The Belleayre Resort - for or against?

[MarkC]

The thing that I do not like about the resort plan is that adding highmount and new terrain near the glenn that is a bit more interesting than the rest of the mountain may take away from the niche market of Plattekill. Most people drive the extra 20 minutes to platty because they think Belleayre is boring. It may not be so boring after this expansion.

 

[dmc]

It's still going to be a litle tamer then a Platekill or Hunter skier would choose...

I think lots of the change will be people who normally go to MC or lower VT may choose Bellayre.

 

[nycskier]

I'm 100% for this. It is a no brainer. This will make Bellayre a much better mountain with a lot more terrain to ski!

A bigger better Bellayre a mere 2 1/2 hours drive from NYC is a dream come true!!!!

 

[kingslug]

Well I'm all for it for several reasons. Bell does bore me but has better bump runs than all the others, (OK, Hunter west is still the king) especially in the spring, though they are short on vert. The area needs this, more jobs can't hurt. My property value should increase, not a bad thing. And if I want peace and quiet, Platt is right up the road.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

I don't get way some of these posts seem to be trying to rain on the parade of those who like Bellayre. What might happen is that as Bellayre becomes a bigger player in the region other Catskill resorts will step it up on improvements to keep up.

I see it as a plus for those of you who ski the Catskills. It seems to me therereally has not been much to get excited about down there in alot of years. The Bellayre project may be the spark that gets things going. I know if I owned property down there I'd be pretty jazzed.

 

[andyzee]

I like to ski

 

[thinnmann]

Anonymous blog postings

Checkout these anonymous comments I got at my blog in response to resort chatter I wrote about there:

First one:

They are blasting Wildacres and Highmount to make way for a 5 star "luxury" resort thinman. They're trying to fool the people of the area into thinking the rich and famous are going to stay there. Where have you been? They're clear cutting the top of Highmount so they can cram as many condos as they can fit in that limited space. The construction will take eight years. In construction terms that mean 16. There will be year round lights seen for miles. Do you live in a vacuum? Kaboom may sound like fun to you but it signals the end for anyone unfortunate enough to have spent their lives paying for a retirement home in the immediate area. These aren't rich people, many are on fixed incomes and have nowhere else to go. Taxpayer money is being diverted to profit a private developer for maximum profit. Get the picture pal?​

Second one:

Please elucidate your belief about how the local economy will improve because of this. The Belleayre Resort now consists of two developments totaling 629 "units" of various sizes, an 18-hole golf course, driving range, clubhouse, 2 spas - one underground, two hotels, five restaurants, ten retail stores, a conference center with 12,000 sf footprint but unknown number of stories, parking, guest and service roads, street lighting, service buildings and other structures not yet detailed.

Why the hell would anyone go anywhere else once they got there? The only hope for the locals is that the food at the restaurant will suck so much they'll flee in terror.

That's assuming the misconceived behemoth ever gets to the stage of being built. It will more than likely fall apart after they've blown the bloody place to bits. And we'll be stuck with what they were trying to prevent back in 1885 in the first place.​

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Checkout these anonymous comments I got at my blog in response to resort chatter I wrote about there:

First one:

They are blasting Wildacres and Highmount to make way for a 5 star "luxury" resort thinman. They're trying to fool the people of the area into thinking the rich and famous are going to stay there. Where have you been? They're clear cutting the top of Highmount so they can cram as many condos as they can fit in that limited space. The construction will take eight years. In construction terms that mean 16. There will be year round lights seen for miles. Do you live in a vacuum? Kaboom may sound like fun to you but it signals the end for anyone unfortunate enough to have spent their lives paying for a retirement home in the immediate area. These aren't rich people, many are on fixed incomes and have nowhere else to go. Taxpayer money is being diverted to profit a private developer for maximum profit. Get the picture pal?​

Second one:

Please elucidate your belief about how the local economy will improve because of this. The Belleayre Resort now consists of two developments totaling 629 "units" of various sizes, an 18-hole golf course, driving range, clubhouse, 2 spas - one underground, two hotels, five restaurants, ten retail stores, a conference center with 12,000 sf footprint but unknown number of stories, parking, guest and service roads, street lighting, service buildings and other structures not yet detailed.

Why the hell would anyone go anywhere else once they got there? The only hope for the locals is that the food at the restaurant will suck so much they'll flee in terror.

That's assuming the misconceived behemoth ever gets to the stage of being built. It will more than likely fall apart after they've blown the bloody place to bits. And we'll be stuck with what they were trying to prevent back in 1885 in the first place.​

You get a lot of this type of sentiment from some people who live in Tupper Lake. Whether the entire Bell project gets complete, some of it, or none of it, some group will be pissed off. Ain’t no way to please everybody.

 

[ERJ-145CA]

Hey, how can you beat skiier appreciation day for $10.00

Well it's $15.00 but anyway I have mixed feelings about it, I like the mellow atmosphere at Belleayre unfortunately the development will probably kill that. I'll just have to wait and see. However I am excited about the additon of the Highmount terrain. Also if it helps the region's economy I would consider that a plus.

 

[JimG.]

