Ski country is the hilly, snowy portions of the boundary between the Niagara Frontier and the

Southern Tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York, Upstate region of New York (state), New York State, geographically situated along or very near the state border with Pennsylvania. Definitions of the region vary wide ...

of the western part of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Weather

The area is a largely hilly terrain, mostly downwind from

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

and the

Finger Lakes The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located directly south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York (state), New York, in the United States. This region straddles th ...

, along the

Eastern Continental Divide The Eastern Continental Divide, Eastern Divide or Appalachian Divide is a drainage divide, hydrological divide in eastern North America that separates the easterly Atlantic Seaboard drainage basin, watershed from the westerly Gulf of Mexico wat ...

between the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

, the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

and

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

watersheds. The result of this is that through

orographic lift Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and cr ...

, a significant amount of lake effect snow falls there during the months of November, December and January. The portion of ski country in

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all so ...

is defined by a geologic formation known as the Chautauqua Ridge.

Ski destinations

As the name implies, the area is particularly popular with skiers, and there are several ski resorts that stretch from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

into

Central New York The central region of New York state includes: * Auburn in Cayuga County * Cortland in Cortland County * Oneida in Madison County * Syracuse, the largest city of Central New York, in Onondaga County * Fulton and Oswego in Oswego County ...

. The local ski resorts primarily offer

alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel Ski binding, bindings, unlike other types of skiing (Cross-country skiing, cross-country, Telemark skiing, Telemark, or ski jumping) ...

while the numerous state parks use their hiking trails for

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

. Overall, the state of New York is the third-most popular skiing destination in the United States, behind

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, with neighboring

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

a close fourth. New York ranks first in the country for the most ski resorts, with over 50, counting the myriad local non-destination resorts.

Resorts

;Pennsylvania * Mount Pleasant of Edinboro - in

Edinboro, Pennsylvania Edinboro is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,920 at the 2020 census. It is a small college town, home to Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro. It is part of the Erie metropolitan area. Histor ...

installed first chair lift in 2014 (also offers snow tubing) * Ski Denton/Denton Hill - in

Coudersport, Pennsylvania Coudersport is a borough in and the county seat of Potter County, Pennsylvania. It is located approximately east by southeast of Erie on the Allegheny River. The population was 2,371 at the 2020 census. History The Coudersport and Port Alleg ...

''(slightly outside the general definition of ski country, no longer in operation)'' ;New York * Big Basin Ski Area - in

Red House, New York Red House (, literally: "it stops here," i.e., "depot") is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 30, making it the least populous town in the state. The town is on the south edge of ...

. Operated from 1951 until New York's ongoing

eminent domain Eminent domain, also known as land acquisition, compulsory purchase, resumption, resumption/compulsory acquisition, or expropriation, is the compulsory acquisition of private property for public use. It does not include the power to take and t ...

campaign forced most of Red House's private property to be vacated in 1972. State park ski areas closed but not forgotten
''Ellicottville Times''. * Bluemont Ski Area - Yorkshire, New York - closed in 1982 * Bova Ski Resort - in Red House, New York. Bova (named after the Beauvais family, who donated the land) was the site of a Great Depression-era public works project as part of

Allegany State Park Allegany State Park is a state park in western New York State, located in Cattaraugus County, New York, Cattaraugus County just north of the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania. The park is divided into two sections: The Red House Area a ...

that would serve as the area's first ski destination. The Bova resort also included the region's only

ski jump Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fin ...

s. The ski jumps were damaged by a mudslide in 1979, and outdated and malfunctioning equipment led to the area's shutdown in 1980. * Brantling Ski Slopes - in Sodus, New York * Bristol Mountain - in South Bristol, New York (also offers

Nordic skiing Nordic skiing encompasses the various types of skiing in which the toe of the ski boot is fixed to the binding in a manner that allows the heel to rise off the ski, unlike alpine skiing, where the boot is attached to the ski from toe to heel. Re ...

) * Buffalo Ski Club - in Colden * Cockaigne Ski Resort - in Cherry Creek (town), New York * Dry Hill Ski Area - in

Watertown, New York Watertown is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River, about east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by the t ...

* Greek Peak - in

Virgil, New York Virgil is a town in Cortland County, New York, United States. The population was 2,401 at the 2010 census. The name is from the Roman poet Virgil. The town is in the southwestern part of Cortland County and is south of the city of Cortland. ...

near the city of Cortland * Grosstal/Wing Hollow Ski Area - in

Allegany, New York Allegany is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 7,493 at the 2020 census. The Town of Allegany is on the south border of the county, west of the City of Olean. There is a village named Allegany inside ...

(closed in early 80's) * Holiday Valley - in Ellicottville (town), New York * Holimont - in Ellicottville (also offers Nordic skiing) * Poverty Hill/Concord Ski Club - in Ellicottville (closed 1991, land currently being repurposed) * Kissing Bridge - in

Glenwood, New York Glenwood is a hamlet in southern Erie County, New York, United States. Straddling the Towns of Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of ...

within the town of Colden * Labrador Mountain - in

Truxton, New York Truxton is a town in Cortland County, New York, United States. The population was 1,133 at the 2010 census. The town is named for Commodore Thomas Truxtun, a privateer in the American Revolution and one of the US Navy's first commanding officers. ...

* Mount Hermanns - in Olean, was the first commercial ski resort in the area and was established in the 1930s. It closed after several decades of operation due to competition from other, newer resorts in the area.Clark, Bob (March 24, 2013
Remember when ... Olean was Ski City?
''Olean Times Herald''. Retrieved March 25, 2013. * Peek'n Peak - in Clymer, New York * Snow Ridge Ski Resort - in Turin, New York * Song Mountain Resort - in Tully, New York * Swain Ski Resort - in

Grove, New York Grove is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 497 at the 2020 census. Grove is in the northeast part of Allegany County, northwest of Hornell, New York, Hornell. Histo ...

Swain ski resort March 9 2017 from main lift

* Toggenburg Mountain - in

Fabius, New York Fabius is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 2,006. The classical name of the town was assigned by a clerk interested in the classics. The Town of Fabius contains a village of Fabius. ...

State parks

* Art Roscoe Ski Area at

* Keuka Lake State Park in Jerusalem, New York *

Letchworth State Park Letchworth State Park is a New York State Park located in Livingston and Wyoming Counties in western Upstate New York. The park is roughly long, following the course of the Genesee River as it flows north through a deep gorge and over several ...

Livingston County, New York Livingston County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,834. Its county seat is Geneseo. The county is named after Robert R. Livingston, who helped draft the Declaration of Independence a ...

* Long Point State Park on Lake Chautauqua near Maple Springs, New York

References

External links