Belleayre Gondola Discussion Thread

louie.mirags wrote

The skiing at Plattekill is amazing.  However, a lot of the people who ski there have snobby attitudes on here.  Which is odd because in person almost everybody you meet is so nice...

Do I present as a Snob?  I'm sorry if I ever offended anyone.  Isn't it almost an oxymoron for anyone who loves the downhome vibe and great au natural terrain of Plattekill to be a snob?  

Personally, I don't think I'm a snob if I ski at what is IMHO the best Catskill ski area.  I believe Platty has the best, most diverse and interesting terrain in the area.  It has a great old school, down home vibe, a great locals crowd and is the least crowded area compared to the other 3 Catskills ski hills....which leads to less crowded slopes which in turn keeps the snow in better shape than compared to the others as well. What one may give up in total open terrain at Plattekill, one more than gets back in getting the least amount of total skiers/acreage.  

 

louie.mirags wrote

The skiing at Plattekill is amazing.  However, a lot of the people who ski there have snobby attitudes on here.  Which is odd because in person almost everybody you meet is so nice...

It's fair to say that anyone who posts on a ski forum will surprise you in some way when you meet them in person.  I've found that to be true for small regional forums like NYSkiBlog or large international forums where the percentage of active posters is tiny compared to the total number of accounts.

Besides, isn't this thread about Belleayre?

Must say I'm trying to figure out how to stop by Belleayre for a day to satisfy my curiosity about the new gondola.  There is no substitute for actually riding a lift or skiing a particular run.  Even in the age of the GoPro and smart phone.

Still can't figure out the logic of the Belleayre gondola.
 

Moresnow wrote

logic

There's your problem right there

Just noticed junior picked this up at the movie the other day. Not sure if it was posted already- about what I would have expected though

I took a bunch of photos of the gondola yesterday:
https://liftblog.com/2017/11/10/belleayre-gets-its-gondola/

Lift Blog wrote

I took a bunch of photos of the gondola yesterday:
https://liftblog.com/2017/11/10/belleayre-gets-its-gondola/

Thanks for the link.  Hoping to check out Belleayre in person mid-December.  Do you think they will get everything done by Dec. 15?

The lift should be done but gondolas are tricky with the loading platforms that need to be built.  No sign of those yet.  My guess would be Jan 1 ish for the gondola.

Lift Blog wrote

The lift should be done but gondolas are tricky with the loading platforms that need to be built.  No sign of those yet.  My guess would be Jan 1 ish for the gondola.

Well that would be a big disappointment for the holiday crowds.

Sounds like if I go mid-December still better to park up on the mountain instead of at Discovery.  Thanks for the warning.

Based on the map there are only 2 trails you can ski to actually use the bridge to lap the Gondi and one of which is the race trail Dot Noble and the other is that cross country trail that just goes out to the left and comes back.  There is no land behind the lift so you would to cut thru the lift line and then skate uphill to get to the the trail to the bridge if coming from skiers right of Thunderchief.  

They just built a $8 million gondi that is almost impossible to lap especially on a race day (which is the only time I ski there).  Total idiocy!   This lift is the laughing stock of the ski world.

Z wrote

They just built a $8 million gondi that is almost impossible to lap especially on a race day (which is the only time I ski there).  Total idiocy!  This is what you get when the Gov designs your ski area for you.  This lift is the laughing stock of the ski world.

But they'll name it the Matilda Cuomo Gondola.

mm

marznc wrote

Lift Blog wrote

The lift should be done but gondolas are tricky with the loading platforms that need to be built.  No sign of those yet.  My guess would be Jan 1 ish for the gondola.

Well that would be a big disappointment for the holiday crowds.

Sounds like if I go mid-December still better to park up on the mountain instead of at Discovery.  Thanks for the warning.

Guess there is still hope for mid-December based on a post by Belleayre on their Facebook Page.

The last tower was set.

Z, actually if Dot Nebel is closed, there will be only one trail - Deer Run - that provides direct access to the skier's bridge and extension trail to the gondola.

Looks like they are splicing the cable this week.

Cars are on...

Wow. I was there last week for the first time, and probably, the last time. What the heck, the Maxpass gave me a free ticket , so I checked it out. Yee gads, what an unimaginative ski hill. An ugly place in an ugly setting. And that gondola! Really? I guess that whatever has been said here has been said, so, all I'll say is, thank god I went to Gore the next day and experienced what a well run and managed state owned ski hill can be. Otherwise, it would have been even more of a depressing experience.
Do they actually think that anybody with money is going to buy into that whole village thing? Maybe the Pocono crowd......

Just the week before I was introduced to Catamount for the first time, and was impressed. Now there's an old school eastern hill I could enjoy with a foot of snow on it, and I'll be back, especially midweek, when passes are 20 bucks. The surrounding towns don't constantly remind you of our opioid crisis, either.

Merry Christmas Benny!

Benny Profane wrote

Wow. I was there last week for the first time, and probably, the last time. What the heck, the Maxpass gave me a free ticket , so I checked it out. . . .

Just goes to show that "different strokes for different folks" applies to the choice of where to ski.  I was at Belleayre on 12/17 with friends who were checking it out because of the MAX Pass.  The couple drove almost 3 hours from their home in CT for their first ski day of the season.  Wife is a cautious intermediate who mostly skied the two greens that were open, but also took a run down Roaring Brook.  Husband is an advanced boarder (switched to a board when she started to learn).  He and I checked out the blacks from the quad.  We had lunch at Overlook.

They will most certainly go back and enjoy the gondola.  The places they ski most often include Mohawk and Stratton.  Not exactly the typical go to ski areas for the average NYSkiBlog member.

I enjoy Belle.  Had a great first time tele lesson.  They were testing out the gondola during the lesson.

Belle also has a long (possibly the longest) lift-serviced sidecountry run in the Cats. I've never had a chance to snag it but those who have, raved about it. It might be close to 2000 ft.