Highmount, N.Y. (July 20, 2011) – The results are in and Northeast skiers and riders have spoken. With over 6,000 votes counted in the 2011 SnowEast Reader Survey, Belleayre Mountain ranked in the Top 3 in Overall Favorite Eastern Resorts, behind only industry powerhouses Killington and Mount Snow.
SnowEast readers recognized Belleayre’s efforts over the past decade of growth, placing Belleayre in the top 10 favorites in several categories. Belleayre has become renowned for its expanded snowmaking operation and expert grooming and the voters responded recognizing Belleayre as 6th in Favorite Snowmaking and 5th in Favorite Grooming.
“Belleayre is a jewel in Ulster County,” said County Executive Mike Hein. “We are happy and proud of everyone at the resort for making it so successful. Belleayre has always been enjoyed by residents of the county and region, but now people are coming from New York City and further south and from as far east as Boston. The resort is an economic engine of Ulster County, drawing people here who are then able to enjoy the county’s many beautiful outdoor vistas, tourism destinations and lodgings.”
Having opened in 1950 with the first chairlift in New York State, it’s no surprise that Belleayre was voted 3rd in the Favorite Classic Resort category behind Mad River Glen. Belleayre opened with a temporary base lodge and parking for 300 and has grown over the past 60 years to 171 skiable acres serviced by 8 lifts, with 55 trails, terrain parks, and extensive glades. With Belleayre’s expanded glade skiing, it is no longer necessary for expert skiers and riders to make the four-hour drive to Vermont to get a taste of the trees. Belleayre employees’ hard work, dedication and teamwork have helped Belleayre to prove itself to be a leader in the ski industry. This is evidenced by the fact that over the past decade Belleayre has grown from 70,000 skier visits to an annual average of 170,000 skier visits.
Belleayre Mountain would like to thank the skiers and riders who took the time to recognize the efforts that go into making Belleayre Mountain such a special place. This honor is another triumph for Belleayre adding to a long list of recent accolades such as being voted in the Top 10 Eastern Resorts by the readers of the Long Island newspaper Newsday the last four years in a row, voted Best Place to Learn to Ski by readers of Skiing magazine, and recognized locally by the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce and Ulster County Development Corporation as the 2009 Ulster County Tourism Business of the Year.
