Decent skiing without the crowds
Written: Apr 17 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: smaller crowds than other nearby ski areas
Cons: not too challenging
The Bottom Line: decent skiing with not so bad crowds
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| mrosenbe's Full Review: Windham |
Windham is located in New York state's Catskill Mountains, located in the eastern part of the state between Albany and New York, and west of the Hudson River. There are a dozen or so ski areas in the Catskills, the most well known of which is Hunter Mountain. While they have the best skiing (best runs, most challenging) they also have the biggest crowds, and it is difficult to get to. Windham is not as well known and therefore not as crowded.
Windham, however, is still by no means easy to get to. It is a good 2-2 1/2 hours from NYC, pretty far up the NY Thruway towards Albany. And even once you exit the Thruway it is a good 20-30 minute drive west to the mountain, which is not even near anything that can be considered much of a town.
They get a decent amount of natural snow up there, and what mother nature doesn't provide, Windham can do itself with a decent (decent, not great) snowmaking capability.
The vertical drop is around 1800 I think nothing great by any means, but better than other places nearby. There are a few good runs, especially if you try the three runs off on a side mountain west of the main area. The runs over there are as steep as it gets at Windham. Other than that there are a few other black diamonds, and two or three double blacks, but they are nothing special, and they are a pain to get to (have to take a long flat trail to get there). There are one or two mogul runs, but they are usually in pretty lousy shape, stay very icy most of the time.
The lifts are ok. One high speed detachable quad is complimented by a handful of triples and doubles. Enough capacity to deal with their crowds, so unless you go on an overly busy weekend, lift lines will not be that bad.
As with any ski area, a trip to Windham is very expensive. Im not sure exactly what lift tickets run now, but its got to be near $50. Factor in food (which, like anywhere else, is terribly expensive in their lodge) and other necessities, and a day trip there can run up to be quite a bit. But, its no worse than anywhere else.
In conclusion, the skiing is decent, nothing great. The main reason to go to Windham is to avoid the big crowds at places like Hunter.
Recommended:
Yes
Level of Experience Needed: All
Best Time to Visit: February
Best Suited For: Friends
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Epinions.com ID:
mrosenbe
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Member: Matt R.
Location: Philly Area, PA
Reviews written: 170
Trusted by: 24 members
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