Windham Conditions

[NYSkiBlog]

Windham Mountain Announces Initial Resort Master Plan

Windham, NY (July 27, 2023) - Following an announcement in April 2023 regarding new investment to support an exciting chapter ahead for the historic Catskills destination, Windham Mountain has presented a resort master plan to the Town Board of Windham.

The presentation focused on the development of the acquired Fromm/East Side property, incorporating townhomes, single-family properties, lots, and green space. The plan also includes enhanced property beautification and expanded lodging. This strategic enhancement aims to provide a more comfortable experience for out-of-town guests, encouraging them to extend their visits and explore all that the destination has to offer.

The master plan outlines priority areas of focus, including the following:

Continuing to ensure best-in-class skiing with minimal lift lines, increased snowmaking, and upgrades to existing lift infrastructure

Offering great food and beverage programs with the redevelopment of all current outlets and the addition of a mid-mountain, Italian Alps-style concept debuting fall 2023

Expanding and reinvigorating the existing Golf Course; and thoughtful amenities, including swimming, racket sports, family activities and expansive outdoor all-season adventure activities

Developing enhanced membership offerings for the existing Members Club

Developments will be ongoing through 2025, however, fall 2023 will see significant improvements to the culinary offerings at Windham Mountain. A new mid-mountain restaurant will debut, in addition to a revitalized food hall and Mediterranean-inspired restaurant inside the existing Lodge.

“It is an exciting time at Windham and we look forward to expanding our season to feature robust year-round experiences, while providing an ever-better experience to our loyal guests and members of the community.” says President Chip Seamans. “Our goal is to continue to offer unique opportunities for visitors to enjoy the beauty of the Catskills and immerse themselves in the refreshing destination that is Windham Mountain.”

The enhancements to Windham will introduce hundreds of local jobs as the mountain upgrades its offerings and evolves into a four-season resort destination, encouraging guests to visit for longer periods of time and invest in the local community.

For more information on Windham Mountain, visit https://www.windhammountain.com/.

 

[olddogbmxer]

Windham Mountain Announces Initial Resort Master Plan

Windham, NY (July 27, 2023) - Following an announcement in April 2023 regarding new investment to support an exciting chapter ahead for the historic Catskills destination, Windham Mountain has presented a resort master plan to the Town Board of Windham.

The presentation focused on the development of the acquired Fromm/East Side property, incorporating townhomes, single-family properties, lots, and green space. The plan also includes enhanced property beautification and expanded lodging. This strategic enhancement aims to provide a more comfortable experience for out-of-town guests, encouraging them to extend their visits and explore all that the destination has to offer.

The master plan outlines priority areas of focus, including the following:

Continuing to ensure best-in-class skiing with minimal lift lines, increased snowmaking, and upgrades to existing lift infrastructure

Offering great food and beverage programs with the redevelopment of all current outlets and the addition of a mid-mountain, Italian Alps-style concept debuting fall 2023

Expanding and reinvigorating the existing Golf Course; and thoughtful amenities, including swimming, racket sports, family activities and expansive outdoor all-season adventure activities

Developing enhanced membership offerings for the existing Members Club

Developments will be ongoing through 2025, however, fall 2023 will see significant improvements to the culinary offerings at Windham Mountain. A new mid-mountain restaurant will debut, in addition to a revitalized food hall and Mediterranean-inspired restaurant inside the existing Lodge.

“It is an exciting time at Windham and we look forward to expanding our season to feature robust year-round experiences, while providing an ever-better experience to our loyal guests and members of the community.” says President Chip Seamans. “Our goal is to continue to offer unique opportunities for visitors to enjoy the beauty of the Catskills and immerse themselves in the refreshing destination that is Windham Mountain.”

The enhancements to Windham will introduce hundreds of local jobs as the mountain upgrades its offerings and evolves into a four-season resort destination, encouraging guests to visit for longer periods of time and invest in the local community.

For more information on Windham Mountain, visit https://www.windhammountain.com/.

Surprised that there has been no comments on this. If you look at the masterplan it is very apparent that they are looking to reduce the number of visitors to the mountain and replacing with higher income spenders. Look what is happening to the parking lots. The new majority share holders are hospitality driven business people. It looks like Windham will become a very exclusive club in many respects. Note the gatehouse at the entrance.

 

[tirolski]

Surprised that there has been no comments on this. If you look at the masterplan it is very apparent that they are looking to reduce the number of visitors to the mountain and replacing with higher income spenders. Look what is happening to the parking lots. The new majority share holders are hospitality driven business people. It looks like Windham will become a very exclusive club in many respects. Note the gatehouse at the entrance.

There’s this there too.

Upstate NY mountain resort voted best hotel in New York and one of the world’s finest

The hotel also earned a spot on lists of the best hotels in the continental U.S. and the world.

www.syracuse.com

 

[snoloco]

They have a parking lot on the other side of the road that currently isn't used much. I assume they'll use that more. It's not shown in the map, but it's there and can probably be expanded if necessary. With Killington's village, they will have keep the same number of parking spaces, but they will be further away. I'm not sure if that's Windham's plan though.

 

[Tjf1967]

Surprised that there has been no comments on this. If you look at the masterplan it is very apparent that they are looking to reduce the number of visitors to the mountain and replacing with higher income spenders. Look what is happening to the parking lots. The new majority share holders are hospitality driven business people. It looks like Windham will become a very exclusive club in many respects. Note the gatehouse at the entrance.

