New York, NY– “Belleayre Mountain is open for the day and all slopes are open!” Do you ever wonder where is the next ski/snowboarding mountain? Well, if you ever travel to New York state, you have got your answer in the Catskills region: a mountain with its highest point at 3,429 feet! Out of all the mountains I have been to, such as Thunder Ridge, NY, Mount Peter, NY, Vail, CO, Winter Park, CO, Santa Fe, NM , and Camelback, PA, none of them can beat the love, excitement, learning, and fun that you receive from just one day on Belleayre. Read on to find out what lies beyond the Discovery Lodge on Belleayre Mountain.
Belleayre has a really good ski school! A 6-year-old child named Parth Mehta didn’t know how to ski on slopes on a Monday and had to start off on the bunny slope. The next day, he did not make it to the mountain. He could have forgotten the skills he learned on Monday, but the ski school instructors must have really put it in his brain because the next day (Wednesday), he not only remembered what he learned on Monday, but he also was able to start the actual slopes! “I learned very fast!” Parth says. Only four hours of instruction and he knew how to ski on the slopes. Then the next day, he moved to the blue slopes!
If you have never skied before, this mountain would be perfect for you, too! The mountain has a lot of slopes that are long, for instance Iroqouis, a green that is near the base of the mountain. The long runs are good for big mountains because the ski lifts are usually really slow and so it is not a waste of time if you take the lift up and then ski down a long route! Some of Belleayre’s green slopes can be a little challenging, but they are a good way to move up.
But don’t worry, there are plenty really easy greens for you! Some of Belleayre’s trails like Huron go into a blue halfway down, which is also a good practice if you are moving up to blues! In this case, Huron goes into Eagle Falls which is a blue slope. Huron goes to the left and Eagle falls right. Eagle Falls turns back to a green (back to Huron) as it goes to the base of the mountain.
Next, let’s focus on Deer Run, one of the longest runs on the mountain: a blue that turns into a green slope halfway down. On the mountain, there is an outlook lodge, which is halfway up the mountain. A road goes there, so Deer Run uses a bridge to go over the road. Right after the skier bridge, on the Green Part of Deer Run, there is a patch of black but it is only about 10 feet long, so they do not put it on the Belleayre Trail Map. On the other side of the mountain, there is a twin slope but it is a black. It is called Cathedral Brook. It is a little shorter than Deer Run, but not by much. This trail is more advanced because instead of turning into a green it turns into a blue and stays pretty steep.
If you are good at skiing but not an expert, Belleayre has the perfect slopes for you. It has some slopes that have a little patch of black such as Belleayre Run: a black slope that turns into a blue slope in just a few feet! You also have bigger challenges, like Tongora or Seneca, two double black slopes that turn into challenging blue slopes!
But wait– for you Bold Adventurers you have those steep dangerous ♦♦ (Double Black Diamond)! Yahoo! Yes that is the one! The one and only Yahoo! Dane Oaks, the 10-year-old expert skier has skied every slope. He says “Yahoo is the steepest slope on Belleayre Mountain!” The snowboarder Will Katz also says that Yahoo is the steepest slope. You could also take the Super Chief, which brings you to the sunset lodge, or the other many single and few double black diamonds!
Belleayre has a gondola, which takes you to the top of the mountain and gives you a choice of some double black diamonds and single black runs, as well as some blues. Belleayre has a Gondola, also known as the Catskill Thunder Gondola. The gondola is open pretty much all year round but in the summer since you can’t Ski you can go on scenic rides on it! Belleayre Mountain is owned by a company called Olympic Regional Development Authority which also owns Gore and Whiteface Mountains, both in NY. All three mountains have gondolas!
“Belleayre is now closing, we hope everyone has had a great day on the mountain , hope to see you soon!” Well now, I guess it is time to go! But do not forget about this mountain 90 miles north of New York City– the only Ski area with a gondola in the Catskills and the best mountain in NY state to ski! Ski Belleayre!
Sachin
Great write-up. Really proud of how you had described the ski experience and the Catskill bsckground. Parth is gifted just as you are and get his inspiration from you.
Love ba and Dada