By Kate Bartlett
The 2025–2026 ski season in Ellicottville was very successful, characterized by a strong start with over 180 inches of natural snow and excellent snowmaking conditions by mid-March. Strong December and January weather ensured consistent, high-traffic conditions, with strong crowds on weekends and a boost from mid-week visitors.
Both HoliMont and Holiday Valley report a great season. “Last year was good, but this year was great; a true old-fashioned winter,” remarks Travis Widger, Director of Snowsports at HoliMont. The season boasted a strong, consistent, and cold winter, creating excellent snowmaking opportunities after an initially delayed start in late November. Despite potential early season hesitation, both resorts saw high traffic, particularly after New Year’s and during strong, cold, and snowy weather stretches in January.
Dash Hegeman, Marketing Director at Holiday Valley, reports a similar snowfall to last season resulting in a very good winter season overall. “The natural snowfall combined with some cold weather early in the season allowed our Snowmaking and Mountain Operations Teams to create a very solid base of snow throughout the resort very early on in the season,” reports Dash. “Thanks to the lake effect snow, people were skiing and riding in the glades for much of the winter, which is always awesome to see. Attendance has been strong, especially during the times it was snowing, and we’ve been very happy to see the number of people getting out on the slopes and also visiting the Village of Ellicottville.”
coming season at both HoliMont and Holiday Valley. Looking
forward to spring, bike season offers incredible opportunities
with various trails through both resorts.
Season highlights at Holiday Valley include many days of incredible snowfall. “We’ve been blessed with some excellent powder days here this season, so those days always stick out,” recalls Dash. During the Olympics, Holiday Valley partnered with Michelob Ultra to host an outdoor Olympic Games viewing party that attracted a large crowd of people cheering on as they watched the Olympic Games. Local shops (The City Garage and The Boardroom) hosted Telestock and The Boardroom Banked events, respectively, with great success at Holiday Valley and the annual Penguin Paddle fundraiser for the Lounsbury Adaptive Program saw a fantastic turnout.
Nearly 600 children enrolled in seasonal programs at HoliMont, and the cold February temperatures provided for some of the most consistent Hero Snow in recent memory. “It was a great mix of weather conditions resulting in our members enjoying some great skiing/snowboarding on the slopes,” says Travis. Snowmaking improvements over last summer at HoliMont allowed the resort to add nearly 20% more snowmaking capacity to their system, and at the end of March, continued to retain incredible wall to wall snow coverage averaging 30-50 inches.
This season saw a new ticket and gate system at Holiday Valley. “We learned a lot about the system and have plans to build upon it in the near future,” explains Dash. “We aim to provide an even better experience for our guests each and every year.” The Holiday Valley Tubing Park installed an LED light show experience for nighttime tubers on Friday and Saturday evenings, which was a huge hit and helped the Tubing Park set a new record in attendance
March has historically been one of the best months for skiing, and Travis at HoliMont reports this season did not disappoint. “Ski season going strong through March,” says Travis. “We hold onto every last bit of snow to extend the season as much as possible!” Holiday Valley will soon be announcing plans for capital improvements soon, so stay tuned to learn about the investments to be put back into the resort to make the 2026-27 winter an even better than this one.
Pond Skimming on March 28 will celebrate the new season at both HoliMont and Holiday Valley. “It’s always a very fun way to close out the winter events season,” says Dash. “People come from all over to sign up for a chance to brave the cold waters of the pond that the Mountain Crew creates at the bottom of Yodeler. It’s a great event to spectate! We get a great crowd to watch the skiers and snowboarders use their skills to skim all the way across the pond without falling in.”
Looking forward to spring, bike season offers incredible opportunities with various trails through both resorts. For a full list of upcoming events visit HolidayValley.com/events and HoliMont.com/events and follow on social media.