Thunder Ridge is a small ski area located in Patterson, NY. Because it is located just 75 minutes from New York City, the mountain attracts skiers and snowboarders from across the New York area. While it does not receive a lot of snowfall, Thunder Ridge does have snowmaking capabilities which can cover 90% of the mountain. Because it is open at night, Thunder Ridge is a haven for high schoolski racing. The mountain hosts part of Hudson Valley League racing. In 2014 the area came under management of Dean Ryder, manager of the Putnam CountyNational Bank after the previous managers could no longer afford to take care of the property as a result of the Great Recession. Under previous ownership the mountain was known as Birch Hill, Big Birch, Thunder Ridge Ski Area.
Trails
Thunder Ridge Ski area has 21 trails. 9 of which are accessible from the Triple Chair, 6 from the double chair, 4 from both chairs, and 5 bunny trails. It has 8 Black Diamonds 4 Blue Squares and 12 Green Circles.
Name
Rating
Lovers Lane
Fawn Meadow
Santa Fe
Evergreen
Sunset Run
Competition
Fools Delight
The Face
Blackberry Pass
Name
Rating
Sissy Schuss
The Road
Don's Drop
Halfpipe
Lifts
Thunder Ridge currently has 3 chairlifts and 4 magic carpets. In 1958 a T-Bar opened at then Birch Hill servicing the main part of today's ski area. Numerous Tows were also installed on the mountain. Sometime in the 1960s, a Borvig double chairlift was installed to the summit; it remains the area's longest and oldest lift. In about 1967, a short double chairlift was installed which today served Little Thunder. In 1986, a Borvig triple chairlift was installed to supersede and eventually replace the T-Bar lift, which it did. In the early 2000s, four Magic Carpet lifts were installed on Thunder Ridge to replace the Tows. Remnants of the tows can still be seen to this day. During the mid-1960s the Mahopac High School ski team raced and trained at Birch Hill, as did the teams from Carmel and some other Putnam County and Northern Westchester county schools. The lodge was a simple place with a gravel floor. Today the area maintains 7 running lifts; 4 Carpets, a triple lift, a double lift, and one small double lift. There today remains three neglected tows. Both the triple and double were re-surfaced and gained more modern accessories and safety equipment in the 2000s.
