Ski venture is a private ski area that is run and operated by its members! In order to go skiing at…read morethe ski area you need to be a member and pay a yearly fee for your family to become a member! The club takes only a certain amount of families in every year allowing the club to stay private to the members.

Poor tubing conditions. Unsafe, unprofessional staff. Never experiened anything like it. Just pay…read moremore and go to West. They are a professional operation.

My daughter wanted to celebrate turning 16 by snowboarding with her friends. I initially called a…read morevery popular ski resort in Massachusetts. Their website boasted of offering accommodations for small groups of 15. When I called, I was told that our group was too small for a group rate and even if I had extra attendees because the weekend we chose was a holiday weekend, a group rate would not be available. I then called a popular ski resort in the Catskills, who were less helpful than the resort in Massachusetts. I finally called Willard. The lady I spoke with walked me through the entire registration process for my party. When we arrived, we found very helpful and friendly staff. One staff member even helped me convince my daughter's very reluctant dad to try snowboarding. The staff distributing the rental equipment were equally pleasant and helpful. The snowboarding instructors went above and beyond to ensure everyone had a great time. They quickly individualized lessons according to how quickly our snowboarders grasped concepts. My group left the mountain, with the hope of returning! Thank you staff of Willard for an amazing time and making my daughter's 16th birthday memorable.

I've skied here for about 40 years. Prospect has consistently the best snow in the western mass/…read moreNew York capital District area. The trails are gorgeous, challenging and the place has tons of character as does the staff! Definitely worth the drive! Look forward to being able to warm up in the lodge again after hitting the trails hard. Hopefully that will be an option next year. They do a good job of keeping it Covid safe in the meantime.

Prospect is a wonderful place to ski. Though it is farther away for me than places in the…read moreBerkshires, it is worth the ride because, especially this winter, it often has more snow and better conditions. It has an extensive and diverse trail network with a good mix of flats and steeper sections of varying length and pitch. Most trails have set tracks and a groomed area for free-form and skate skiing, and the staff does a nice job keeping the trails in shape. Its history as a downhill facility is evident in the old-time charm of its lodge, a post-and-beam building with basic, comfortable amenities including a hot wood stove and a kitchen staffed by friendly folks. There is a comfortable, relaxed ambience, and the staff are always friendly and welcoming.

Royal Mountain is a small mom & pop mountain nestled in upstate New York. It's only open on…read moreweekends, holidays, and school breaks from 9am to 4pm, but it was perfect to try out after Friday the 13th on Gore and my intercostal muscle strain. PARKING Plenty of free parking, lots of off-roading. TICKETS & PASSES I had my reservations about the quality of Royal due to the prices of tickets and passes. Super affordable! Adult all day was $60. THE MOUNTAIN & SLOPES I first learned about Royal Mountain after meeting Billy, a ski patroller there, while my boyfriend and I were at Gore. He invited us to check out Royal so we wouldn't leave empty-handed after a rough time at Gore. He knew I had been struggling there, psyching myself out, and assured me I would have a much better time at Royal. He was right--I'm not going to lie, I reclaimed my confidence at Royal and was able to take it easy without further injuring myself. Billy's enthusiasm for the mountain was undeniable. He showed us around, and it quickly became clear just how much love the community has for Royal. Everyone helps run it together, and it was so well-kept. Every inch of the mountain was covered in snow--so much snow! But I wasn't surprised since this was Upstate New York. I had my reservations at first, based on previous experiences with smaller, family-owned mountains, but Royal exceeded my expectations. Billy had us start on the bunny slope, assuring us not to judge it by its name. He spends a lot of time on it himself because, unlike most bunny slopes, this one is different--way more fun. He wasn't wrong! Once I felt confident enough to ride without straining myself too much, we explored more of the mountain, riding ski lifts and different trails. For a Saturday, it wasn't too crowded, which was perfect. I'm not a fan of crowds--not just as a snowboarder but in general. Crowds make me feel claustrophobic, like I can't even hear myself think. Watching Billy interact with the kids on the mountain was heartwarming. They trusted him completely--he was their guide into the world of snowboarding. You could tell he knew exactly what he was doing. At some point, he left us to explore on our own while he accompanied the groms down some much more difficult terrain. I wasn't about to follow, not with my intercostal muscle strain. I could still ride, but strapping in took nerves of steel. I've had this same strain before, but never from something as cool as a snowboarding mishap. This was also my first time riding back-to-back multiple days in a week, but I love snowboarding too much to give up! Needless to say, I had the best time thanks to Billy and his recommendations. I hope to come back one day and really enjoy the mountain--especially without any injuries! FOOD & BATHROOMS The bathrooms were awesome. They had character. Everything was so well-kept and had slice of history shown with the decor. I also noticed that each bathroom stall was equipped with a toilet seat for the little ones, if it was needed! That's so amazing and thoughtful! The food & refreshments were affordable and tasted amazing. Everyone was so kind! GIFT SHOP Although there isn't much of a gift shop, Royal still had vinyl stickers to choose from FOR FREE! I loved it! Very much so appreciated! OVERALL I had a really pleasant experience at Royal Mountain and cannot wait to do it again. I definitely want to explore the mountain some more, when I come back. I will be 100% healed and ready to take on any of the trails. I hope to run into Billy again because he's definitely an amazing guy and clearly, you can tell, the community thinks so too! I was going to give this mountain a four out of five star because I fully believe everything can be bettered upon BUT I can't really think of anything quite wrong with the mountain. It's well-kept, well-loved, and a great hidden gem! The website is gorgeous too! Easy to maneuver. I can find everything I was looking for. Not just anyone can attain this high level of professionalism!

