ELLICOTTVILLE, N.Y. — Holiday Valley resort has opened for the 2024-2025 skiing and snowboarding season, with officials saying that the snowy conditions on Friday were perfect for excited guests.
"The first day always has a lot of excitement with it, but when you tie that in with the fact that it's actually snowing, a bunch of snow has come. It just makes all the difference in the world," Dash Hegeman, the director of marketing at Holiday Valley, told 2 On Your Side.
Holiday Valley made some improvements over the summer to improve its runs, including multiple new snow machines. This allows them to build a better base and hopefully hold them longer than their anticipated closing date in April.
The resort is excited to welcome guests back for the season, and wants people of all abilities to come and enjoy the winter weather.
"If your living in this area, you have to find something to do in the wintertime, you can't just stay inside and hibernate all winter long. So ski resorts give people such a fantastic opportunity to be out here and be outside having fun," Hegeman said.
Among those eagerly awaiting this day was Matt Plaister, who hit the slopes right when they opened.
"Going to a bunch of other places but this is the spot I call home. I've been coming here for 25 years, and I'm only 30 years old," Plaister said. "It's part of living out here, that makes you love it."
Other local resorts are also opening this weekend, Peek n' Peak and Kissing Bridge open on Saturday.