By Michael Ryan
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
WINDHAM — There was a time, not that long ago, when cows contentedly grazed in the places where skiers and snowboarders nowadays whiz down Windham Mountain.
Those rural, hilly fields have become an internationally known winter and summer destination spot, with the ski slope celebrating its 50th year in operation, this weekend, without disturbing the quaintness and charm of the little town below.
Quite the contrary, in fact. Several special events are taking place on the mountain, January 22 & 23, including fireworks, a Time Capsule presentation, live music and a champagne toast and cake cutting, ushering in the next half-century in style.
“We’re very pleased to be here for all of our customers and to be an important part of the community,” Windham Mountain president and general manager Tim Woods said. “We look forward to being here at least another fifty years and beyond.”
It is hard to imagine the ski slope without its wintry, snow-covered trails that get transformed into world class mountain-biking courses in the spring and summer, attracting Olympic-level athletes and families showing up just for fun.
There are people, though, who can picture Windham Mountain when it was merely pastures and neat stonewalls. “I remember when it was farm land,” says Richard Morse, a town of Windham resident who has lived in the shadow of the peaks all of his 84 years.
“When it was being developed, I remember wondering if it would benefit the town,” Morse says, smiling. “Well, it certainly has and all you have to do is drive through some other towns in the area to see the difference. No, I can’t say I’ve ever been a skier, believe it or not, being so close, but fortunately there are plenty of folks who are.”
Windham and its citizens have uniquely blossomed beneath the night lights of snow-making guns whirring into the wee hours, and learned to love the long lines of traffic that crowd downtown on Saturdays and Sundays from late November to April, with or without Mother Nature’s cooperation.
There’s a bit of magic to it, of course, namely the snow that falls pretty much non-stop for months on Windham Mountain, even under blue skies, thanks to 1500 snowguns located on 267 skiable acres that might otherwise stay brown until Christmas, or worse.
Jim Barrett, a compressor operator in what is affectionately known as “The Shack,” a room filled with huge pumps and pipes near the base lodge, proudly pointed out that the snow-making operation utilizes 65 miles of pipeline and 25 miles of hose.
The pumps can push 6,000 gallons of water per minute, enough to fill a typical home swimming pool in four minutes, Barrett said, and one snowgun, when it is really hauling and left in one position, can create a 25’ deep pile of snow within 24 hours.
Windham Mountain has the most terrain covered by snowmaking within 200 miles of New York City and if not for the guns...well, nobody wants to even imagine what it would be like without them, plain and simple.
Suffice it to say snowmaking has been going on virtually since the beginning. The in-house reservoir was doubled in size this past summer and on an average winter night a fleet of six snow cats are out grooming trails, headlights glowing through the cold and darkness.
The first 50 years at Windham Mountain have been an adventure. The idea for a ski resort in the Northern Catskills was broached by a New York State legislative committee in the late 1950’s, not taking hold until 1960 when a group of local businessmen purchased the land for $2 an acre.
Those same rural, hilly fields would sell for $1,000 a square foot in 2011, and a community within the community has emerged, attracting wealthy second-homeowners who contribute in no small way to the local economy.
“Things started out small but they sure did take root fast,” says James Hitchcock, a lifelong resident of the town and a longtime member of the Greene County Legislature. “I remember when nothing was there, and now it has become a mecca.
“Who’d have ever thought little Cave Mountain, which is what it was called in the beginning, would become what it is today?” Hitchcock says. “The town of Windham has been put on the world map and the country benefits in a very big way with sales tax revenues.
“I think it’s wonderful that, fifty years ago, there were people who had the vision to make this happen and others who stayed with it over the years. Our village and town have never been the same and we are all the better for it.”
Millions of dollars have been invested in the base lodge, including exterior improvements, and other projects since 2006, including three new chair lifts, an ice-skating center, an expanded retail shop and the creation of “The Club,” an exclusive lounge, with three fireplaces and banquet facilities.
Windham Mountain, at an elevation of 1500 feet, features snow-tubing, ice-skating, a climbing wall, night skiing, upscale housing, ten lifts and a picturesque network of trails ranging from nice and easy to extremely difficult.
