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.
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