The HoliMont blog has moved its web address. You can now find blog postings at http://blog.holimont.com/.
Please bookmark this page in order to keep up to date on what is going on at HoliMont throughout the season. Thank you!
Monday, November 4, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Hitting the trails
The conditions over the past few days have been excellent for hitting the trails on your bike. Hopefully you’ve been taking the opportunity to get out there and enjoy nature.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
More From WestMont Ridge
We seem to have two different weather types here at HoliMont this summer:
(1) Rain
(2) Heat
Not ideal construction conditions and yet, thanks to the dedication of an amazing work crew, the WestMont Ridge expansion project continues to move forward on a daily basis.
Here are some recent action shots of what is taking place at WestMont.
(1) Rain
(2) Heat
Not ideal construction conditions and yet, thanks to the dedication of an amazing work crew, the WestMont Ridge expansion project continues to move forward on a daily basis.
Here are some recent action shots of what is taking place at WestMont.
FLITE Team takes over Lake Placid
Recently a group of dedicated athletes from the HoliMont FLITE Team traveled to the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY. They got wet, they had fun and many of them qualified for new aerial tricks that they will be able to unleash this coming winter.
As always, training with the FLITE Team is the only way to become certified to do inverts (under the supervision of a coach) at HoliMont.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Sunday, April 14, 2013
A Wrap-up of the 2012-13 Season
The 2012-13 season has been, by many measures, a fantastic
success. HoliMont will officially end
its season on April 14th; our 111th day of skiing and
snowboarding. Considering it never
really started to “get warm” until this past week, HoliMont was able to keep
the majority of the area open much longer into the season than was originally
expected, which helped keep the excitement level of the Members and their
guests elevated for a long period of time.
The end of the season is an interesting time at a ski
area. As things begin to slow down and
the crowds start to thin out it gives everyone with a vested interest in the
area to reflect on the highlights of the season.
For HoliMont, celebrating its 50th Anniversary,
it was an entertaining, fun-filled season.
The Club wasted no time and unveiled The Exhibition Express lift during
Fall Fest in October. The lift was
HoliMont’s first high speed detachable quad chairlift and it became an instant
hit.
The Membership Social Committee put together and threw a
gala that will go down in HoliMont history as one of the most extravagant
social functions to ever take place at the Club. The Chalet was packed with both past and
present HoliMont Members who showed up dressed to the nines and ready to
party. Between the food, speeches from
HoliMont Presidents, The Party Squad brass band entertainment, and the grand
finale fireworks display it was a celebration worthy of a Club that has
showcased impressive longevity.
The gala was by no means the sole highlight of the season
though. Both the American and Canadian
break weeks were well attended and featured some very solid skiing conditions
and plenty of fun for everyone who was here.
Barely a weekend went by that didn’t included an après ski
party, which considering the great lineup of bands that were on the calendar
throughout the season, made every weekend something to look forward to. The après parties are always a hit on
Saturday afternoons as they allow Members to kick back and talk about their day
out on the slopes with their nearest and dearest friends.
Between the Racing Program and the HoliMont FLITE Team,
there were plenty of competitions that took place this season. Watching these young, up-and-coming athletes
stoke their competitive fire week-in and week-out was a treat for many and
HoliMont is looking forward to seeing what the future has in store for every
one of them.
Midway through February, HoliMont hosted an auction were it
was able to sell off 17 real estate lots, which provided enough revenue to
start the infrastructure of the Club’s long awaited WestMont Ridge development
project. The infrastructure development
is scheduled to begin later on this spring.
As the season commenced into March it was looking like
HoliMont would end up having a solid season, one that was much better than the
previous year, but nothing in terms of snowfall that was overly
noteworthy. And then March 19th
came about. At a time where, typically,
people are starting to wear less layers out on the slopes we suddenly received
a nearly four-day stretch of consistent lake effect snow. When it was all over Ellicottville had
accumulated nearly 2 feet of very pristine powder, which ultimately reenergized
nearly every ski enthusiast out there. As
we all know, powder days are cherished in Western New York and every skier and
snowboarder out on the slopes was elated to say the least. And just like that, winter was back on!
On Saturday March 30th HoliMont had a great day
on the slopes. The annual Pond Skimming
competition took place that day where 25 brave souls took to the challenge of
trying to glide overtop of 100 feet of very chilly water. Some were successful, some didn’t carry
enough speed and slowly sank, and some (much to the delight of the crowd) went
out in a blaze of glory; throwing water everywhere as they rag-dolled into the
pond. Also taking place that day was the
second day of the Acrobag Tour at HoliMont.
The 50’ x 50’ airbag was a hit with people of all ages during its
three-day visit to the Club and with any luck it’s an event that we will be
able to build on in the future.
HoliMont would like to thank everyone who has walked through
our doors this season. Members and
guests alike have made this season one to remember. It’s been a pleasure seeing you all here and
we sincerely hope that you enjoyed the 2012-13 season as much as we here at
HoliMont did. Have a great summer and we
look forward to seeing you back next year.
Follow HoliMont on Facebook, Instagram,
and Twitter for more news throughout the summer.
