Utica, New York — For the first time in nearly a decade, Val Bialas is completely open for skiing and riding.
Last Friday night, Val Bialas Ski Center opened for the 2025-26 season. What made this opening notable is that it’s the first time the entire ski area has been open since 2017.
Last November, a groundbreaking was held for a $2 million revival project. Work over the past few months has revolved around installing a snowmaking system at the ski area. In previous years, it operated without a snowmaking network, resulting in minimal trails being open during a short timespan. The cold and snowy winter has also helped out Utica.
The old chairlift was also recently renovated. The old chairlift was broken because the auxiliary engine needed to be fixed by installing new plugs. Thanks to the work of Joe and Josh Amodio from New Age Hot Rods (an auto-performance shop in NY), they were able to make the lift functional again.
About Val Bialas
Opened in 1965, the New York ski area was named after Val Bialas. He was a Utica native who competed in speed skating events at the 1924, 1928, and 1932 Olympics. The ski area features various trails and two lifts (a chairlift and rope tow). There are also cross-country trails, a sledding hill, and an ice skating rink. The vision is to make it a year-round destination, with plans to develop hiking and biking trails.
Image Credits: City of Utica, NY