Small yet fun and challenging mountain. Friendly staff comfortable lodge, nicely groomed trails …read more.. all around a great ski stop.

This Mountain has first class prices, but it's a second class Mountain. And if you're not a club…read moremember, you're treated as a third class citizen. I skied primarily during the week and the snow was in all fairness very good. I will not be renewing my pass next season. The prices are more than double the competition and again you feel like they're doing you a favor for letting you ski without sign signing up for the club. ! Who needs that!

Great skiing in march, every trail is open and the snow is soft and perfect, groomed trails,…read moreelement trails, jumps, sightseeing thru the house trail. Fresh sushi for lunch, fiddle head on tap at the umbrella bar. Live music, drinks, good wine, more fiddlehead, full bar scene, keep bumping into people from our ct town, Music, snow, food, wine and song, can't ask for more

3 Stars is fair for my first visit…read more Arrived little before 8:30 Presidents Day and as busy as it already was I still got decent parking. Walking up the steps was difficult with my ski boots, wish I snapped a picture but the stairs were poorly shoveled. The walkway was also poorly maintained filled with sugar snow, and it had not snowed in some time. Feel bad for anyone with a disability, would make it very difficult for them and their caretaker. I jumped into the small line to get my ticket outside. Only one window was open which was odd for a holiday. Guessing a manager walked over and told a family a couple people in front of me that there were ticket windows inside too. The lady and her kid who were in front of me soon followed as the family at the ticket window were having difficulty, I followed in as well. It's a tight space to begin with and no clear structure to where the line is. Some lady came from the lodge portion of the building and cut everyone which was rude of her. When I was next in line the same lady manager started yelling at everyone in line about how the line starts outside and so on. Completely threw my vibe of the place in a negative direction. I ignored her as she kept going on and handed the ticket man my Indi Pass and a $10 bill for the $5 RFID card needed. Super quick transaction and I was on my way. Lets talk about the mountain now. I enjoyed the terrain, there was plenty of snowpack which by 10:30 started getting icy. The sun was not out so flat light conditions which made skiing their double blacks on the main face a little more challenging. But absolutely loved the difficulty of those two runs. Wanted to zoom down them but with the flat light and not the sharpest of edges I played it safe. Stayed off the greens of the skiers right, looked for some woods to play in but really didn't have much in the way of them. Took 7 runs and called it a morning. Another thing that bothered me was their idea of where chairlift cans should go when empty. Most mountains have a trash can at the top where people can discard their empties there. Just before the last pole there was a large bin where I am assuming the mountain is promoting throw your empties here. I find it to be poorly thought out as the bin was full and there was trash all over the place. One gust of wind is blowing it all over the mountain which defeats the purpose of. For what it was I enjoyed the people I rode on the lift with, exploring a new mountain, and getting another day under my belt this season.

I have no idea why some people had such a negative experience with this resort. In general I found…read morethe staff to be very helpful and accommodating. I stop here in the off season and they have nice programs in the summer.

