Monticello, New York — In the spring of 2023, Holiday Mountain was on the verge of closure. Two of its main chairlifts hadn’t ran in years, and the ski area only operated three runs, down from the 14 trails during its heyday. The ski area’s owner, Craig Passante, put the property on the market, and it seemed likely that a housing developer, which has been swooping up land across the Catskills, would come in and turn the struggling ski area into housing.
However, Mike Taylor had other ideas. Mike, a longtime ski patroller at Plattekill Mountain, also runs a successful propane and heating oil business. His family has roots at Holiday Mountain, as his great-grandmother sold the ski area to the local government (who was the prior owner before selling it to Passante in 2000). With a historic ski area seemingly on the verge of closure, Taylor decided to step in and acquire it.
From there, he and his team hit the ground running. The first offseason featured a variety of projects that revitalized the mountain. For snowmaking, the ski area replaced two 150-horsepower water pumps with three new 250-hp pumps. They added 13 fan guns via SMI and 45 stick guns from Ratnik. The Turkey Trot chairlift was revived for one final season, as they refurbished it to become operational once again. Holiday Mountain acquired a used magic carpet and a tube shaper to modernize the tubing park, moving it over to the inactive side of the ski area. In addition, Taylor acquired a snow groomer from Royal Mountain.
The cost of these changes was motorbiking on the slopes. The previous owner allowed Motocross riders to use the land in the prior summers, leading to extensive slope erosion.
The 2023-24 season was challenging, as it was a warm and wet winter for New York’s ski industry. The mountain opened later than they wanted, and Mike and his team had to learn on the go. Despite these challenges, it was still a successful season and set the momentum for this upcoming winter.
The improvements for this upcoming ski season are also massive. A new-to-them fixed-grip quad chairlift has replaced the old Turkey Trot chairlift. Situated initially at Massanutten Resort, the Virginia ski resort planned to scrap the lift. At the last minute, Holiday Mountain called and saved the lift. It was re-engineered to fit Holiday Mountain’s topography. After a renovation from various sources, the lift installation commenced. It’s expected to be ready to go for opening day.
Snowmaking is also another core aspect of this offseason. 23 fan guns and 100 HKD stick guns have been added for this upcoming winter. Another air compressor has been added, doubling their capacity. A fourth water pump has been installed, with this being an impressive 450 hp. Six miles of snowmaking pipe have been placed to improve production.
For tenured skiers and riders, the significant addition is the opening of the Hackledam trail, which will be one of the steepest trails in the Catskills. A phrase has been commonly uttered by those who have seen the run so far: “Holy fucking shit.”
A few more trails have also been added for this winter. For the first time in forty years, Independence Pass will reopen. Mambo Night, named in honor of the popular resorts in the Catskills hosting Cuban-themed dance parties, is a new beginner run that connects Independence Pass to Benson’s Glade. While technically not a new run, the skier’s right of Turkey Trot has been cleared for ski racing purposes. Holiday Mountain has added timing fiberoptic lines and a timing shack to bring in high school teams for races and training sessions. Other improvements include new lights across their trails and a new-to-them snow groomer.
For the 2025-26 season, Holiday Mountain is planning to add its first terrain park on the Manny’s Pass trail. In addition, Taylor plans to construct a rope tow lift, popular at Midwest ski areas, to Manny’s Pass.
Next is figuring out what to do with the defunct side of the mountain. This terrain pod was once home to six trails and two lifts but has remained closed for years because of an inoperable chairlift and its trails being damaged by erosion from flooding and the motocross events.
They’re currently talking with several ski resorts about acquiring a used lift. This could add five or six trails and another lift to the ski resort’s lineup. A formal reopening date for this area has yet to be announced, as they need to figure out how to stabilize the soil for the expansion. In the meantime, crews have removed the old chairlift.
Holiday Mountain is also planning a new lodge and Nordic skiing trail network. In the summit area, Taylor is considering adding Nordic trails and having a lodge for this group of skiers.
They could also continue to grow. The quarry next door to Holiday Mountain has given the ski area approval to add more ski trails, which could lead to more steep terrain.
With terrain expansions, new-to-them lifts, a vast water supply for snowmaking, and being near the country’s largest metropolitan area, the future is bright for this New York ski area.
Image Credits: Holiday Mountain Ski & Fun Park, Skimap.org
