At this point, I’ve turned into quite the little skier so we decided to ramp things up a bit. The same family that we went to Peek’n Peak also asked my mom and me if we wanted to join them at Holiday Valley. The resort has lodges, hotels, cabins, cottages, condos… all sorts of options for staying over. It also was much bigger than any other ski resort I had been to at that point. In a typical season, there are about 60 trails open, with 13 lifts servicing those many runs.
Holiday Valley is just outside of an adorable little town called Ellicottville in New York state. It was about a three-hour drive from my house so my mom took me and my friend, Julia, out of school early one day in 5th grade. I still remember how exciting it was to leave school early and get in the car my mom had packed and start a fun road trip.
By the time we got to Holiday Valley and the condo we were staying at, it was dark outside but I could still see the lights along the slopes.
It seemed extra cold when I got out of the car which just made me extra excited for the next few days at Holiday Valley! The condo was also very cool! We stocked the fridge and everyone was assigned to their rooms… all the kids were downstairs in bunk beds, while the parents each had their own rooms. My mom got the loft room which was very very nice.
The following morning we all got up early to start our ski day. We went to the lodge to buy our multi-day lift passes and made our way to the slopes.
We started out on Mardi-Gras which I would classify as the main lift and it was different than any lift I had been on before. Due to the resort being very popular, they tend to have a lot of visitors during the winter months.
To combat long lines for lifts, many resorts have employed express lifts which are slow from loading and unloading but fast while you’re going up the hill. At first, it was scary to be going that speed, but eventually, I got used to it and learned to love the lack of lines.
I skied my little heart out while I was there, going to bed each night with sore muscles and a smile. There are multiple areas of the resort, spanning over multiple faces of multiple mountains. The areas with all of my favorite slopes are on the eastern side of the resort, these areas are Tannenbaum, Spruce Lake, and Mardi Gras. In case you ever end up at Holiday Valley, I’ll rank a few of the runs for you.
- Swiss Twist (Serviced by Mardi Gras Xpress Quad) is a black diamond that twists through the trees, on a luge-like trail that offers beautiful scenery and an adrenaline rush.
- Mistletow (Serviced by Tannenbaum Xpress Quad) is a blue run that goes through huge pines that usually have snow on them and it transports you to a resort in Europe.
I love skiing underneath the trees and it always seems quieter on this side of the resort. - Cathedral (Serviced by Spruce Lake Quad) is also a blue run that gives off a feel similar feel as Mistletow, in that it goes through the grand pine trees.
That’s where I’ll end for this post… get ready for Holiday Valley pt. 2, coming soon!!
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