We definitely visited at the right time. Just a few days after a snowstorm. Trails were awesome,…read moretrees were filled with snow. Very picturesque. We brought our own snowshoes, so only $20 for the trail pass. Plenty of trails, different terrain, narrow, wide, a little bit of everything. Just a great day.

The best cross country skiing in the Catskills! Groomed, trackset bliss! A hidden gem in…read moreTannersville New York.

To start ... we had a great time snowboarding. The conditions were slushy with 45 F temps (a few…read morepeople skiing in shorts & a "wife beater" t-shirt ... really??). There are some great vertical drops. But... this is a mountain mostly for people with experience. I think it was a small family place that has grown and become more popular. The facilities and slopes haven't kept pace with that growth. -Most of the trails were ungroomed -Trails are not marked properly ... something is labeled a black diamond on the slopes, but a double-black on the map -There is one green run for kids and only 2 wide open blues -Most of the blue runs are chutes or narrow lanes -There are 2 lifts only. Crowded in the morning, not a big deal later on Lift tickets -Fairly priced -I accidentally bought tix for the wrong date (Sunday instead of the Saturday were were) and there is a $20 "rebooking fee". Seemed like an unnecessary money grab. The staff person was curt and rude. The lodge -Geared towards families that come there a lot (they get lockers) -Apres ski bar/music thing ... which kind of looked fun, just saying -Small and crowded on a Saturday -It's hard to find a table at lunch. Eventhough there are signs warning against it, people put their bags on tables to reserve them. We sat at one such table for 45 min without issue, and the older couple rudely kicked us off saying it was there, they had claimed it and were theirs. -Another 3 tables were pushed together and taken over with piles of half eaten food and a sign saying "don't touch our food". This isn't your personal freaking dining room. -One kid (12 years old?) mouthed off to a staff member (30's?) who responded to the kid "how would you like it if I punched you in the eye". IDK what the kid said and maybe they are related. who knows -2 bathrooms with long lines and the downstairs one was in desperate need of cleaning. -I got a veggie burger that was not a black bean burger as promised and instead some awful veggie patty connoction. It was ok once drowned in ketchup. -The parking terrible. It's $20 for the better lot, which is unpaved and as it got warmer turned into a river of mud. I'll be hosing off my equipment and clothes for sure. Otherwise, the 2nd parking lot filled up and people had to park a 1/2 mile down the road.

I was very skeptical about coming to ski Plattekill in December with some friends, but they assured…read moreme that it would be fun and I did enjoy it. In the Catskills, I've skied Hunter, Windham and Bellearye, each multiple times. Plattekill is the smallest among them, but surprisingly has a 1100 ft vertical drop with skiable 110 acres. The main lift is only a conventional triple chair, so it can't handle a lot of people. The only other chairlift open is the adjacent double chair. It had been fairly cold early in the ski season, so they were able to make a fair amount of snow and had more than half their trails open after Christmas. The drive up is longer than going to the other 3, about 20 min further than Belleayre, which for us was over 3 hrs from NYC. The parking lot was not too crowded when we arrived around 9:30. Even though we did not park far, the hike to the lodge was steeper than I realized and even the area around the lifts were kind of steep and treacherous while carrying gear and hiking in clunky ski boots. My days of racing down the black diamonds are long over. These days, I just like to cruise down the green and blue trails. My favorite trail (and aptly named) has to be Shredded Mozzarella, a blue intermediate trail with undulating terrain and mostly groomed snow. My son really liked the blue trails here. The lodge is very crowded with most families squatting on the tables with their gear. We broke for lunch and were able to find an unoccupied table after a while. The food is typical ski lodge fare of chicken fingers, burgers, hot dogs & fries. I did get some hot chicken noodle soup though.

