Everything You Need to Know About Catskills Skiing
If you are interested in learning how to ski or snowboard then the Catskill Mountains in New York are the perfect place for you. They don’t have steep mountains or intimidating terrain, which is a main reason why I think it’s a great place to start. Also, if you live in NYC, Catskills skiing is only 2 to 2 and a half hours away. In addition, if you don’t have gear, most mountains allow you to rent equipment right at the mountain. There are usually rental shops on the road before the mountains as well.
Growing up in upstate New York, I have skied many times in the Catskills. However, I will say, since I’m an advanced skier, I do prefer skiing in the Adironacks or the Green Mountains. But I do think Catskills skiing is best for beginners. In this article, I will let you know about the best Catskill skiing Mountains.
In addition, in this article, you will read about Catskills ski areas such as, Windham Mountain, Belleayre Ski Mountain, Hunter Mountain, Holiday Mountain Ski & Fun Park, Mount Peter Ski Area, and Plattekill Mountain. You will also read about, Catskills skiing rental, Catskills skiing packages, Catskill Mountain Railroad, Catskills skiing, Catskills skiing for beginners, Catskills backcountry skiing, Catskills cross country skiing, night skiing Catskills, and more.
This post is all about Catskills skiing.
Catskills Skiing :
1. Belleayre Ski Mountain
Belleayre Mountain is located in Highmount, New York, which is about two and a half hours away from New York City, driving. I have skied at Belleayre many times and each time I’ve gone, I’ve always had a ton of fun. In my opinion, Belleayre is the best Catskills ski resort. Belleayre has 61 trails, a vertical drop of 1,404 feet, and many cross-country skiing trails. The Belleayre Discovery Lodge is where you can put your ski bags and hang out with your friends and family. Also, you can rent gear right there are the mountain. There are also many different Belleayre Lodge & Cabins near the mountain that you can stay at. Woodstock is also a nice town to stay at, about 35 minutes from the mountain.
Once you get comfortable with Belleayre another great New York Ski Resort you should check out is, Gore Mountain. Gore Mountain is a bit of a drive from NYC (about 4 hours away) but it’s definitely worth the drive if you want more of a challenge.
Then, once you get comfortable with Gore, you can ski at Whiteface Mountain (about a 5 hour drive from NYC, but Lake Placid is a great city to stay at). All these three mountains are apart of the ski 3 in New York and you can get a season pass for all three mountains. Just go on one of their mountain websites and choose the ski 3 option for a season pass, and then you’ll be able to ski at all three.
{Related Post : How to Spend a Weekend in Lake Placid, New York}
2. Windham Mountain
Windham Mountain is another nice mountain in the Catskills. Windham and Hunter mountains are probably the most well-known ski mountains in the Catskills. Having skied at both of them, I liked Windham but hated Hunter Mountain, which is why you won’t see it on this list. When I skied at Hunter it was super icy and way too crowded. In addition, there were way too many people who didn’t know how to ski/snowboard so the trails were crazy with people not knowing what to do.
Windham is about the same distance from NYC and Long Island as Belleayre is. Windham Mountain has 54 trails, a 1,600ft vertical, night skiing, and 6 different terrain parks. They also have a rental shop on the mountain if you need to rent equipment. Windham Mountain is my second favorite Catskills ski area. The Poconos and Catskills skiing are very similar, they are both great for beginners and don’t have any steep or intimidating trails.
3. Plattekill Mountain
Plattekill Mountain is another great, smaller mountain to go to. I would go to this mountain when you feel a little more comfortable with skiing/snowboarding. It does have more advanced terrain. They have a total of 40 trails, 1 terrain park, and rental equipment on the mountain if you need. This is also a cute place to get married if you are interested in having a wedding here.
4. Holiday Mountain Ski & Fun Park
I have never skied here, so I can’t give my personable take on the mountain but it does look like a great Catskills skiing for beginners mountain. It is a very small mountain, only having 7 trails, so this would be a perfect mountain to beginner on. They also have super cheap lift tickets, a rental shop on the mountain for equipment, and night skiing. It is located in Monticello, New York, which is about two hours away from NYC. Monticello is the closest town to stay at for skiing/snowboarding at this mountain.
5. Mount Peter Ski Area
Mountain Peter Ski Area is located in Warwick, NY, which is only an hour and a half away from NYC. Again, this is a great mountain for beginners as it only has about 10 trails. They also have snow tubing, a mountain school, and lodging.
And that wraps up our article about the best Catskills skiing. Overall, I think the Catskills are a great place to learn how to ski/snowboard and are a fun weekend getaway from NYC or Long Island. The Poconos are also great for this. Another fun thing you can do in the Catskills is ride the Catskill Mountain Railroad. This is located in Kingston, NY, which is about 20 minutes from Woodstock, NY and about 45 minutes from Belleayre Mountain. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you ski/snowboard at some new, fun mountains this winter!
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