I’d already called it. The skis were tuned and tucked away, boots dried in the mudroom. After returning from an April ski trip out west, I assumed my season was over. Every ski area in a 2 hour radius of home was closed. I was mentally ready to move onto the next season. Then I saw that HoliMont in Ellicottville would have 16 trails open, with a forecast of 50° and sunny. My season was not done… yet.
Our season started in WNY with a magical lake effect snow cycle the first weekend of December, that brought a 5 day total of 40” before any mountains began their season operations.
We found ourselves in Ellicottville, kicking the season off at Holiday Valley with an epic pow day. It felt full circle, almost poetic, to return to the same town months later, wrapping things up at HoliMont, just one valley over.
I’d never really considered HoliMont as an attainable ski destination. Being over 2 hours from home and a semi-private ski area, made finding the right time to ski there more of an obstacle. It’s traditionally only open to the public on weekdays, but after seeing a post about a final weekend open to the public, and an impressive amount of late-season snow, we couldn’t resist.
Photos showed great coverage, and the forecast called for sunny skies. Even better? They were offering discounted day passes for season pass holders from other mountains—$55 with a pass, $75 for the general public. Not a bad way to score one more ski day!
Tiff and I packed up the car Saturday night, and set our alarms for early morning. The clock read 5:30am as we hit the road. Coffee in hand, skis loaded, we chased one more unexpected day on snow. By the time the lifts started spinning, we were already booted up and were ready to roll.
We popped in the lodge momentarily, which felt warm, welcoming, and family-friendly. Surrounding the base area were rows of condos and homes—probably the densest ski-in/ski-out setup we’ve seen in WNY, you can tell this place thrives on community.
It was a mild start — 38 degrees at the base — conditions were soft, but fast in the morning. HoliMont had 16 trails open for the day, all centered around the Expedition Express quad. We made a beeline to the farthest terrain first, knowing full well that spring snow doesn’t stay crisp for long. Sure enough, the temp climbed to 50 within a few hours, and the soft corn snow made its debut.
It was a full-on spring celebration, the vibes were high. A true bluebird day with soft snow, sunglasses, and smiles all around. I dipped into the terrain park and was quickly humbled, and taco’d on the final feature my first run through. Tiff got a good laugh, and I nursed a bruised hip (and ego) before giving it another go, and sticking the landing the second time around. Gotta end on a high note!
What really impressed us today was the snow coverage and depth. For mid-April in Western New York, it was nothing short of remarkable. No other mountain within 4 hours of HoliMont was even open! It’s no small feat to offer that kind of quality this late in the season. Hats off to HoliMont’s snowmaking and operations team.
After a solid four and a half hours of skiing, our legs were toast. That last hour in the mashed potatoes will do you in! But we weren’t done just yet — it was time for the final après of the season. We found a sunny picnic table on the patio, busted out a packed lunch, and kicked back with a beverage from Ellicottville Brewing Company.
The scene was unbeatable: kids hunting for Easter eggs, families joining for lunch, adults enjoying their final après, with a view of talented riders throwing down in the terrain park.
As we soaked up the sun and springtime ambiance, friends from ski areas across the region were popping up one by one. With HoliMont being the last lift spinning in Western New York, it felt like a magnet pulling all the remaining ski die-hards together for one last hurrah. While we only accessed a portion of the terrain that day, it left us eager to come back and explore more when the mountain is fully open.
Winter may have been winding down, but in the words of Yogi Berra — quoted on the daily snow phone report that day — “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”
Awesome conditions for the last day, I want to join the club. Saw a lot of hype about the Holimont terrain this season. Looked fire!
I am glad that you had one last day of skiing. I wish Sean and I could have been there too.
I am not fond of “slope-side” real estate though. As open spaces are decimated by factors such as developments and climate that affects many ski resorts, we need to preserve pristine mountains without encroachment from development. That’s what nearby towns are for.
The last day of the season is always special – more so on a bluebird day with your posse. We are so fortunate in NY to have so many mom and pop ski areas largely unaffected by mega pass mania. For me it’s Labrador, Song and with Easter the resurrection of Toggenburg.
There is nothing like Holimont. Period. I’m not a member but it’s where I ski. They go out of their way to make it the way it should be. Old school club attitude but modern enough to excel in the modern world of resorts.
That is awesome. They really piled it deep out there and you got blue skies too. Looks like a great day.
Fabulous final day, really can’t get any better!
Man those trails look fat in mid-April.
Love the shot of Fall Line.
Awesome final day of the season. Another Western NY place on my list for next year.