Hickory is a Magic Machine

I first met Stuart of The Storm back in 2020 on an off-the-hook powder day at McCauley. We got to talking about all the great small ski areas in New York. He told me “NYSkiBlog has more Hickory content than anyone else on the web.” At the time, I wondered if we’d ever publish an on-snow piece about Hickory again.

An enormous amount of work has gone into getting the hill open. Led by Hickory founder Hans Winbauer’s daughter, Sue Catana, the hill has navigated operational, inspection and insurance challenges. With significant help from the Indy Pass and Unofficial Networks, Hickory announced they’d spin lifts on Saturday, for the first time since 2015.

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Indy Pass adds Hickory Ski Center

GRANBY, COLORADO – Today Indy Pass announced they are working with Unofficial Networks to provide financial assistance to Hickory Ski Center in Warrensburg NY. The goal is to help Hickory secure the insurance needed to run lifts for the first time in eight years.

Tbar guy

Hickory Hill was founded by veterans of the 10th Mountain Division in 1946 and has been part of the community since that time. Faced with rising costs for lift inspection and insurance, the ski area faces an uncertain future. Recently Hickory laid out the numbers and the challenge inspired Tim Konrad, publisher of Unofficial Networks.

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Hickory or Not?

There’s a significant group of skiers out there who’ve had a great day at Hickory. Certainly enough to fill up the ski center after a storm. When you consider the total number of ski days Hickory has operated over the last 10 years, that’s really kind of amazing.

Hickory fire pit

Personally I’ve had six days at Hickory, five of them in winter, all were unforgettable. So yea, people like me, we’re out there.

Many of us wish we had another shot at it. I know I do. If I had known my last Hickory ski day was going to be my last Hickory ski day, by golly, I would have skied harder. Many also understand why Hickory has been closed the last few years.

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