Holiday Valley Resort, known more commonly as just Holiday Valley, is a family-oriented vacation spot and ski resort in Ellicottville, New York. Established in 1957 by Nelson Pauly, John Fisher and Bill Northrup, the facility opened with four runs and one T-bar lift. Currently the resort contains 60 slopes and 13 lifts. Since its opening Holiday Valley has experienced steady growth and has become the main tourist attraction in Cattaraugus County. In 1995 the Inn at Holiday Valley opened, turning the slope into a self-contained ski resort.
The resort is located on the north side of McCarty Hill, in the southern part of the town of Ellicottville, between the village and the town of Great Valley on U.S. Route 219. It is part of the ski country belt that runs through Western New York and is one of two ski resorts in the town of Ellicottville, the other being Holimont; unlike Holimont, which is mostly restricted to members only, Holiday Valley is open to the public. A third resort, the Concord Club on Poverty Hill, closed in 1991 and is currently being redeveloped into housing.
Holiday Valley also operates a tubing facility on a separate plot a few miles northeast of the ski resort.
The resort is south of the CanadaâÂÂUnited States border at Buffalo; Canadians constitute approximately one third of Holiday Valley's business.
After a search for initial investors, in 1956 Robert "Bob" Stubbs lead a group founders that included Dick Congdon, John Fisher, and Bill Northrup sold stock in a parking lot in Ellicottville for $100 per share to open a ski area. Under Stubb's guidance Holiday Valley was among the early supporters of the relatively new technology of snow making. The first four runs called Yodeler, Champagne, Holiday Run, and Edelweiss were cut in 1957, but due to mild weather early that winter their opening was delayed until January 7, 1958. Since then, Holiday Valley has added 52 runs including two terrain parks, 12 lifts, and a snow tubing hill.
As of 2021, there are 4 lodges. Here they are:
The ski mountain is the flagship attraction at Holiday Valley. Today, the entire mountain holds 56 slopes and 13 ski lifts. Despite its relatively small size, the resort has experienced consistent growth since opening in 1958. Two hotels, the Inn at Holiday Valley and the Tamarack Club opened in which both hold condominiums and hotel rooms. Per USGS Topographic Map MRC 42078C6, Holiday Valley lies at the foot of McCarty Hill with a peak elevation of and a base below , giving Holiday Valley a "vertical drop" over .
Due to the fluctuating climate in the area during the winter in the early and late season, the resort relies heavily on snowmaking technology. As of 2011, Holiday Valley uses a completely automated snowmaking system. This system automatically controls the amount and temperature of water it sprays, which snow machines on the mountains are running, and when they turn on and shut off. The system can also adjust these variables based on the outside temperature. According to the snowmaking team, the software in this new system allows them to turn the snow machines on with their cell phones.
In the past decade the resort has received positive recognition within the ski community. According to Buffalo Business First, âÂÂHoliday Valley has been in the [Ski MagazineâÂÂs] Top Ten poll for Eastern resorts for the past six yearsâ prior to 2009.âÂÂ
Ski Magazine's 2020 Resort Rankings placed Holiday Valley tenth best in the East and second in New York State, calling it a "...small, great Eastern ski operation." At one point in the 2000s, Holiday Valley ranked third in the East, surpassing Whiteface MountainâÂÂs ski offerings.