Tell me about Belleayre

[Buckeye Skier 1330]

We're planning our annual trek to the northeast and we're thinking about an Elk Mountain, Bellearye combo trip. It would be midweek the first week of March. I haven't heard a whole lot about Bellearye. The trail map looks pretty interesting. I also remember reading about them having a snowcat operation, although I may be wrong about that. Any comments you folks have will be greatly apppreciated!

 

[redalienx11]

I live about 80 minutes from Belleayre. I really like the atmosphere there and would recommend it. Here are some random tips that may/may not be helpful...just from my experience.
NOTE: this is assuming you are not skiing with young children or "green circle only" beginners

-- park at and use the "upper" Overlook Lodge. It id easier to access the majority of trails from this Lodge. There are rentals and a cafeteria downstairs, and nice fire-side atmosphere upstairs.

-- Stick to the upper 1/2 of the mountain. While you may get more mileage in skiing all the way down to the bottom, the lower 1/2 of the mountain is a bit runout (flat). One exception to this is Roaring Brook. This is a very enjoyable trail and is long. To full appreciate the length of this trail it should be skied top-to-bottom. Otherwise stick to lift 7 or the Tomahawk lift.

--as far as cat skiing goes, I think that belleayre runs a cat across the top of the mountain (to the right if your riding up the chair). I think the cat drops you off at the top of the Cathedral Brook trail and lets you explore the natural terrain in that area. However, that is pretty much speculation because I have never done it.

Hope you have a great time!

--Tim

 

[GadgetRick]

:::rubbing hands together:::
What would you like to know? I patroll there and can tell you lots of things about the mountain.

I second the, "stick to the top of the mountain thing," theme--if you can. The skiing on lower is great if you're just starting out but it's much better from the top.

From the top we have blacks and blues. Roaring Brook is off to your left (East Side) as you exit either lift 6 or lift 7. It is a nice long, somewhat winding trail which you can ski to lift 7 or down to lift 6.

Lift 6 takes a little longer to get to the top (it's a quad). That should change since we're working on getting a high-speed detachable, hopefully for next season. But that's another story.

Overlook Lodge is a nice lodge with a cafeteria, bar and two big fireplaces. On the weekends we also have Kettle Corn outside and a place to buy food outside. There are tables where you can sit outside and enjoy the atmosphere/eat as well.

We also have a lodge at the summit. Somewhat less selections for food but a nice view out the back. Worth a looksee.

We do have cat access when the Beast is running. It was running this past weekend. It takes you off to the left (looking up) to Cathedral Brook. That trail is ungroomed so it may or may not be open. I don't know what it's like today but it was open this past weekend and wasn't bad skiing from what I heard (I didn't make it over there).

We also have a GREAT green/blue trail called Deer Run off the right side (West Side) of the mountain (off lift 8 or Tomahawk). VERY nice winding trail with some of the best views on the mountain.

Some of the best trails are on the West side. Dot Nebel is usually in very good shape as well as Seneca, Peekamoose and others. We also have a new trail called Lift Line which goes down below Tomahawk. We had to close the upper portion due to the snow being skied off but the lower was still open on Sunday with lots of pow pow. The top is nice when there's enough snow. Challenging.

If you like bumps you want to hit Seneca, upper Yahoo, Tongora and Winnisook (West to East on the mountain). Onteora was also in nice shape on Saturday but I believe it was skied off a bit on Sunday.

Basically, I love the mountain. Lots of fun and really nice people. Family atmosphere and it's not outrageously expensive for a lift ticket.

If you go on a weekend, give me a headsup. If I'm there you can ask for me (Farmer) and I'll be happy to show you around the mountain.

 

[YardSaleDad]

The Beast is fun. It costs $2.00 and will take you the half mile along the ridge to the trails "Cathedral Brook" and "The Glen". I rode it this weekend with an instructor who told me it was a Desert Storm surplus item. Don't know if it's true, but it was a good story while on the ride out.

If the beast is not running, you can still traverse the ridge, or take roaring brook to the first turn, and hop the rope to get to catherdral brook a bit lower down.

The combo of Onondaga, Horseshoe pass, Roaring brook also makes for a nice long run.

Deer run passes by an old woods road that will connect you, in a 30 yard traverse to the, former Highmount ski area. Check with the information desk if you are still allowed to poach those trails. You will have a bit of a road walk back to Belleayre if you do.

Hit the trails in front of the lodge early since they have the most traffic and get skied off quickly even on the best of days. The trails off the Tomahawk lift get less traffic than the others.

The Lower mountain is an excellent place for beginners if you have anyone starting out. I have only had good experiences with the instructors.

For lunch, the soup in a bread bowl is one of the best values. The wraps at the lower lodge are good too.

 

[Buckeye Skier 1330]

Thanks everyone. It sounds like a pretty cool mountain. The Beast looks awesome. Does it ever run on the weekdays or is it weekends only? I hope we can get a ride or 3 on it.
Highmount sounds interesting. I looked it up on NELSAP but they only had a listing, no trail map or pics. I saw on NELSAP or SkiMaps.com that it had 1050 foot vertical. If the conditions are right a hike at the bottom might be well worth the effort!
Thanks again, we are really looking forward to the trip.

 

[GadgetRick]

The Beast has run during the week but I don't know if it's running during the week right now. You can check the website to be sure.

Be careful poaching over there. You're not allowed. You know I have to say that...

Enjoy!