Holiday Valley (ski resort)


Holiday Valley is a family oriented vacation spot and ski resort in Ellicottville, New York. Established in 1957 by Nelson Pauly, John Fisher and Bill Northrup, the facility opened with four runs and one T-bar lift. Currently the resort contains 60 slopes and 13 lifts. Since its opening Holiday Valley has experienced steady growth and has become the main tourist attraction in Cattaraugus County. In 1995 the Inn at Holiday Valley opened, turning the slope into a self-contained ski resort.

Geography

The resort is located in the southern part of the town of Ellicottville, between the village and the town of Great Valley on U.S. Route 219. It is part of the ski country belt that runs through western New York and is one of two ski resorts in the town of Ellicottville, the other being Holimont; unlike Holimont, which is mostly restricted to members only, Holiday Valley is open to the public.
Holiday Valley also operates a tubing facility on a separate plot a few miles northeast of the ski resort.
The resort is south of the Canada–United States border at Buffalo; Canadians constitute approximately one third of Holiday Valley's business.

Origin

After a search for initial investors, in 1956 Robert "Bob" Stubbs lead a group founders that included Dick Congdon, John Fisher and Bill Northrup sold stock in a parking lot in Ellicottville for $100 per share to open a ski area. Under Stubb's guidance Holiday Valley was among the early supporters of the relatively new technology of snow making. The first four runs called Yodeler, Champagne, Holiday Run and Edelweiss were cut in 1957 but due to mild weather early that winter their opening was delayed until January 7, 1958. Since then Holiday Valley has added 52 runs including two terrain parks, 12 lifts, and a snow tubing hill. The names of these runs and lifts can be found in the Full List of Ski Runs and Lifts section.

Ski mountain

The ski mountain is the flagship attraction at Holiday Valley. Today the entire mountain holds 56 slopes and 13 ski lifts. Despite its relatively small size, the resort has experienced consistent growth since opening in 1958 and has erected two hotels on its property directed towards the skiing attractions. These hotels include the Inn at Holiday Valley and the Tamarack Club which opened in 2009 and holds both condominiums and hotel rooms. Per USGS Topographic Map MRC 42078C6, Holiday Valley lies at the foot of McCarty Hill with a peak elevation of 2,323 ft. and a base below 1,600 ft., giving Holiday Valley a "vertical drop" over 750 ft.
Due to the fluctuating climate in the area during the winter in the early and late season, the resort relies heavily on the ability to make snow. When trying to open the slopes in December the snowmaking takes each chance it gets to make snow while the temperature is cold enough. In 2011 it is using a completely automated snowmaking system for the first time. This system automatically controls the amount and temperature of water it sprays, which snow machines on the mountains are running, and when they turn on and shut off. The system can also adjust these variables based on the outside temperature. According to the snowmaking team, the software in this new system allows them to turn the snow machines on with their cell phones.

Trails

EasierMore DifficultMost DifficultMost Difficult
Bear CubBalletChampagneThe Wall
BoardwalkBobsledChuteThe Wall Bottom
Candy CaneCathedralCross CutThe Wall Top
CatwalkCCCDevils Glen
Cross Country Walking TrailCindy's RunEagleTerrain Parks
Days EndCrystal BottomEdelweiss42/78
ExplorerCrystal TopEgo AlleyMoonshadow
Fiddlers ElbowFirelaneEgo GladeProgression Park
FrostlineIndependenceFalconRail Fun Park
Holiday RunLast ChanceFirecracker EastSnoozer
LaurelMardi GrasFirecracker West
Northwind TopMistletoeFoxfireCross Country
Punch BowlMorning StarGobbler GladeCross Country
Raccoon RunNorthwind BottomHappy GladeHappy Wanderer Walking Trail
School Haus EastReindeerHoot OwlXC Golf Course
School Haus WestStewardess CutMaple Leaf
Slippery StreetsSunriseMoonshadow
SnowbirdUpper WoodstockPipeline
SnowledgeRaven
Spruce LineShadows
Sugar PlumSnoozer
TannenbaumSwiss Twist
WoodpeckerYodeler
Woodstock Lower

Lifts

Magic CarpetsFixed Grip QuadsHigh-Speed Quads
Boardwalk Magic carpetChute QuadMardi Gras Xpress Quad
Slippery Streets Magic CarpetCindy's QuadMorning Star Express Quad
Creekside QuadTannenbaum Express Quad
Eagle Quad
SnowPine Quad
Spruce Lake Quad
Sunrise Quad
Yodeler Quad

Recognition

In the past decade the resort has received positive recognition within the ski community. According to Buffalo Business First “Holiday Valley has been in Top Ten poll for Eastern resorts for the past six years” prior to 2009. According to the same report by Buffalo Business First the resort ranked third in the east, surpassing “Whiteface Mountain and Killington as one of the top eastern North American winter destinations”.
Ski Magazine's 2020 Resort Rankings placed Holiday Valley 10th best in the East and second in New York State, calling it a "...small, great Eastern ski operation."

Non-winter events and attractions