I'm ok with that. Windam is the third best hill in the cats. Not many people will miss it.

 

[dubstar]

I'm ok with that. Windam is the third best hill in the cats. Not many people will miss it.

This comment misses the mark for a few reasons. Windham tends to gather a lot of criticism for the wrong reasons in my opinion. The terrain issue is subjective, as clearly many casual visitors don't know the ins and outs of the trail and lift system and miss out on what the locals or frequent visitors know. Regardless of ranking, the mountain would indeed be missed if it returned to a private club. Lots of talk about increased crowds at Plattekill this past season. Good luck with that going foward if you take Windham out of the public sphere. You'll miss it then, that's for sure.

That said, so far I think Windham's announcements regarding the new plans have been a major disappointment. Too much hospitality / real estate "improvements" and not enough trail / lift / snowmaking plans. There has actually been a lot of criticism and skepticism on Facebook with people voicing similar concerns. The gatehouse / private club / parking issues have been addressed and Windham has stated that the mountain will not be returning to a private club. Personally, I feel that Windham is too big to return to a private resort and I doubt something like that would be approved by the town, as it would adversely affect local homeowners, the seasonal rental market, and local economy. There's also the long-standing race and adaptive programs and I can't see those disappearing or existing under a private club structure.

My biggest complaint is the lost opportunities if they do not run new trails and at least one new lift off the back of East Peak on the newly purchased land. I think it will eventually happen, but it frustrates me that it does not seem to be a priority. At least they are discussing snowmaking improvements in the initial stage. I'm more excited about Holiday Mountain's plans to be honest, and I'm a Windham local since 1984.

 

[Harvey]

I never really heard anything negative with regard to crowding at Plattekill. Would like to hear what others think or heard.

Also re: terrain being subjective. That's only part of the story, I believe terrain is both objective and subjective. If you've got world class beginner, intermediate and expert terrain, that's objectively good, right?

I agree with all the rest, I think.

You should tell us, or me at least, about Windham. Why do you love it?

 

[snoloco]

This comment misses the mark for a few reasons. Windham tends to gather a lot of criticism for the wrong reasons in my opinion. The terrain issue is subjective, as clearly many casual visitors don't know the ins and outs of the trail and lift system and miss out on what the locals or frequent visitors know. Regardless of ranking, the mountain would indeed be missed if it returned to a private club. Lots of talk about increased crowds at Plattekill this past season. Good luck with that going foward if you take Windham out of the public sphere. You'll miss it then, that's for sure.

I skied at Windham quite a bit when I was younger. I've never had a problem with their terrain, though it certainly isn't the most challenging. I do think the resort as a whole gets more hate than it deserves, mostly from advanced skiers who feel it isn't challenging. I only go there once or twice a season, and I'd definitely miss it if it became a private club, since I skied so many days there over the years.

That said, so far I think Windham's announcements regarding the new plans have been a major disappointment. Too much hospitality / real estate "improvements" and not enough trail / lift / snowmaking plans. There has actually been a lot of criticism and skepticism on Facebook with people voicing similar concerns.

You have to keep in mind that Windham just did multiple lift and snowmaking upgrades. How much more can they do on that front?

The gatehouse / private club / parking issues have been addressed and Windham has stated that the mountain will not be returning to a private club. Personally, I feel that Windham is too big to return to a private resort and I doubt something like that would be approved by the town, as it would adversely affect local homeowners, the seasonal rental market, and local economy. There's also the long-standing race and adaptive programs and I can't see those disappearing or existing under a private club structure.

If you look at resorts that changed to a private club, it's normally because they failed as normal ski area. As you mentioned, Windham is not in that situation. I think they're getting less skier visits than they did back when I skied there, but I also think this is intentional. They never fully eliminated the covid-era capacity restrictions. That being said, intentionally giving up volume means you have to make up the revenue somewhere. That's going to be through higher prices, or attempting to attract a crowd that spends more.

My biggest complaint is the lost opportunities if they do not run new trails and at least one new lift off the back of East Peak on the newly purchased land. I think it will eventually happen, but it frustrates me that it does not seem to be a priority. At least they are discussing snowmaking improvements in the initial stage. I'm more excited about Holiday Mountain's plans to be honest, and I'm a Windham local since 1984.

I'm not sure what expansion potential that land has, but they haven't exactly prioritized East Peak as it is, so I'm not sure if expansion is really in the cards. They are doing an overhaul of the East Peak lift this summer, which means the lift should actually run and not break down. Maybe that's a step in the right direction. I agree that I'm excited about Holiday Mountain's plans, even though I've never skied there. I just like seeing ski areas come back from the brink and be successful again.

 

[dubstar]

"I never really heard anything negative with regard to crowding at Plattekill. Would like to hear what others think or heard."

I wouldn't say "negative", but more than a few people right here noted an increase in people (cars parked all the way down the road, etc.) this past season when perhaps in the past it would have been less noticeable. My point was if you take Windham out of the equation, it is very much going to be missed even if you hate it because the people who are displaced are going to have to go somewhere.

I'll try to put together a few things about Windham I love without giving away the shop ha ha.

 

[Ripitz]

Windam is the third best hill in the cats.

Third?