New York

Squaw/Alpine Opens A Day Early, Several Other North American Resorts Open This Week

Multiple North American resorts open for the 2020-21 season this week. We’ve detailed the opening-week access details for each of these mountains here.

Many Holdout North American Destination Resorts to Open This Week, Parking Reservations at Copper and Snowbird Already Filling Up

By the end of this week, most of the resorts we’ve reviewed will be open for the 2020-21 season. With COVID-19 still a factor, we’ve detailed the access information for each of these mountains here.

California Bars Day-of Ticket Sales at Ski Resorts This Season

To limit mountain capacity and discourage last-minute traveling, California will no longer allow resorts to sell day-of lift tickets this season. Resorts are also asked to limit parking to ticket and pass holders only.

State of 2020-21 Resort Operations

With COVID-19 cases continuing to persist across North America, we’re seeing some resorts tighten capacity restrictions or push back openings, either voluntarily or by state mandate. As you debate whether to book a trip this season, we’ve decided to aggregate all we know in one place.

Ratings Adjustment: Sierra-at-Tahoe, Homewood, and Whiteface Lift Scores

We’ve updated the way we factor hike-to terrain into our lift score criteria. Three resorts see score changes as a result.

Whiteface Is Planning a New High-Speed Lift and Trails for Future Seasons. Here Are Our Initial Thoughts.

In preparation for a major 2023 competition event, New York’s Whiteface ski area is proposing a series of enhancements that have the potential to address lower-mountain crowding bottlenecks and annoying trail logistics.

Plattekill

The Catskill region’s northernmost ski hill offers surprisingly strong advanced terrain, but infrastructure and grooming operations are severely lacking.

Hunter

High-speed lifts, reasonably varied terrain, and proximity to New York City make this Catskill mountain an appealing choice on paper. However, poor crowd management really hurts the overall experience.

Belleayre

This Catskill mountain offers family-friendly terrain and reasonable crowds for the region, but a few factors make it a tough sell for those planning a weekend getaway.

Windham

This Catskill resort can’t beat out the true East Coast destinations in snow, acreage, or terrain diversity, but it lacks some of the major issues that plague nearby competitors. Peak ticket values are among the worst of any North American ski area.

Gore

New York State’s largest ski resort stands out with excellent glade terrain, but it can’t match the snow quality or on-mountain infrastructure of the best East Coast mountains.

Whiteface

Severe wind problems and unreliable trail openings detract from one of the most unique, challenging resorts on the East Coast.

Holiday Valley

Strong natural snowfall and varied terrain make this Western New York resort a strong local option, but a short vertical drop and complicated layout prevent it from competing with bigger East Coast destinations.

Peek'n Peak

This Western New York ski resort offers a good value for beginners, but the mountain lacks the challenge or aesthetic to compete with many other East Coast resorts.