Northampton Ski Park: Opening Weekend

Posted on by Robert

For the past few years the Midwest rope tow scene has been firing off. Some of the best riders flock to these small hills to ride some of the best terrain parks in the country. The rope tows provide a valuable life line to the industry in the form of new skiers and riders. They offer the perfect place to learn without shelling out big bucks for mega passes.

Upper Rope Tow House

I have memories of my own, learning at Brantling in Sodus. Near the city of Rochester there are two rope tows; Powder Mills in Pittsford and Northampton Ski Park (NHP) in Brockport. Both are operated by Swain as learn to ski areas, but a few years ago the NHP started featuring a terrain park.

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Tagged: Northampton Park, Park, Swain, Western NY4 Comments

Hickory is a Magic Machine

Posted on by Harvey

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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Tagged: Adirondacks, Earning Turns, Hickory Ski Center, Indy Pass30 Comments

Holiday Mountain Opens in 2024

Posted on by Brownski

Regular readers of NYSkiBlog already know we think the turn around at Holiday Mountain is one of most exciting stories in New York skiing this year. When Mike Taylor bought Holiday last spring, he attacked the problem of repairing, updating and expanding the ski area.

South Lodge

New skis and snowboards for the rental fleet? Done. New carpet, tables and POS system for the lodge? Done. Need some new groomers? Done. Well, not new per se, but new to them. A new lift? It’s happening. Actually, buying and installing a ski lift isn’t that easy. Mike decided to get the double chair — sitting unused for years — back into service this season.

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Tagged: Downstate NY, Holiday Mountain16 Comments