SeniorsSkiing Guide: HoliMont Ski Club, Ellicottville, NY
What’s It Like To Ski At A Private Club?
History and Programs
HoliMont stages a host of racing programs. The resort is located in the western tier of New York state.
Credit: HoliMont
In 1932, William Merk observed the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid and vowed to start a ski area in his home in Western New York. His years of skiing with the Ellicottville Ski Club on Fish Hill and the Greer and Holiday Valley peaks inspired him to start a private ski club in 1961. The first trail was built in that year and seven more were cut the following year. As chairlifts were installed in subsequent years, the membership grew to include not only local skiers, but a robust contingent of Canadians who loved the area and joined the membership.
Today, HoliMont is a vibrant private ski club—the largest one in North America— which has programs that include intra club racing, junior racing, junior alpine travel teams, snowboard and freestyle teams along with adaptive programs and a Christmas Ski Camp. They have a wonderful ski school that is affiliated with PSIA and several PSIA examiners and board members on staff.
Terrain
HoliMont has eight lifts serving over 50 trails. See the Trail Map for details. The elevation is modest but with all those trails and lifts, you’ll be making lots of runs per day. Key benefit of a private ski club: No lift lines and great restaurants.
Culture
With eight lifts and over 50 trials, HoliMont is the largest private ski club in North America.
Credit: Pat McCloskey
With over 200 inches of natural snowfall coming off the Great Lakes, along with a state of the art snowmaking system, HoliMont has a lot to offer the membership. But what about a guy like me who wants to ski there but is not a member? Fear not, for HoliMont is open to the public during the week, and you have the place virtually to yourself. The atmosphere is pleasant as the area is very well run. Families do come during the week, and you can see different generations of skiers eating lunch at a beautifully set table with crock pots simmering on the shelves in the lodge. The aromas are intoxicating. HoliMont is a family area whether you have a membership or you choose to come during the week.
Bottom Line
The trip to Ellicottville, NY, located about an hour south of Buffalo, is noteworthy in that it is quite rural and beautiful with the snow covered farms and hillsides that line the way to the entrance to the town. EVL, as it is called, is home to quaint establishments, ski and mountain bike shops, and great restaurants including the Ellicottville Brewery which is not to be missed.
For more information on membership, go to the HoliMont Ski Area website or call 716-699- 2320 for more information. Weekday rates for non-members are $56 for adults and $50 for 70+. You can go on a weekend if your reservation is made by a member. There is a limit to how many times you can ski on weekends, by the way. Members can only invite the same guest a designated number of times. The weekend rates are adults $70. There don’t appear to be weekend senior discounts. If you go during the week, chances are you might see my wife and me. We are the ones already enjoying the Lake Erie fluff.
Here’s the promo video from HoliMont.
Product Review: Goodbye, Water Bottle. Hello Hydrapak.
Dehydration Comes Easy When Skiing: Collapsible Water Bottle Is An Answer.
Staying hydrated on the slopes is important, but rigid plastic water bottles are a pain to carry in a parka. Hydrapak makes soft and pliable water bottles that fit comfortably in the pocket.
Paul tested the SoftFlask. Fits in a parka pocket.
Credit: Hydrapak
We tested Hydrapak’s half-liter SoftFlask sports bottle over a few days on the hill. The 500-ml version held enough water without crowding a chest pocket, and it fit the palm securely. Made of BP-free thermoplastic polyurethane, it had no noticeable off-taste for some users. The company says it’s developing “no-taste” containers for sensitive palates.
The plastic cap is a bit unwieldy, and it took some practice to twist the valve open and closed. But it seals tightly with no leaks. A rubber nipple makes it easy to take a swig when the valve is open. The flask collapses to a small fraction of its size when empty. It retails for $20.
Hydrapak sells larger flexible water bottles with an ingenious design. These 750-ml and 1-liter Stash bottles resemble a Nalgene bottle but don’t take up valuable real estate inside pack or pocket when drained. They stand up full or empty, thanks to a rigid top and bottom, yet can be twisted and folded into a small disk when empty. The 1-liter retails for $23.
Most of Hydrapak’s business is with brand partners, notably Osprey Packs, which
Here’s the Stash. Notice it collapses down into a hockey puck. Many colors available.
Credit: Hydrapak
incorporates the company’s reversible water reservoirs into backpacks with drinking tubes. The smaller flasks are for runners, skiers and anyone looking for a compact water container. Dishwasher-safe, they’re just as easy to hand-wash with mild soap.
Hydrapak claims its sports bottles are rugged enough to survive being run-over by a car. These portable, collapsible reservoirs work well. Now there’s no reason for not hydrating throughout an active ski day.
Cool Time: Skiing In The City
Urban Skiing/Boarding: The Mountain Comes To You (Temporarily)
SSAWS indoor ski dome near Tokyo was demolished in 2002.
Credit: Morio/Wikipedia
Every once in a while, a curious idea becomes a reality. Why not bring snow to the city and provide a place for people to have a great winter experience? In Japan, the reality involved a $400-million investment in an indoor ski-a-rama called Lalaporte Ski Dome SSWAS. Built in 1993 in Chiba near Tokyo, it featured a 800 meter run and, at the time, was the largest indoor ski venue in the world. The vision melted with the extended Japanese recession; the structure was demolished in 2002.
But the idea of skiing in the city still has legs. Lots of people go cross-country skiing in New York’s Central Park; when we lived on the Upper West side several decades ago, the park was where we learned how to divine the right color wax for our wooden skis. Now, the city is planning a Winter Jam in the park where city folks can have a taste of snow sports. [EDITOR NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO AN EXPECTED BLIZZARD THIS WEEKEND ON THE EAST COAST. CUE THE IRONY.] On Jan. 23rd, the NYC Parks Department and the Olympic Regional Development authority will bring Gore Mountain snow guns in to create a 15-foot-high snow mound and enough white stuff to cover a football-field-sized area. There will be free skiing, snowboard, sledding, snowshoeing, lessons, hot chocolate, and the inevitable snowball fight. Here’s a video from a previous Winter Jam.
Not to be outdone, Boston is also getting into the snow-in-the-city derby. The US Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) is staging a Polartec Big Air event in, wait for it, Fenway Park, home of the vaunted Red Sox. While the public can’t actually take to the snow, on February 11 and 12, they can watch top snow board and ski competitors doing aerials off a gigantic, 140-foot high ramp that stretches from deep center field to home base. This is actually an International Ski Federation (FIS) sanctioned event, featuring Olympic champs and hopefuls. [Note to organizers: Don’t get too close to the Green Monster.]
Since Boston declined to participate in the selection process for the 2020 Summer Olympics, perhaps this is an opening gambit for the 2026 Winter games. Maybe not.
Move over, Big Papi, Big Air is coming to Fenway. Spectators can cheer the aerialists on Feb 11-12.
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