Holiday Valley, Kissing Bridge battle unseasonably warm temperatures

ELLICOTTVILLE, N.Y. — Buffalo experienced its warmest Christmas since 1982 on Monday, and while Western New Yorkers are enjoying the unusually warm holiday weather, not everyone in the region is.

Ski resorts that depend on snow this time of year are being faced with additional challenges like Holiday Valley, whose slopes are filled with patches of green. 

The unseasonably warm conditions are not only preventing natural snow from filling the slopes but are making it difficult for the resort to create artificial snow, which requires below-freezing temperatures and low humidity. 

The lack of proper conditions has impacted the resort at the ticket booth where Holiday Valley is seeing a decline in day-to-day ticket sales.

A resort spokesperson said it’s coming at an especially difficult time, as the period between Christmas and New Year's Day is one of its most profitable times of the year, in addition to MLK Weekend and President’s Day. 

However, given that so much of the business operations are in the hands of Mother Nature, Holiday Valley has other strategies to combat its challenges. 

“In those windows where we've been able to make snow, we stockpile as much as we can on the side of the slopes, make some large mounds of snow that we ideally let cure for a little bit,” said Dash Hegeman with Holiday Valley. “Then the grooming team will come out and push that snow out, covering up any bare spots or pushing it to any spots that are needed throughout the slopes that we've made snow on.”

Since temperatures have been above freezing for the majority of the season so far, 2 On Your Side is told they have had to go through several stockpiles already.

As a result, just 18 of 60 slopes are open as of Tuesday, but Hegeman said the conditions are spring-like and fun for many.

“The powder enthusiasts are waiting for that next big lake effect snow dump, and I can't blame them there,” he said. “But right now, as long as you don't mind a little bit of moisture coming down it, it's really fun out there.”

Holiday Valley isn't the only one to experience these conditions. Kissing Bridge, another ski resort about 35 miles north of Holiday Valley, said it is pushing its season-opening date from Friday to Saturday due to the warm conditions.