closed for the last time on April 23, while Gore and Whiteface are still shooting for Sunday May 1.  This year a new closing date record is being set at Gore.

Most years there’s at least a chance that a private area will rival Whiteface for latest closing.

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