Holiday Valley

Holiday Valley is an awesome family ski hill close to Toronto, Buffalo and Pittsburgh.  It has 60 runs in total.  In addition, 39 of them are lit for night skiing.  That means you can ski the night away as well as the day.  The vertical might no be mighty, but it is still a respectable 750 feet which puts it in the same league as Blue Mountain in Collingwood.

The lift system is stellar.  As a result, lift lines are rare.  Even in busy times, it is rare to wait too long and, most importantly, when you do get on, you’re whisked to the top.  The investment in the lift system is also matched by snowmaking.  Ellicottville is famous for it’s lake effect snow, but even when Mother Nature doesn’t co-operate, the vast snow making infrastructure has you (and the mountain) covered!

Holiday Valley is open to the public 7 days a week.  The target for opening day is always the day after Thanksgiving and then runs as late as possible.

 

Holiday Valley – Best in the East

Holiday Valley keeps racking up the top 10 finishes in Ski Magazine’s Top 10 resorts as judged by their readers.  In 2019, for the 2020 season, Holiday Valley just snuck in to the top 10.  However, it didn’t stop Ski Magazine from gushing about Ellicottville‘s favorite public ski hill:

“What a great, small Eastern ski operation. Massive snowmaking with the commitment to cover the slopes with deep snow, even when the weather doesn’t cooperate. Outstanding grooming that makes the most of the snow that nature and the snowmaking crew provide. Top-quality lifts along with good crowd control on weekends to keep lines manageable. And the town of Ellicottville? What a dining and après jewel tucked into the forested hills of western N.Y.”

In 2020 Holiday Valley scored even better.  For the 2021 season, Holiday Valley is ranked the 6th best ski resort in the East.  Moreover, it ranked number 1 for both Après and Nightlife (apparently those are two different categories!) and number 1 for lift infrastructure. In addition to that, it scored 2nd for dining, 3rd for Local Flavor and 4th for  Charm.  Holiday Valley’s Lodging was ranked 3rd and that’s likely to get better once the chalets at 42 Degrees North are completed!

Here is what Ski Magazine had to say in 2020:

“If Holiday Valley skiers are not careful, always crowing about how great they’ve got it out there in way-Western New York, their beloved slopes might soon be overrun with Vermonters and Coloradans come to see what the fuss is about.”

Holiday Valley Real Estate

Finally, let’s not forget that Holiday Valley is just 5 minutes from 42 Degrees North.  The newest and most exciting addition to the Ellicottville Real Estate scene.

Holiday Valley Mountain Stats

Average Annual Snowfall	180 inches
Snowmaking Coverage	95%
Number of Automated Snowguns	237
Total Number of Snowguns	611
Vertical Drop	750 feet
Base Elevation	1500 feet
Summit Elevation	2250
Total Acreage	1400 acres
Skiable Acreage	290 acres
Number of Day Trails	60
Number of Night Trails	39
Total Uphil Skier Capacity	23,850 people per hour
Total Lifts	13
High Speed Quad Chairs	3
Fixed Grip Quad Chairs	8
Double Chairs	0
Surface Lifts	2