Plattekill Mountain versus Belleayre Mountain
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
What is your best option when choosing between Plattekill Mountain and Belleayre Mountain?
Unfortunately, many skiers do not entertain this question enough when skiing the Catskills; Plattekill or Belleayre Mountain? As a father of 3 ski loving daughters and frequent visitor to the Catskills and especially Plattekill and Belleayre Mountain, I often wonder in amazement at the lack of knowledge and awareness of the skiing gem of the Catskills: Plattekill. Belleayre Mountain is a state owned no frills ski area located about 2.5 hours from NYC in Highmount New York. Plattekill is located in Roxbury, NY about 15 minutes further west than Belleayre Mountain. This extra distance seems to keep skiers from exploring those brown Ski Plattekill signs up Route 28, but those precious 15 minutes west allows Plattekill to benefit from significantly better natural conditions and more snow then Belleayre Mountain due lake effect snows. Plattekill’s geography allows it to benefit from lake effect snows off Lake Ontario, which resorts at Belleayre, Hunter and Windham Mountains mostly miss.
Belleayre Mountain is a nice ski mountain especially for beginners as it has a lower lodge and collection of beginner ski trails that are completely separated from the Intermediate and Expert trails. But despite the nice beginner trails and beginner ski program, Belleayre Mountain is frequently jammed packed with day trippers from New York City and beyond and the lodge can be a madhouse that reminds you of Grand Central Station filled with people searching out food, refugees escaping the cold and aggravated parents entertaining younger children not skiing the slopes. Because Belleayre Mountain is owned by the state, the state budgets also threaten the stability and programs offered by Belleayre Mountain that can be removed at a moment’s notice.
Plattekill is the way skiing should be!
Plattekill is a great family ski area, not owned by a corporation or the state like Belleayre Mountain, but by a real local family that will be seen skiing and working alongside their employees and customers. You will often get a greeting of “welcome” or “hello” from Lazlo Vajtay or his wife Danielle, the owners of Plattekill. You will certainly ski side by side with their children all over the mountain! As previously noted, Plattekill is nestled in a perfect ski “bowl” that “catches” the moisture heading from storms up the coast, clippers from the west and from those ulr worshipped winds off Lake Ontario. Belleayre Mountain has a higher elevation that helps with cold and snowmaking, but it can get some of the strongest winds and wind chills of the catskills!
For beginners, Plattekill has a gentle 2 mile slope called Powder Puff that has been recently widened and expanded. Plattekill has a great beginner program with terrific instructors and a Bunny Hop trail that will help the newest of skiers and snowboarders. For the intermediate and expert skiers, Plattekill exceeds all expectations and easily beats the trail offering at Belleayre Mountain.
Although Belleayre Mountain has a few more trails than Plattekill, the terrain of Plattekill gives a better skiing experience with a true 1110 foot, challenging vertical and not a 200 foot challenging, vertical with a boring 900 foot sloped flats to the ski lift like Belleayre Mountain. Standing at the base of Plattekill and looking up at the impressive mountain and trails versus the view from the bottom of any trail or lift looking up at Belleayre Mountain tells the whole story!
Belleayre Mountain versus Plattekill: A Summary
Beauty is certainly to the eye of the beholder, but I have a hard time understanding why more skiers don’t explore the features and benefits offered by Plattekill over Belleayre Mountain (Privately, I am happy that more people don’t explore this gem as it leaves more to myself!). The trails, ownership, snow, relaxing lodge and even the apre ski bar of Plattekill Mountain are far superior to that of Belleayre Mountain. If you would like to treat your family to a great ski experience like the “old days of skiing”, drive the extra 15 minutes past Belleayre Mountain and explore all of the benefits that Plattekill Mountain and its unique ski bowl have to offer!