New York ski centers open on (and after) Christmas

Ski resorts have a long tradition of welcoming guests on Christmas Day, though the practice is less common for smaller ski centers.

For West Mountain in Queensbury, Christmas Day skiing will be available for the second year in a row. The ski center will welcome patrons from noon to 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

"A lot of resort destinations are open for Christmas ... and it's traditional anywhere you're staying (for a ski trip), that there's skiing Christmas Day," said West Mountain co-owner and manager Spencer Montgomery. "We're really trying to become ... more of a resort/holiday destination, which sort of plays into where we hope to take West Mountain."

Apex Capital, the investor group that owns West Mountain, has discussed long-term goals of developing property Apex owns adjacent to the ski center at the base and top of the mountain.

The goal is for ski-in, ski-out accommodations like those available at large ski resorts.

Christmas Day operations also give those who find shiny new ski or snowboard gear under their tree a way to try it out without much fuss, Montgomery added.

"A lot of kids get ski gear for Christmas presents and want to try it out Christmas Day, but they may not want to jump in the car and drive an hour or two or three to the north to the bigger centers that are open," Spencer said. "But they could come over here for two to four hours and get to test out their equipment."

Most of the larger ski destinations within daytrip distance of Glens Falls -- Gore, Whiteface, Killington, for instance -- are open Christmas Day. And while some smaller, community ski centers in the state are open on the holiday, they tend to be venues in areas that are already tourist-friendly.

"Spencer's decision to operate West on Christmas Day, I think is a good one," said Scott Brandi, president of Ski Areas of New York Inc. "West is so close to such a large skiing population. I think if you did a survey, you'd find about half of the smaller, more community resorts are open on Christmas Day."

Willard Mountain in Greenwich is among those that won't be open for the holiday, according to General Manager Jeff Fitzgerald.

"We're not a destination area; I think our customers tend not to ski on Christmas, so we choose to sit that day out," Fitzgerald said. "(West Mountain) has a lot of hotels around it, where we don't have that, so I think (Montgomery) is right, and if I were a general manager of West, I think I would run on Christmas, just given that proximity to Lake George and out-of-town guests."

Montgomery said working on Christmas Day -- both last year and this year -- is on a volunteer basis for West Mountain employees. About 70 percent of the staff opt to turn out for the shortened day.

"Obviously, it's a religious holiday, but we do have people that enjoy working on Christmas and picking up the extra hours," Montgomery said. "I remember when I worked in the resort community in Breckenridge, Colorado, I actually enjoyed working Christmas ... because normally people are in a good mood."

This weekend -- starting Friday night -- is the first opportunity for visitors to use West Mountain's tubing park. And the waffle hut, West Waffles, will make its belated debut this week, after getting approvals needed from the state Health Department. The waffle hut was supposed to open last year, but there were more requirements than expected for the tiny, stand-alone food-truck-sized structure.

Last Christmas Day, Montgomery said 100 to 200 patrons showed up to enjoy the snow.

"It wasn't huge," he said. "I don't think we had crowds that would have rivaled other days of the holiday week, but there definitely was a turnout ... and the people that were here were definitely appreciative that we were open."

Of course, Christmas Day skiing will still depend on the weather, and Montgomery said snowmaking was in full swing Friday in anticipation of a possible rain event Christmas Eve.

If it were raining coming into Christmas Day, and the conditions weren't safe, we wouldn't open," Montgomery said. "So, if it's raining and miserable, where people wouldn't come out to enjoy themselves, we won't operate."

Donald Preuninger, owner of Garnet Hill Lodge in Johnsburg, said the rain is more likely to fall as snow on his cross-country ski trails. That was the case for a storm system that dropped mostly rain and freezing rain on Glens Falls earlier this month.

"We have 14 or 15 inches of snow, all together," Preuninger said. "It's a good, 8-inch base now, and we expect to get more snow Monday and Tuesday."

The Christmas holiday week is one of the two biggest of the season for Garnet Hill. The other is the week of President's Day.

The resort offers a variety of accommodations. And skiing Christmas Day -- and New Year's Day -- is a big deal for guests, Preuninger said.

There are special dinners on Christmas Eve and Christmas at the lodge, and some families come back year after year to experience the holiday in the mountains.

"People love coming in and sitting by the fire and having dinner," Preuninger said. "It's just kind of cozy."