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Holiday Valley, New York, USA
Over a foot of powder on our first
day at Holiday Valley – hard to believe this is Western New York. We couldn’t have
timed this better. For many snowboarders, New Year’s weekend is an annual tradition that
fills this quaint town of Ellicottville to capacity.
Just over a week ago, grass was still showing on most runs and we planned
to pack our mountain bikes, not snowboards. Alas, eight straight days of snow
and round-the-clock snowmaking have produced excellent late-December conditions.
Plus, waking up on this cold morning (10°F) to another foot of soft powder isn’t
too shabby either.
Normally an easy drive to western New York from any direction, it was a
challenge this weekend due to the volume of snow. The roads coming down from
Ontario were closed for days and the few Canadians that trickled down had
amazing stories of five feet of snow along the way in Buffalo. Coming from the
west along Lake Erie wasn’t much better in the white-outs on unplowed highways.
In the end, shared adversity builds camaraderie.
Having just finished shredding the early morning fresh powder and now
enjoying java and a fresh baked cinnamon roll at slopeside McCarty Café, there’s
time to reflect on the past day and a half of riding. For the Midwest, this is
an excellent place to snowboard with 50+ runs over 1,000 acres served by 13
lifts with a maximum vertical drop of 750’.
We shredded all three glades, which were short and shallow
but nice, and also created a few of our own. With both terrain parks and half
pipes ungroomed yet for the season, we found most riders hanging off Tannenbaum
lift doing Ballet or lower Happy Glade, or off Morningstar lift riding Devils
Glen or Moon Shadow. A few were hanging off The Wall (the only double black
diamond). The runs were nicely groomed each night and plenty of snow laid over
the corduroy.
While much of the place is lit for night riding, we called it at dusk
yesterday with the snow still falling and hit après ski at both the Depot and
the Brewery. Later after showers, we wandered down Main Street of this mountain
town, which has a unique collection of fine restaurants, galleries and a trendy
coffeehouse. Luckily, Ellicottville is also known for its gutsy nightlife.
Saving the fine dining at the Silver Fox or the Barn for another night, we
ventured into the Gin Mill for a few OV Splits and to shoot some pool. The
friendly service and lively crowd makes this place a favorite local hangout. By
the time the band started, the Canadians were starting to arrive with their
stories and parched throats. With the annual “US-Canadian Friendship Week” upon
us, we did our part to extend the flage and made many friends, which we later
dragged down to the other hot-spot, Mattigans. After a couple hours of
techno-hip hop dancing, we returned to close down the Gin Mill.
With the snow still falling, there was talk of getting dressed for
snowboarding now and sleeping at the ski area parking lot to insure that we
caught freshies, but after walking back down Main Street home, we were ready to
crash out.
A foot of powder in the Midwest is an amazing motivation – we were all up
and dressed well before first lift at 8:30. Catching first chair, we cut powder
eights down Mardi Gras and then back down Morningstar. Everybody was out early
to taste some freshies. All gone, now I’m just finishing this amazing cinnamon
roll and latte before heading up to The Wall to meet up with our new Canadian
friends.
If you’re planning to visit, make sure to
sign
up for Holiday Valley’s weekly e-mail (goes out on Wednesdays I believe),
which occasionally has excellent deals on last minute weekend lodging/lift
ticket bargains. Try to stay slopeside at The Inn at Holiday Valley, or if on a
budget, there’s the Telemark Inn across the street. In town, the historic
Ellicottville Inn is the place (it has a cool bar, too). The charm of this town
and mountain resort will warm your soul.
Holiday Valley Resort (716) 699-2345 or (800) 367-9691
For more info, try our links below:
Snow Report
Cross-Country Skiing
Summer Mountain Biking
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