I don't get way some of these posts seem to be trying to rain on the parade of those who like Bellayre. What might happen is that as Bellayre becomes a bigger player in the region other Catskill resorts will step it up on improvements to keep up.

I see it as a plus for those of you who ski the Catskills. It seems to me therereally has not been much to get excited about down there in alot of years. The Bellayre project may be the spark that gets things going. I know if I owned property down there I'd be pretty jazzed.

Actually, it was a tame and civil thread until someone took the obligatory shot at Hunter. I certainly am not raining on Belleayre's parade and in fact said they need to do this to keep up. If anything, this is a play to step up to the plate AND set a new height.

 

[adamti91]

I see it as a plus for those of you who ski the Catskills.

That it is, but with it's current plan (WAY too big) it's a detriment to the area for those who live here. More traffic, environmental problems, watershed issues, and light pollution for sure.

 

[dmc]

I don't get way some of these posts seem to be trying to rain on the parade of those who like Bellayre. What might happen is that as Bellayre becomes a bigger player in the region other Catskill resorts will step it up on improvements to keep up.

I see it as a plus for those of you who ski the Catskills. It seems to me therereally has not been much to get excited about down there in alot of years. The Bellayre project may be the spark that gets things going. I know if I owned property down there I'd be pretty jazzed.

not raining on anyones parade... Bellayre has it's place..
Just don't attack my mountain with stupid comments...

The rain fell on me first complements of GrillySteeze.. And I had to react... it's what I do... People from the Poconos attack hunter.. And i get pissed...

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

The rain fell on me first complements of GrillySteeze.. And I had to react... it's what I do... People from the Poconos attack hunter.. And i get pissed...

Right, it's GrilledCheese your pissed at not everybody that likes Belleyre. If you can't think of another way to bust that guys balls somethings wrong.

not raining on anyones parade... Bellayre has it's place..
Just don't attack my mountain with stupid comments...
.

I've always admired the way you stick up for your turf and have said so before.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

not raining on anyones parade... Bellayre has it's place..
Just don't attack my mountain with stupid comments...

The rain fell on me first complements of GrillySteeze.. And I had to react... it's what I do... People from the Poconos attack hunter.. And i get pissed...

The terrain at Hunter is good but I like the fact that Belleayre stays open later than Hunter..along with their atmosphere..I like Hunter and Belleayre and I've had some good memories skiing Windham. Since I was in middle school, there's been a loss of lift served ski terrain in the Catskills..I'm for some more trails at Belleayre but not for a 4 kazillion dollar project..they don't have to turn Belleayre into Stowe..

 

[dmc]

Right, it's GrilledCheese your pissed at not everybody that likes Belleyre. If you can't think of another way to bust that guys balls somethings wrong.

The joint definately has a great fan base they really loves the place and I get the vibe - it's cool.. very old school.. And tony seems like a decent guy.. the PA people blasting Hunter really pisses me off... And when they leverage Bellayre into their anti Hunter rants it annoys me.. Obviously.. they just can't see the difference or it doesn't matter to them...

I think me talking about lack of sustained vert is just background noise to these people.. Because they probably enjoy the winding flats after a steep "headwall" as part of the whole experience.. more power to 'em... I'm into something different..

i cautiosly support the expansion.

 

[dmc]

I'm for some more trails at Belleayre but not for a 4 kazillion dollar project..they don't have to turn Belleayre into Stowe..

Real estate pays for terrain these days...

 

[dmc]

I've always admired the way you stick up for your turf and have said so before.

thanks... Our town struggles with everything going on...

It's important to get the message out that Hunter has changed for the better. and a lot of the negative experience has swung to the family vibe - but the terrain stays the same..

The mountain and the town are changing and trying to prepare for a good future...

 

[catskills]

I like to ski

Me too

 

[adamti91]

I think everybody is for the economic stimulation the planned resort would bring the area surrounding Belleayre, and for the improvements to Belleayre's terrain, lodges, and lifts. The obvious drawbacks are the reason locals (for the most part), are opposed to Gitter's resort. The resort goes against the 'Forever Wild' idea of the Catskills, and will cause tremendous harm to the environment, in terms of light pollution, construction problems, increased traffic on roads, and like I said before, the infrastructure of the surrounding towns and villages simply will not be able to meet the demands that the resort's customers will require.

In addition, I believe that any development associated with the resort (in terms of accommodating skiiers and snowboarders drawn to Belleayre's new terrain/improvements who do not stay at the resort) will take place in and around the town of Highmount, and in the immediate neighbors like Pine Hill and Fleischmanns, leaving villages like Arkville and Olive even worse off than they are now.

 

[kingslug]

Funny thing is that I can see how all this construction is going to have a negative effect on those that live in the area. We only come up on weekends but our neighbor has decided to build a HUGE barn, rip out ALL the trees on the front of his property, double the size of his house, and dig a huge drainage ditch all the way down the road that connects all our properties, which left us with no way to get to our driveway. This has affected us in a pretty poor way. Yes he did pave the road but after getting into an argument with the dreaded mother in-law, left us with no enterance to the driveway. I can only hope that all this construction does not destroy ALL of the peace and quiet of the area. I guess if it turns into a real suckfest we could always sell and move somewhere else.