Demand Sensible investment at New York State Operated Ski Resorts

New York State is prepared to invest 28 million dollars across its three ski resorts Whiteface, Gore, and Belleayre. While this sounds great on the surface, a closer look reveals that money is not being invested in the things that matter most, particularly snowmaking.

The worst part of this plan is the gondola proposed for Belleayre. There is no need for an 8 million dollar lift in the proposed location that's only purpose is to access the Tomahawk lift and surrounding terrain from the Discovery Lodge. Few people want to get between those locations as there is no beginner terrain on the upper mountain, and more advanced skiers simply park at the Overlook Lodge, or even directly at the Tomahawk Lift. Also proposed is a trail that will go over the access road to connect Tomahawk with the beginner area. This is also a terrible plan because the beginner area won't be isolated anymore, and there will be advanced skiers bombing runs through it.

Since Belleayre struggles to be profitable, and there is political pressure for it to be profitable, the last thing they need is to spend 8 million dollars on something that won't improve the ski experience at all, and possibly make it worse. What is needed is more snowmaking, to allow Belleayre to offer as many terrain options as Hunter and Windham do during the financially important Christmas holiday week. Hunter and Windham had full parking lots that week this season, while Belleayre wasn't busy at all. While it's great to never wait in a lift line, being profitable is more important. People go to ski areas to ski the terrain, not ride lifts all day, and having more terrain open during busy weeks will increase skier visits.

At Gore, the proposed upgrades all make sense, but there are more things that need to be done, such as replacing High Peaks (old) and North Quad (slow and stops a lot), better snowmaking, and adding more trails on Burnt Ridge.

Whiteface is planned to get a mountain coaster, zip line, renovations to both lodges and a lift from Bear Den Lodge to the mid mountain lodge. While the lodge improvements, and Bear Den lift replacement (without the new lift going to mid station) are necessary and welcome, the rest is not.


The plan to add a mountain coaster and zip line is not only unnecessary, but a disgrace to ORDA. Lake Placid and Whiteface already ranks consistently as having the best off hill activities of any eastern ski resort. They don't need any more, and they certainly don't need these two multi million dollar mistakes that will compete with local businesses. As with the other two mountains, Whiteface needs snowmaking improvements more than anything. Lookout Mountain was only open for about four weeks in February, and the trails had very thin coverage the entire time. This must be addressed, as no other eastern mountain has an entire summit open for only four weeks out of a season, as well as not at all the previous year. If the money for the mountain coaster and zip line (which will harm the community and local businesses by competing with them) was directed to snowmaking that could open Lookout be Christmas, or at least MLK Weekend, it would help the local economy.

To put it simply, all three mountains need to be invested in, but not in most of the areas that Governor Cuomo's recent plan included. ORDA and New York State need to stop these wastes of taxpayer dollars immediately, and invest in things that will actually make a difference for the ski areas, and their surrounding communities.