Belleayre and NYS Budget Cuts

[ed-drum]

BELLEAYRE WILL BE FULLY OPEN THIS YEAR STARTING NOV.28!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The website is now up with lift prices. WHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[catskills]

BELLEAYRE WILL BE FULLY OPEN THIS YEAR STARTING NOV.28!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The website is now up with lift prices. WHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awesome news. Nobody wanted Belleayre to close. :beer:

Nothing like skiing in the Catskills Now your totally stoked right.

 

[skidbump]

Don't wanna be a pessimist but looks like its going to be a month shorter for there season.
Plus 2 lifts and 6 trails not opening

 

[skidbump]

here is the skinny from web site

Featured Events
BELLEAYRE SET TO SKI 7 DAYS A WEEK AS OPENING DAY ANNOUNCED
41 Trails Prepped to Go for Season


Belleayre Mountain will be open for riding and skiing seven days a week for the 2008-2009 season, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced today. Weather and conditions permitting, Belleayre will open the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 28, and run through March 2009, operating six lifts and 41 trails and glades.

Located in the heart of the Catskill Mountains in Highmount, NY, Belleayre will offer terrain for all levels of riders and skiers from beginner to expert. All programming will be available, including the popular “Kidscamp,” racing programs, and – new this year -- the adaptive ski program. Trained instructors from Belleayre and Helen Hayes Rehabilitation Hospital will provide coaching for the adaptive community.

In response to the state’s fiscal situation, Belleayre is taking a number of steps this season to operate more efficiently while continuing to deliver a world-class regional skiing experience. Two lifts that are adjacent to other, more highly used lifts will be closed, a change that will have only a marginal impact on lift capacity. While snowmaking and grooming on most of the mountain will be unchanged, several of the less frequently used trails will be open on a natural cover basis. Use of the “Half Pipe” terrain also will be weather dependent. In addition, advertising will be reduced, and other operational and administrative efficiencies achieved. These changes will not impact skier safety or any essential operations or maintenance of the ski area.

Most season ticket prices will remain the same as last year. Daily lift tickets will increase slightly to account for higher fuel costs and increases in other operational costs.

DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis thanked Senator John Bonacic and Assemblyman Kevin Cahill for advocating for the Belleayre, an important regional resource.

“The communities throughout the Route 28 Corridor have made their voices loud and clear on the importance of the Belleayre Ski Center to the local economy,” Assemblyman Cahill said. “Commissioner Grannis and Governor (David A.) Paterson have demonstrated a keen understanding of the significance of this facility to the region by putting forth a reasonable plan that accounts for the current pressures in the economy as well as destabilizing energy costs. Working closely with DEC to resolve this issue, we prioritized the need for a full season with a diversity of programs at a reasonable price and that is what Commissioner Grannis delivered.”

Season passes, frequent skiers cards and “Belleayre Bucks” are now on sale. The Belleayre Fall Festival, scheduled for Oct. 11-12, will be held at the Delaware and Ulster Railroad depot on Route 28 in Arkville, just five miles from the ski area.

Belleayre’s annual “Job Fair” for seasonal workers is slated for Nov. 8, from noon to 6 p.m. at the Longhouse Lodge. For more information about employment, specific programming or the upcoming Fall Festival and ski season please go to www.belleayre.com.

 

[MarkC]

Don't wanna be a pessimist but looks like its going to be a month shorter for there season.
Plus 2 lifts and 6 trails not opening

The question is which 2. I am thinking 2 and 7.

 

[thinnmann]

Do The Happy Dance!



I wonder if this forum helped?.........

Don't wanna be a pessimist but looks like its going to be a month shorter for there season.
Plus 2 lifts and 6 trails not opening

The question is which 2. I am thinking 2 and 7.

Calendar shows snowsport events through April 12.
http://www.belleayre.com/company/calendar.htm

Closing 7 on weekends would put a hell of a lot of traffic on the run in to Superchief, and cause wait-in-line hell. Hoping the closed lifts are 2 and another of those short green lines on the bunnies.

 

[faceplant]

from 1 nytaxpayin mope...

halaluyah- Belleayre rides again! Helmets off to Gov. Paterson, Sen. Schumer & Bonacic, Comish Grannis, Assemblyman Cahill, Congressman Hinchey- all the officials elected (& un) who heard the people, and did the rite thing. Please believe, you kept Its A Wonderful Life from turnin into Pottersville. Looks like time to celebrate with a pie from Alice and Roger

 

[MarkC]

I wonder if this forum helped?.........