“Spring” Skiing at HoliMont
At 7:25am on February 2nd, down in Punxsutawney, PA, the famous Punxsutawney Phil emerged out
of his quarters under a very overcast sky and failed to see his shadow, which
supposedly set things in motion for an early spring, rather than the extra 6
weeks of winter that the skiers and snowboarders of Ellicottville prefer.
Well, we have now passed the six-week
mark and winter has yet to step aside and allow spring to come through the
door. Quite honestly, we here at
HoliMont couldn’t be happier. Considering
we are now nearing the end of March, the amount of snow left on the slopes is
considerable (for anyone who has yet to strike last season from their memory,
HoliMont was shutting down at this time last season) and the condition of the
snow on the slopes is superb.
The weekend of March 16th
and 17th was an enjoyable one for everyone at the Club. The Jim Barker Memorial Club Championship
Race took place on Saturday and HoliMont Members of all ages took to the slopes
to test their speed against one another and see who was the fastest, most
technical skier at the ’Mont. Given
HoliMont’s strong racing program it was a sight to watch some of the more
competitive adults try to best one another’s times. But it was the sight of the younger racers
making their way around the gates that a lot of the crowd was there to see. These young racers are the future of the Club
and as such it was great to see their love for the sport showcased in an event
that has very deep roots in the HoliMont community. Club Championships used to be called just
that but last year HoliMont lost longtime Member Jim Barker. Jim was a fun, loving, energetic man who gave
his heart and soul in everything that he did. In the wintertime much of
this heart and soul was devoted to the HoiMont Racing Program and the Club
Championships was one of his favorite events so in his remembrance the Racing
Program dedicated the Club Championships to him. Jim would’ve been thrilled with what he saw
last Saturday.
Also on Saturday, there was a
slopestyle contest that the Terrain Park Crew put together. It’s always fun to watch kids rip through the
park but that fun gets stepped up a couple notches as soon as a section of the
park is closed down for them, people are cheering them on from the chairlift
above and music is pumping through the park.
The kids who came out for the competition showed off their skills by
jibbing, sliding and spinning their way through a series of rails, boxes, and
jumps. More importantly, they all had
fun, which is the whole reason for being out on the slopes in the first
place.
Moving forward, on March 30th,
HoliMont will be holding its annual Pond Skimming event. There is a lot of pent up excitement for this
event, as it had to be canceled last year due to the fact that the ski area was
forced to close before the scheduled Pond Skimming date. This season there should be plenty of thrills
and (potentially) lots of spills in this Member’s only “Las Vegas” themed
event. The spectacle starts at noon in
front of the Main Chalet and the first 30 Members who sign up and show up in
appropriately themed costumes, will get to vie for pond skimming bragging
rights (or they will get a chilly bath).
Freeing The Heel At HoliMont
Nordic Gods smiled on HoliMont’s Annual Free Heel Fling, an
“International” Telemark event, which took place on March 8th. More than 60 free heeling skiers from Ohio,
Ontario, Pennsylvania, and New York enjoyed the sunny slopes, clinics,
camaraderie and a fun tele race. The telemark committee wants to thank all who
participated in the event, donated their time and contributed to the raffle and
wonderful pot luck lunch. Here is a re-cap of the day.
Gear Up and the City Garage were on hand to supply rental
and demo equipment to experienced skiers and new comers. Eight people freed
their heels for the first time, including the youngest participate, an eleven
year old girl from Ohio. HoliMont’s certified Nordic instructor led clinics
throughout the day for all ability levels. Our guest instructor was Jay Nation
from Seven Springs, PA. He is a level 3 instructor and a PSIA Nordic Development
Team member.
Race coordinator Rick Barry, put a new twist on the classic
tele race. The Tele Raid, took skiers to caches all over the mountain, then to
a race course with gates, trees and an uphill finish. Prizes were awarded for the fastest male (Jeff
Maceachern) and female (Sean Miller). Metal Telemark skier trophies designed by
Clark Duffin of HoliMont Snowsports were awarded to the winners of the race and
also to the youngest and the most enthusiastic tele skiers. Next year’s festival will be on Friday March 7th,
2014. Mark your calendars, you won’t want to miss it. ”Free Heel Fling” is fast becoming the largest
telemark event in Western New York.
Local businesses who donated gift certificates and prizes
for the après raffle include Alexandra’s, A New Beginning Massage and Spa, Bike
and Bean, The Birdwalk, Cadillac Jacks, Coffee Culture, Dekdebrun’s Ski Shop, The
Depot, Earth Arts, E-Ville Spirits, Hampshire Mills of Salamanca, Just Riding
Along Bike Shop in Bradford, PA, Katy’s, Kazoo II, Nature’s Remedy, Oasis Day
Spa, The Red Door Ski Shop, Subway, Tangled Twigs, Tim and Bonnie’s Pizza,
Tops, Watson’s Chocolate, Village Wine Rack, Wingate by Wyndham, Winery of
Ellicottville, and Zippo. Other sponsors include Al Mahar, Mike Hughes, Gear Up,
and HoliMont, Inc.
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