ELLICOTTVILLE — Cattaraugus County’s two ski resorts are planning capital projects with a combined $6.13 million in spending to improve their respective facilities during the off-season.
The county Industrial Development Agency (IDA) board Tuesday approved an application submitted by Win Sum Ski Corp. seeking New York state sales tax abatement to purchase equipment to improve the efficiency of the resort, as well as general renovations of the building interiors at 6557 Holiday Valley Road.
A public hearing on the $5.1 million project was held May 15 at the IDA office.
At April’s meeting, David Trathen, CFO of Win Sum, said the project includes purchasing two groomers at about $1.2 million and over $1 million for snowmaking operations, purchasing a couple of fan guns.
“Most of our system is air/water and the fan gun is basically an electric fan that blows the air and water out and spans it out so it gives us more coverage,” he explained.
Trathen said the project also includes laying new pipe to replace those that have been in the ground for 30 years and need to be replaced. The resort is also looking to purchase a shuttle bus and a backhoe as well as make renovations to the Inn at Holiday Valley.
“A lot of equipment is aging out and we will be purchasing computer equipment as the old won’t be supported by Microsoft,” he said. “If any of you ski at the resort, we use a scanner for ticket lifts, and we are going to put in a couple of gates where we could utilize the scanner.”
On the golf course, Holiday Valley plans on purchasing a new ven-trac mower, some golf carts as well as a lot of other medium projects.
IDA Executive Director Corey Wiktor said they realize not all projects are “all glitz and glamour,” but include behind-the-scenes improvements. He said they value Holiday Valley’s commitment to tourism and all it provides as a destination not only across the region by the world.
“The street credit in our backyard is a jewel that brings not just the sales tax but the bed tax and employment, which is a full gamut that these projects bring,” Wiktor said. “It is nice how you are now utilizing a lot of that year-round labor in-house, and we see that more and more every year on the application, so you’re keeping these people on versus more traditional seasonal or part-time jobs, and that is a tremendous testament to you guys and the board of what you do.”
MEANWHILE, HoliMont general manager Ed Youmans and CFO John Drake presented Tuesday on the ski resort’s submitted application to the IDA seeking state sales tax abatement only for a $1,025,500 project.
The proposed project includes replacing piping, making facility repairs, purchasing equipment such as a piston snowcat, replacing electrical systems and outdated computer equipment, adding 12 additional bike carriers, additions to the bike trail and replacing rental skis.
“It’s wonderful to see a really sizable project for HoliMont and a lot of capital and related equipment and other amenities that they are doing for the ski resort,” Wiktor said.
Youmans said the 2024-25 season was great for HoliMont, noting that guest revenues alone were up 38%. He said they were able to keep operating expenses below budget and snowmaking conditions were ideal and kept at a minimum thanks to all the natural snow.
“It turns out when it snows, people want to go skiing,” he said. “The key to snowmaking going forward is always getting the maximum amount of snow on the ground in the minimal amount of time.”
During the warmer months, Youmans said HoliMont continues to grow its bike park with summer operations contributing handily to the resort’s profit margin, such as wedding bookings, corporate meetings and other events.
Wiktor said both HoliMont and Holiday Valley represent a major tourism drive in the county, even with the artificial snowmaking during less-than-ideal weather in the winter. He said the success of both resorts means not only people driving to the county but shopping, eating and staying overnight in the local communities — and in the case of Ellicottville, buying second homes.
“Typically in the ski business, the greatest barrier to entry is buying a season pass,” Youmans said. “Being able to deliver a reliable skiing product even when the weather doesn’t cooperate is critical to staying afloat.”
Looking ahead, Youmans said the resort’s next big project in consideration is expanding the main chalet for additional seating, which he said is part of their long-term master plan.