This review is for the Mountain Adventure Park - which really deserves its own Yelp site as it is…read moredistinctly different from a ski resort! I had low expectations given the reviews I'd read on this site and felt worried we'd be throwing money away. We bought tickets ahead of time for the discounted price but I didn't opt in because I figured I wouldn't want to participate in anything. I brought a book. And then 10 minutes after arriving I filled out the 2 page waiver form and handed the lovely people in the Welcome Center $69 in exchange for my all day wrist band. What value! I had such a fantastic time. I was overwhelmed by the knowledge and friendliness of the staff and the quality of the various attractions. I highly recommend going on a weekday in the summer as it was fairly empty and we didn't wait in line for anything. I was with a group of kids aged 12-16 and they all had a blast. But there are also plenty of options for young ones, including a trampoline bungee thing, a mini ropes course, and the mountain coaster and alpine slide. I saw parents riding the alpine slide with toddlers on their laps and it looked really fun. Both the slide and coaster involve long (slow) rides up the mountainside, but the views are beautiful and it's a lot nicer sitting on a chairlift in the summer than in the winter! The slide has two courses so you can go side by side with someone, and you can control the speed, just like on the coaster. There were so many people working and it was very safe, from getting on and off the chair lift to getting on the slide and learning how everything works. Note that if you're being silly and recklessly speeding on the slide you will get hurt. Like, baaaaadly bruised. (Not hurt enough for immediate medical attention, thankfully.) So, heed the warnings of the staff and don't do it. Instead, opt for the adventure of a lifetime on the ropes course. It was AMAZING. There were so many very competent and thoughtful people working there and it was really safe. It was scary, of course, but I never felt like "oh shoot this harness is going to break" or "geez, when was the last time they checked the ladder on this thing." In fact, they were actively repairing some elements on one of the courses (which unfortunately meant one of the courses was closed). There were some moments where you could get stuck or make the wrong guess about what to do next and it seemed like magic that someone on the ground in their bright vest would shout up some good advice. It was definitely an adventure with lots of zip lines and multiple stories off the ground. The staff carefully put you into your harness and then give a very thorough overview of the safety protocol and how to clip in and out of things. I loved that there were so many course options. Lots of great challenges for people at all skill levels. Two other attractions I didn't do but others in my party raved about: a climbing wall and a zip line ride sort of thing for two people. There is a snack bar (and a tavern restaurant I didn't visit) right next to the action and the allergy-friendly options were plentiful! Including Ben and Jerry's ice cream cups, so zero cross contamination worry. The bathrooms are in the welcome center and were clean with a baby changing table. No complaints. It was a super fun day, I highly recommend it, and I thought it was great value for the money.

Best mountain for families! Best ski school (all three kids…read morelearned/are learning on it) my two oldest are exceptional skiers and very safe. The mountain is not too small and not too large so perfect for families with kids. Affordable to actually stay on the mountain which is a must with little ones. Christiansens is a solid restaurant with good food and great beer with the perfect ski mountain atmosphere. The snowmaking team (Team Snowmagedon) knows what they are doing. While other mountains north or nearby are struggling, Jiminy has the good snow. They do well to combat the elements or rain or warmer weather. We always have a great time!!

We came here for the Aerial Adventure Park and the Mountain Coaster and our party of 6 had a great…read moretime with both of these activities. When you drive in to the resort, the Aerial Adventure park is visible right away. When I first saw it, it seemed smaller than I expected and I thought we would be done in a flash. Let me assure you, the aerial adventure course is a LOT more complex than it looks and it was fun and challenging for all of us, from teens to older adults. There are two levels to the course - first you do the lower level and then if you want to try the more challenging higher level you move on to that. Both levels are included in your ticket. Each section of the course is unique: some have zip lines, there are some climbing sections to get from one point to another, some have balance activities, and some rely on strength and ingenuity. Everyone wears a harness, so you are always safe (I did end up dangling a few times and was grateful for the harness!). Staff here is awesome and they train you before you go up into the course. The Mountain Coaster is also fun, although when we went around noon on a summer Friday, we had to wait in line for about 45 minutes to get on. I am a scaredy cat when it comes to roller coasters, but I LOVED the Mountain Coaster, where I go to zip down a mountain surrounded by trees and nature, and I could control the speed. I would love to do this again, but would plan to go earlier in the morning to hopefully avoid the crowds.

Attended BEM for zip lining. Originally, I was to go on June 6, however I as so ill there was no…read moreway I could have mad it. Heather was able to work with me I finally went on June 21. Wow did I have the best time! I did know about this place until I moved to the area. They have so much going on here. Mtn biking is huger this place with some great trails. They have a mountain coaster too. They got my attention for a go to destination. The ziplining team was great. They have a basic run and more advance run. We took the adv one. We will be back for more events no doubt !"