What to Expect From New York Skiing This Winter

 

Ski lift at a New York State lodgeNew York State is introducing new ski terrains, events and attractions, places to stay and eat, with expansions and improvements this winter.

The 58-slope Holiday Valley Resort in Ellicottville will open the newly renovated $12 million Holiday Valley Lodge. It will serve as the main base's day lodge, with dining, entertainment, meeting space, a daycare center, and ski and snowboard rentals and repairs. Holiday Valley is also expanding its automated snowmaking to cover three additional main slopes. Peek’n Peak Resort in Findley Lake has also completed renovations of all of its 108 rooms at the Inn at the Peak

The Wilmington, NY ski area has also upgraded its snowmaking in other areas and renovated its Base Camp Café and Cloudspin Lounge, adding dining choices ranging from the Black Diamond Burrito to the Firepit Grill. The area offers 86 trails and a 3,430 foot vertical drop.

Gore Mountain in North Creek has also added 160 new high-efficiency tower snow guns and 30 shorter snow guns for better coverage of expert, family and core terrains, as well as new grooming equipment to maintain the tubing lanes. Terrain Park upgrades feature a new Skier/BoarderX course while lodge improvements include a new radiant heat system for the deck and a completely renovated Tannery Pub & Restaurant. Gore offers 40 miles of trails, including “The Rumor,” one of the steepest in the East. Travelers can also dine at The Ambrosia Diner, located near Exit 19 on I-87 in Queensbury, NY.

The Adirondacks is also facing renovations at the Sagamore Resort in Bolton Landing, including the addition of a port cochere, an expanded new lobby, and enhancements to the pool and other public areas. The Factory Outlets of Lake George, which include four major shopping centers within walking distance of each other, is adding Under Armour, DKNY, Lindt and Guess to its roster of stores as well as a new outlet plaza that will add more 15 stores. Fort William Henry, also in Lake George, is upgrading its exhibits to add interactive multimedia.

For places to do off mountain, guests can participate in the annual Albany Chefs' Food & Wine Festival, "Wine & Dine for the Arts," which takes place Jan. 17, 2013 at the Hilton Albany. The Capital region is also home to the New York State Museum, now open on Sundays as well Tuesday through Saturday. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Like Holiday Valley, the 386-room Hotel Albany, an Albany Hilton Hotel affiliate in downtown Albany, is undergoing a $14 million renovation, slated to be completed by year-end when the property’s name will change to the Hilton Albany.

Additionally, Finger Lakes is experiencing intensive snowmaking and grooming. Bristol Mountain in Canandaigua was one of the first three ski resorts to open for the 2011-12 season and among the last to close. Visitors of Finger Lakes can shop at Destiny USA in Syracuse, with over 260 luxury outlets and retail stores, restaurants and entertainment. Once completed, guests can stay at Marriott Courtyard and Residence Inn, Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Auburn, or the Owego Treadway Inn Banquet & Conference Center, which is being renovated after sustaining major flood damage in 2011.

In addition to staying at two historic redeveloped hotels, the Lafayette Hotel and the Statler Hotel in Greater Niagara, travelers can also visit museums - the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the History Museum of Buffalo, New York, and the Buffalo Museum of Science. Among the newest restaurants in Buffallo are Cantina Loco in the city's Allentown neighborhood, and Mike A's Steakhouse, in the Lafayette Hotel, slated to open in 2013.

For more information, visit www.iloveny.com/winter for all of the winter activities.