Courtesy of Gore Mountain Ski Area
By Paul Post
Olympic Regional Development Authority has invested $17 million on capital upgrades at Gore and Whiteface mountains for the upcoming ski season.
Projects include replacing antiquated lifts, updating and maintaining existing lifts, improving snowmaking and electrical infrastructure, and modernizing buildings and lodges.
At Gore, workers broke ground last spring on a new 18,300-square-foot lodge at North Creek Ski Bowl, operated by ORDA adjacent to the main ski center but owned by the Town of Johnsburg. The new lodge, complete with a restaurant and two levels of outdoor patios, is scheduled for completion in 2025 and is expected to boost year-round recreational tourism, further enhancing the resort’s impact on the local economy.
In addition, the Ski Bowl’s old Hudson chairlift has been replaced with a new detachable quad servicing all levels of ski trails.
These are the latest in a series of Ski Bowl upgrades ORDA has undertaken since December 2022. It has installed chairlifts, improved trails, upgraded snowmaking systems, modernized, and expanded the Joe Minder Lodge, and developed a professional Nordic center with certified racecourses.
Also in time for this winter, at Gore’s main ski area all of the Northwoods Gondola cabins have been replaced with new eight-passenger cabins with ski racks that better accommodate modern, wider-diameter skis and snowboards.
“We continue our vision of a multi-faceted Gore Mountain that serves the local community and achieves sustainable goals while being an all-season travel destination that provides a positive impact on the entire region for decades to come,” Gore General Manager James Bayse said.
At Whiteface, key upgrades for 2024-25 include a new patio outside the Bear Den Learning Center. Complete with environmentally friendly in-ground heating, the patio gives guests a place to gather for dining, watching family members learn to ski and ride, and simply enjoy the mountain.
Also, new pipe and high efficiency tower snowmaking guns have been installed on the popular Mackenzie and Wilderness trails and on Upper Parkway. Plus, a new Snowmax injection system has been installed to further boost snowmaking capabilities across the mountain in warmer temperatures. Basic but important maintenance and improvements are also being made to Whiteface’s Pumphouse 1 to facilitate improved snowmaking operations throughout the ski season.
In addition, the Cloudsplitter Gondola received a new haul rope, installed early this summer. A haul rope is the extremely long and weighty steel cable that lifts gondola cabins up the mountain throughout the season.
Whiteface has also obtained a new winch-ready PistonBully 600 Snow Cat that will help the grooming crew that ensure even the steepest trails are in top shape each morning
Gore and Whiteface employ about 400 and 470 people, respectively, at peak season and are major contributors to ORDA’s overall economic impact, which totals more than $340 million while generating more than $25 million in state and local taxes.
“Recent improvements to the Olympic Authority’s ski facilities have contributed to the continued success of New York State’s tourism industry,” ORDA President and CEO Ashley Walden said. “The modernizations to our venues have driven record-breaking visitation and supported our ability to be an economic catalyst in the regions we serve.”
Gore and Whiteface had 251,236 and 216,086 skier visits during the 2022-23 winter season, boosting revenue streams for many types of local business such as hotels, restaurants, gas stations, convenience stores and retail merchandise shops.
ORDA Director of Information Darcy Rowen Norfolk said, “We continually look to improve the skier experience. With climate change, we are not only working to provide exceptional experiences at our ski resorts, but we are doing it with thoughtful stewardship necessary to preserve this legacy far into the future for all to enjoy.”