GLENDWOOD, N.Y. (WKBW) — A band of lake effect snow swept through Western New York, giving local ski resorts a late-season boost just in time for closing weekend.
Holiday Valley in Ellicottville received more than 9 inches of natural snow over the past 24 hours. The resort's snowmaking team worked overnight, firing up more than 100 snow guns across the property. Skiers and snowboarders hit the slopes to take advantage of the rare mid-March powder conditions.
At Kissing Bridge All Seasons Resort Inc., the season has reached a milestone 101 days on the mountain, including new tubing offerings added this year.
"That is my favorite part. And my favorite part is the tubing, and I love how fast it goes," Harlow, an avid skier, said.
Young members of the resort's ski team shared their enthusiasm for a sport they say they've been doing since they could walk.
"I'm best at free skiing. Yeah, me too," siblings Haill and Johana, avid skiers, explained.
"It's fun because we do the race or like the club team so we get to have more fun with our friends and training. We train every night," Johana said.
Owner Rhett McNulty said the extended season has been a rare milestone, driven by a strong natural snow presence.
"Natural snow actually hit us pretty hard last night and even early this morning, and then we're adding man-made snow on top of that to ensure that we have a great closing weekend," McNulty said.
The final stretch of the season includes a packed schedule of events.
"Saturday we have a pond skim, so that'll be super fun to see people skim, ski, snowboard across the water, and then we have a DJ out on the deck for that and then we roll into our late-night great night event where we'll ski till 1 a.m.," McNulty said.
New General Manager Matt Thomas, who relocated from Colorado, said Western New York received more snow this year than Colorado and praised Kissing Bridge as a destination for all skill levels.
"Very different from Colorado, but I think that I'm bringing my experience from Colorado and other resorts and trying to apply it here, and raise the level of the experience that we have for our guests so that they can come here and enjoy skiing and riding here in Western New York," Thomas said.
McNulty said the strong season has brought a new wave of young skiers and families back to the sport.
"It's bringing the schools back to the sport and it's just keeping people healthy both physically and mentally. So it's a really great thing to get those extra days in the winter when most people are sitting at home on the couch waiting for winter to end," McNulty said.
Kissing Bridge is open through Sunday. Lift tickets are $25 per day through Saturday. On Sunday, the final day of the season, tickets drop to $5.
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