Calendar shows snowsport events through April 12.
http://www.belleayre.com/company/calendar.htm

Closing 7 on weekends would put a hell of a lot of traffic on the run in to Superchief, and cause wait-in-line hell. Hoping the closed lifts are 2 and another of those short green lines on the bunnies.

Closing a handle tow would not save that much money. Only one person is needed to operate a handle tow. A chairlift takes 3.

 

[skidbump]

says in text of msg ...1 of the 2 doubles and another more highly used lift...any lift closed on weekend will cause long waits.

 

[andrec10]

says in text of msg ...1 of the 2 doubles and another more highly used lift...any lift closed on weekend will cause long waits.

Considering its the state and DEC, I think you should be thankful it is going to be open as much as it is. I have have personally dealt with the DEC, and this turnaround in itself is nothing short of incredible! Sometimes we need to be thankful for what we have!

 

[faceplant]

highly used? i"m bettin on the triple- just a hunch

now we"re passed this I can get back to doin somethin usefull

like lookin for bigfoot
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19813529&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74969&rfi=6

 

[evantrentful]

haha. I just bought a midweek season pass!
I noticed they have a 'share belleayre' program, that if you buy any pass before 'labor day' you can bring a friend 5 times at a discount... I wonder if that is a typo and they meant columbus day

I can see them closing the Triple, but I would be amazed if it was Chair 1 or 2. They are the only chairs that service the green area, Doubles and slow, only having one would clog that whole area down. Hopefully its one of the Tbars

 

[evantrentful]

eh. Nevermind. I just checked, they updated the website to read "Opening Day" instead of labor day and raised the ticket price from $28 to $34. oh well

 

[thinnmann]

Not so impressive. I made the right call to the right person at the right time. Simple; anyone could have made the call. It was just a fluke that the word came down this morning when I called.

Hey K2four (BTW, you still ski those?):
Any chance you can use your connections and make another phone call to the right person to find out which lifts are not going to run, and if the non-running will include weekends?

 

[thinnmann]

Some new numbers

Most of the articles that came out yesterday following the press release just quoted it, for the most part. Some headlines spun it as negative, "Belleayre Confirms Operational Cutbacks", and some spun it as positive, "Belleayre Set to Ski Seven Days...".

Here is one that came out today quoting actual numbers:

...Belleayre was “left about $1.5 million short for the upcoming ski season even with the $750,000 NY Senator John Bonacic secured.​

 

[k2 four]

Don't wanna be a pessimist but looks like its going to be a month shorter for there season.
Plus 2 lifts and 6 trails not opening

The halfpipe counts as 1 trail and the other 5 are glade trails that are only open with natural snow anyway. My guess is that Algonquin and Peeka will be opened with natural snow only.

 

[k2 four]

Hey K2four (BTW, you still ski those?):
Any chance you can use your connections and make another phone call to the right person to find out which lifts are not going to run, and if the non-running will include weekends?

Ahhhh. the K2four, the rebirth of skiing IMHO. I don't ski them anymore. I like them due to that unknown racer that made them (and himself) famous. He was a rebel than and a rebel now.

I will make a couple of calls to see what shakes out.

 

[Rambo]

http://www.firsttracksonline.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5007

From what I have been reading on the net, Belleayre will still be underfunded. Not running all lifts on the upper mountain on crowded weekends may drive frustrated skiers away.

Also the above article states: "Although the ski resort located in the Catskill Mountains north of New York City will still operate seven days per week, from Nov. 28 through March 2009, officials at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) confirmed on Wednesday that lift and snowmaking operations will be restricted this winter." SO THE SEASON MAY END AT THE END OF MARCH.

I know Belleayre's website still shows a calender of events, listing activities through April 12, 2009, BUT that was before the budget problems.

 

[thinnmann]

Optimism

Ahhhh. the K2four, the rebirth of skiing IMHO. I don't ski them anymore. I like them due to that unknown racer that made them (and himself) famous. He was a rebel than and a rebel now.

I will make a couple of calls to see what shakes out.

Thanks!

People may call Bode a rebel, but it shakes out that he was a VISONARY.

I know Belleayre's website still shows a calender of events, listing activities through April 12, 2009, BUT that was before the budget problems.

I could be wrong, but I believe that calendar appeared yesterday, when they rolled out the site update.

Maybe it goes like this:
You make the plans and set the limits. Then, when you are really in operation, you begin conservatively, hoping at the end you can stretch your resources and extend your plans beyond your original limits.

We can always hope for LOTS OF NATURAL SNOW~~!

 

[edgeworker]

I called the Mt and they said that the rope tow and one of the parallel lower lifts will be shut down. Trails closed are the ones that they nomally don`t blow on including Cathedral.