Those rural, hilly fields have become an internationally known winter and summer destination spot, with the ski slope celebrating its 50th year in operation, this weekend, without disturbing the quaintness and charm of the little town below.
Quite the contrary, in fact. Several special events are taking place on the mountain, January 22 & 23, including fireworks, a Time Capsule presentation, live music and a champagne toast and cake cutting, ushering in the next half-century in style.
“We’re very pleased to be here for all of our customers and to be an important part of the community,” Windham Mountain president and general manager Tim Woods said. “We look forward to being here at least another fifty years and beyond.”
It is hard to imagine the ski slope without its wintry, snow-covered trails that get transformed into world class mountain-biking courses in the spring and summer, attracting Olympic-level athletes and families showing up just for fun.
There are people, though, who can picture Windham Mountain when it was merely pastures and neat stonewalls. “I remember when it was farm land,” says Richard Morse, a town of Windham resident who has lived in the shadow of the peaks all of his 84 years.
“When it was being developed, I remember wondering if it would benefit the town,” Morse says, smiling. “Well, it certainly has and all you have to do is drive through some other towns in the area to see the difference. No, I can’t say I’ve ever been a skier, believe it or not, being so close, but fortunately there are plenty of folks who are.”
Windham and its citizens have uniquely blossomed beneath the night lights of snow-making guns whirring into the wee hours, and learned to love the long lines of traffic that crowd downtown on Saturdays and Sundays from late November to April, with or without Mother Nature’s cooperation.
There’s a bit of magic to it, of course, namely the snow that falls pretty much non-stop for months on Windham Mountain, even under blue skies, thanks to 1500 snowguns located on 267 skiable acres that might otherwise stay brown until Christmas, or worse.
Jim Barrett, a compressor operator in what is affectionately known as “The Shack,” a room filled with huge pumps and pipes near the base lodge, proudly pointed out that the snow-making operation utilizes 65 miles of pipeline and 25 miles of hose.
The pumps can push 6,000 gallons of water per minute, enough to fill a typical home swimming pool in four minutes, Barrett said, and one snowgun, when it is really hauling and left in one position, can create a 25’ deep pile of snow within 24 hours.
Windham Mountain has the most terrain covered by snowmaking within 200 miles of New York City and if not for the guns...well, nobody wants to even imagine what it would be like without them, plain and simple.
Suffice it to say snowmaking has been going on virtually since the beginning. The in-house reservoir was doubled in size this past summer and on an average winter night a fleet of six snow cats are out grooming trails, headlights glowing through the cold and darkness.
The first 50 years at Windham Mountain have been an adventure. The idea for a ski resort in the Northern Catskills was broached by a New York State legislative committee in the late 1950’s, not taking hold until 1960 when a group of local businessmen purchased the land for $2 an acre.
Those same rural, hilly fields would sell for $1,000 a square foot in 2011, and a community within the community has emerged, attracting wealthy second-homeowners who contribute in no small way to the local economy.
“Things started out small but they sure did take root fast,” says James Hitchcock, a lifelong resident of the town and a longtime member of the Greene County Legislature. “I remember when nothing was there, and now it has become a mecca.
“Who’d have ever thought little Cave Mountain, which is what it was called in the beginning, would become what it is today?” Hitchcock says. “The town of Windham has been put on the world map and the country benefits in a very big way with sales tax revenues.
“I think it’s wonderful that, fifty years ago, there were people who had the vision to make this happen and others who stayed with it over the years. Our village and town have never been the same and we are all the better for it.”
Millions of dollars have been invested in the base lodge, including exterior improvements, and other projects since 2006, including three new chair lifts, an ice-skating center, an expanded retail shop and the creation of “The Club,” an exclusive lounge, with three fireplaces and banquet facilities.
Windham Mountain, at an elevation of 1500 feet, features snow-tubing, ice-skating, a climbing wall, night skiing, upscale housing, ten lifts and a picturesque network of trails ranging from nice and easy to extremely difficult.
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