With a single Facebook post, a small mountain in upstate New York received national attention and captured the hearts of the entire ski industry. Hickory Hill has endured hardships brought on by climate change and financial stress that are all too common to small ski areas. After announcing the inability to afford their insurance for the 2023/24 season, skiers, both local and scattered throughout the country, responded in droves allowing the mountain to open for the first time in 10 years. This is the story of that incredible comeback.
Unfortunately Hickory Hill’s operators announced on their the website on November 7th, 2025 that they wouldn’t be open for either lift-served or uphill skiing in the 2025-26 ski season. While the future of this classic ski resort remains uncertain, the tale of rebirth in 2023/24 is still worth remembering.
About Reviving the Legend:
Reviving the Legend is a ski film by Ian McGrew that tells the story of what Hickory Ski Center experienced during the 23/24 ski season.
It highlights how the skiing community came together to save a small mountain and the incredible people from around the globe who generously opened their wallets and hearts to revive this cherished local ski hill.
The film celebrates the resilience of a family-run ski center that refused to give up and the power of a single viral social media post that captured the hearts of skiers everywhere.
