Catskill Power Outages

For anyone heading up this AM

Hunter still has no power and is closed till further notice as of 5am.  It's gonna be a while as the problem is in a remote area and will require special equipment to fix according to the power company Central Hudson.

Windham and Plattekill have power and should be able to operate normally today.

Belleayre as of 7:30 last night is still planning to operate today, but there was no power.  Will be gondola only on diesel if they try and reopen without power being restored.

Will update as I check the reports throughout the day.  I'm going to Whiteface and they didn't get much snow, but should be fine operationally.

Belleayre will not be opening until they get power back.

No changes elsewhere.  Hunter closed and Windham and Plattekill operating normally.

Mount Snow will be honoring pre-purchased Hunter lift tickets today.

I recommend max pass people go to Windham or Stratton if intending to go to Belleayre.

Thanks for the early morning updates.  Passed the info along to those I know who ski in the Catskills who aren't NYSkiBlog folks.

Timing was great for Plattekill since today is Winterfest with "Torchlight Parade, Chicken BBQ, Live Music & HUGE RAFFLE - all proceeds to benefit the Plattekill Volunteer Ski Patrol (5pm)."  Wish I were there.

Started the morning at Plattekill and it was great everywhere. Skied the trails when they were fresh then the trees. At noon I got a call saying Belleayre was opening so we took off to there. Took 45 minutes to get out of the parking lot, people were still coming in. It was nuts, must be plattys busiest day ever.

Belleayre is awesome. I’m in the gondola now. Lots of snow!

Update on Belleayre website was at the top of the home page, as well as on the snow conditions page.  Glad the power was restored.  Be a shame for everyone to miss out.

"3/3 @ 12:00 noon - The power has back up and the mountain will be opening shortly.  We plan on opening the Catskill Thunder Gondola first and then make our way across the mountain.  Ski Patrol has to clear the trails and lifts first and as soon as they do we will be ready to rock and roll.  Normal half day rates will be in effect.  Stay tuned for the actual snow report for trail and lifts opening.  At this time, only the Discovery Lodge and services will be open."

Hunter posted updates on their website at 5:08am, 6:00am, 9:00am, and finally could say at 2:28pm that lifts would spin starting at 2:30pm.  Offered a refund for people holding day tickets or the option to use the ticket later this season or next season.  $30 lift ticket for those buying just for the rest of the afternoon until 5pm.  Had opened "41 trails and 3 lifts the Flyer, B & C lifts."  Hunter West stayed closed until Sunday, 3/4.  

Heard from a buddy who took the NYSnowBus today with his daughter from Brooklyn that it was a 1.5 hour delay getting into Windham's parking area this AM because it was so crowded. He wasn't on the mountain until nearly noon. Sounded horrible. He said the day was a "disaster".

With Belle down without power this morning I used my Maxpass at Windham, the crowds were insane, but never waited more than 10 mins on any lift line.  Trail conditions were perfect and despite the crowds we found fresh powder all day.  Looks like more snow mid week, the great journey continues......

Bandit wrote

Started the morning at Plattekill and it was great everywhere. Skied the trails when they were fresh then the trees. At noon I got a call saying Belleayre was opening so we took off to there. Took 45 minutes to get out of the parking lot, people were still coming in. It was nuts, must be plattys busiest day ever.

Belleayre is awesome. I’m in the gondola now. Lots of snow!

I agree Belleayre is great, but why would you come to ski Plattekill in the morning just to take off and ski Belleayre in the afternoon? Plattekill was ridiculously busy today, and the employees had to work extra hard to keep up with everything. If you're not willing to appreciate Plattekill for what it is, please don't waste any of our precious parking space in the future.

Bandit wrote

Started the morning at Plattekill and it was great everywhere. Skied the trails when they were fresh then the trees. At noon I got a call saying Belleayre was opening so we took off to there. Took 45 minutes to get out of the parking lot, people were still coming in. It was nuts, must be plattys busiest day ever.

Belleayre is awesome. I’m in the gondola now. Lots of snow!

Wait, what? You were actually at Plat, got in your car and left to go to..........Bellayre??!!

I know right? Crazy

But to each their own.

Belleayre wasn't open before, so all fresh untracked powder.

Lol you guys are funny.

Platty untouched and I was there when they opened.

Belleayre untouched and I was there shortly after they opened. And there were less people.

If you don’t understand that then you’re not a powder skier. That was definitely the proper play today.

The snow was actually better at Belleayre because it was less wind affected.

Ethan Snow wrote

Bandit wrote

Started the morning at Plattekill and it was great everywhere. Skied the trails when they were fresh then the trees. At noon I got a call saying Belleayre was opening so we took off to there. Took 45 minutes to get out of the parking lot, people were still coming in. It was nuts, must be plattys busiest day ever.

Belleayre is awesome. I’m in the gondola now. Lots of snow!

I agree Belleayre is great, but why would you come to ski Plattekill in the morning just to take off and ski Belleayre in the afternoon? Plattekill was ridiculously busy today, and the employees had to work extra hard to keep up with everything. If you're not willing to appreciate Plattekill for what it is, please don't waste any of our precious parking space in the future.

I'm just an observer but my view about someone who goes to Plattekill and Belleayre on the same day is positive, not negative.  He's supporting both and enjoying both.  What's wrong with that?  Every ski area has unique pros and cons.

Remember, I enjoy Massanutten as a home mountain with 75 acres and no expectation of tree skiing as well as destination resorts out west and places like Plattekill and Wachusett in the northeast.

The powder day was yesterday. Not today.

It was both :) we should have gone to Platty when Belleayre closed Friday. Platty was brand new everywhere this morning, tracks all filled and drifted in and of course Bell was too. Must have been lots of tele fest guys in the woods Friday afternoon but you couldn’t tell that Saturday.

Bandit wrote

Belleayre untouched and I was there shortly after they opened. And there were less people. If you don’t understand that then you’re not a powder skier. That was definitely the proper play today. The snow was actually better at Belleayre because it was less wind affected.

 to Bandit for making that call. Ten years ago almost to the day (back before NYSB/HR), Jason and I skied Plattekill on zero base and left after a couple hours for Belle. Back then, I had a Belle season pass so it wasn't a double money drain, but still, sometimes you have to think counter-intuitively.

Bandit wrote

It was both :) we should have gone to Platty when Belleayre closed Friday. Platty was brand new everywhere this morning, tracks all filled and drifted in and of course Bell was too. Must have been lots of tele fest guys in the woods Friday afternoon but you couldn’t tell that Saturday.

Precisely. Saturday was windblown snow. Friday was much softer, with lighter snow which was not as dense. Not to mention that it kept filling in all day long.

Wow ten years ago!!
I remember that day