Winter Season Improvements at Holiday Valley
With $3.2 million invested in upgrades, Holiday Valley is making plans for an exceptional winter season. The crews are spending the summer making improvements on their automated snowmaking system, installing a conveyor lift on the beginner's slope, completing slope work including building several "tree trails" for kids and purchasing a new groomer and shuttle van.
$250,000 is dedicated to automated snowmaking improvements. Holiday Valley began installing HKD Klix automated snowmaking in 2011 and has been expanding the system each year. Holiday Valley has the largest and most powerful HKD automated snowmaking system on the East Coast. Automation has the advantage of quick startups and shut downs, so even if favorable snowmaking temperatures exist for just a couple of hours, the system can make snow efficiently. The Klix system also has weather stations that monitor temperature and humidity so the guns can automatically and individually adjust to changes. The result is a better quantity and quality of snow made with less energy.
The grooming crew will add a new Pisten Bully 100 grooming machine to their fleet of 6 Pisten Bully 600's. This machine has a smaller blade and tiller for shaping and maintaining terrain park features and other areas that require finer work including shaped snow learning terrain for beginners. The new groomer will also have an attachment for setting one or two cross country tracks on the resort's 15 km of cross country trails.
Slippery Streets is an integral part of Holiday Valley's beginner's terrain. A new conveyor lift (moving sidewalk) will replace the existing handle tow and will make the trip up the hill much easier and enjoyable for beginners, especially snowboarders.
The Holiday Valley Mountain Crew will be cleaning out downed trees and branches in the woods between the slopes this summer to increase the area available for woods skiing and riding. They will also be creating "Tree Trails" that wind through the woods designed to give kids (of all ages) fun adventures off piste.
If the weather cooperates, the Holiday Valley snowmaking crew will get started in mid-November for the targeted opening date of Friday, November 23rd.
Holiday Valley will exhibit at the Toronto Ski & Snowboard Show from October 25th to 28th and will offer several show specials at the Holiday Valley booth.
About Holiday Valley Resort
Holiday Valley is Western New York's largest year 'round resort featuring 60 slopes and trails, 13 lifts, 3 base lodges, slope side lodging and dining, conference facilities, an 18 hole golf course, a tree top aerial adventure park, a mountain coaster and a summer pool complex. Holiday Valley is New York State's most visited ski resort.
Holiday Valley Resort in Ellicottville is on the web at www.holidayvalley.com. Ellicottville is located on Route 219, three hours south of Toronto and one hour south of the Peace Bridge.