Holimont Ski Area
October 8, 2009
Anyone been there? It's only open to the public weekdays, supposed to get some pretty big snow, knee deep in the trees.
I haven't been to Holimont but have skied nearby Bristol, which is bigger at 1200 vertical, many times. My brother in law gets a season pass there. Western NY areas are not much different that mid A, except that they get more ice IMHO. One place I'd like to try is the Tug Hill area, further east. They get very heavy lake effect snows off Ontario. Bristol and the others also get it but less reliably and off of Erie. You probably have to be there and jump on it as soon as it stops snowing. Overall average they get less snow than Timberline.
I haven't been to Holimont but on the map it's farther southwest from Rochester NY area. I am not sure of how much snow that area usually gets.
I 've skied at both Swain and Bristol when I was in college over 20 years ago. I used to go pretty much every Wednesday from Nov through March because of the college student discount offer. I agree with Denis about the size of the mountains in Western NY areas.
I would go by the snow report on how much manmade snow are being made and how much fresh snow falling etc.
My sense in talking to some of the natives recently about the area (have friends in Buffalo, in-laws in Cleveland and Rochester) in planning a potential trip is think of Seven Springs (Holiday Valley) and then pretend someone builds an exclusive area next to it (Holimont) with the same vert, half the terrain and a quarter of the weekend crowd. Bottom line is that if you skied both areas during the week, there will be a lot of variety. Ditto also on the snow issue--about the same as the Allegheny Front.
One place I'd like to try is the Tug Hill area, further east.
I learned to ski at Snow Ridge (and Woods Valley in nearby Rome) up on the Tug Hill. Sick snow, but limited vertical. Snow Ridge is 500 feet and spread out quite a ways from end to end. Probably not worth an 8 hour drive to get there, but if some reason you find yourself in mid-winter east of Syracuse (heaven help you), it's a nice place to check out!
We have a group trip to HM and HV every year the weekend after St Patty's day. HM is private on Fri,Sat & Sun, but open Mon-Thur.
HM and HV have some of the best snowmaking and hugh amounts of water so the base in March last year was 2 to 5 feet plus they get lake effect snows. How skiied many real nice 8 to 10 inch powder dumps there.
HM is a unique place to ski if you have a chance. Everyone is very pleasnt and the Lodge is one big pinnic and tailgate after a days skiing both inside and outside. There are no lockers in the place so everyone just spreads thier food and stuff out in the lodge. With no night sking the snow conditions are always near perfect and with 6 to 8 black runs grouped around two lifts you can lap them as fast as your legs can take it.
HV is also a very nice resort with alot of varity and is also speadout enough to get away from folks. The steepest runs are fast if they aren't icy and the three lodges are very nice.
Plus your Seven Springs pass gets you a discount at HV.
I'm new to the forum but have made a trip to Holiday Valley as well as several trips to Greek Peak, which is eastward, south of Syracuse. As much as I like West Virginia skiing, I think Holiday Valley/Holimont makes it to their 180" a little more often than Snowshoe or Canaan Valley. There's a significant difference in December and usually January up there, but, like was said, it kinda evens back out with the Allegheny Front resorts sometime midseason. I wanted to mention Greek Peak because, although it does not have the reliable early season dumps like the Ellicottville resorts do, it offers, IMO, slightly more consistent natural snowpacks that result in a noticeable and year-long snow advantage over the Allegheny Front resorts. And one thing about woods skiing at Greek Peak: it's quite good; multiple areas along the lines of what Blue Knob could be if a boundary-to-boundary and no logging policy would have been in place.
How far from Erie, 2 hours? Heard the snow is pretty good, that makes sense now.
My run from Ligonier is 3 hrs straight up 119 to 219. Friends from Mars/Cranberry area make the run in 3 hrs also up 79 to 90 to 87 to 219.
Plus your Seven Springs pass gets you a discount at HV.
I thought 7 Springs discontinued being in the Mountain of Distinction program when Nutting took over. Where you able to get your discount HV ticket last year? I know I wasnt able to at Okemo 2 years ago.
