You probably don’t live with a view of one of our three alpine mountains, so let us offer this window onto each of them. One that offers a far-too-often unseen perspective on the value of a SKI3 Season Pass. While not all-encompassing, it does provide friendly season statistics, details, and upgrade information for a clear picture of what you get.
BELLEAYRE
This Season’s Stats:
- Opened mid-November, same day as Gore and Whiteface and the earliest in NY State
- 100% of trails open before Christmas
- First to open and last to close in previous season providing longest season in the Catskills
Earliest ever opening date: November 9 in both 2002 and 2003.
Latest ever closing date: April 22, 2007.
Most natural snow in a single season: 194 inches in the 2010-2011 season.
Mountain Details and Recent Upgrades:
Discovery Lodge expansion – To be complete in the fall of 2025, this exceptional project will boost services and create more open space for guests with over 28,000 new square feet. The ground floor will feature a new rental center with tuning and repair services. The upper floor will provide greatly expanded food services and new seating spaces with glass and wood finishes that add to the lodge’s Catskill aesthetic.
Ongoing snow making upgrades and expansions – More than 1,000 automated high-efficiency snow making guns were added in recent years. These new guns make a lot of snow in a short time in a wide range of temperatures, all far more environmentally sustainable than the old ones. Also added 160,000 feet of new pipe, 25 fully automated Polecat fan guns, and a new state-of-the-art snowmaking pump house.
A new Overlook Quad Lift was installed in 2023, including a bridge providing easier skier and rider access.
Elevating the learning experience – Last year, the team created a new learning space on the summit near the top of the Catskill Thunder Gondola where they installed a new carpet lift serving a beginner trail along the summit. The move gives those new to the sport more opportunities throughout the season where snowmaking begins earliest and where snow stays on the mountain longer. Additionally, it gives them the inspiration of having incredible views they’d not otherwise see at the bottom while also surrounding them with skiers and riders at all levels. When they’re ready, these newbies can simply jump on the gondola for a ride back to the base lodge.
GORE
This Season’s Stats:
- This 2024-2025 season opened in mid-November.
- NY State’s most expansive ski area, Gore has remained open across all four peaks through March.
Earliest ever open: November 15 in both 2019 and 2024.
Latest ever closing: May 2, 2021.
Most natural snow in a single season: 145.5 inches 2016-2017 Season.
Mountain Details and Recent Upgrades:
Northwoods Gondola cabins – All were upgraded this past year to accommodate modern skis and snowboards and ensure greater comfort for guests.
New North Creek Ski Bowl Lodge – To be completed this next winter season (2025-2026), the new 18,300 square-foot lodge will be complete and open to Ski Bowl guests with a restaurant and two levels of outdoor patios.
New Lift at the Ski Bowl – An entirely new Hudson chairlift was recently opened with a new detachable quad, providing outstanding access to trails for all skill levels.
Ongoing snow making upgrades and expansions – More than 600 automated high-efficiency snow making guns were added to make more snow in a shorter time in a wide range of temperatures. The pumphouse was newly installed in 2018, greatly increasing capacity and enabling staff to respond quickly to real-time weather changes. The entire system is far more environmentally sustainable.
Topridge Triple Chair – This lift was replaced this last summer with a new quad lift.
Bear Cub Quad – In 2023, Gore opened the brand new Bear Cub Quad Lift on beginner learning terrain.
WHITEFACE
This Season’s Stats:
- Opened in mid-November.
- All three peaks opened by Christmas.
- Slides opened in mid-February, too.
Earliest ever opening: November 15 in 2024, 2019, and 2013.
Latest ever closing: May 5 in the 2017-2018 season.
Most natural snow in a single season was 281 inches in the 2016-2017 season.
Mountain Details and Recent Upgrades:
Among the key upgrades this last year is building a beautiful new patio outside the Bear Den Learning Center. Complete with environmentally friendly in-ground heating, the patio will provide guests at this increasingly popular lodge expansive spaces for coming together, dining, watching family members learn to ski and ride, and simply enjoying the mountain.
The Notch – A new detachable quad lift from the Bear Den Learning Center to a point just beyond the Legacy Lodge at mid-station was one of 2023’s most transformative projects. Named The Notch, this innovative lift – the only one of its kind in the East – dramatically improves the skier experience by helping skiers and riders access additional beginner and intermediate terrain while also providing access to upper mountain lifts and advanced terrain. In this way, The Notch helps everyone experience all that Whiteface has to off while also reducing traffic on other lifts and trails.
Snowmaking systems expansion and upgrades – Over the years, snowmaking has been a big part of Whiteface upgrades, making the systems more powerful, more reliable, and more energy efficient. Innovations and new equipment continually boost the power of the system to keep the mountain’s vast trail network in great shape throughout its lengthy season. New high efficiency guns, new piping, and a new Snowmax injection system to boost snowmaking capabilities across the mountain in warmer temperatures are all part of the upgrades. Important maintenance and improvements were also made recently to Whiteface’s Pumphouse 1, work that facilitates improved snowmaking operations throughout the ski season.
Stand Out Mountains
Belleayre, Gore, and Whiteface Mountains are all three standout mountains and NY State’s most popular. And they keep getting better year after year. All three mountains have played major roles in the development of winter alpine sports in America, and the always thoughtful stewardship of their ongoing development is driven by a deep respect for the natural environment and a passionate pursuit of the best ski and riding experiences anywhere.
The statistics, details, and consistent major upgrades on these mountains make the value of a SKI3 Season Pass impossible to beat.