First Chairlift in NY

"Forever Wild" in the Catskill Mountains

Rising through the fog that is signature to the Catskill Mountains, Belleayre Mountain in Highmount, NY became a staple of winter and year-round outdoor recreation just a stone’s throw from the Capital of the World. Coming into its’ 75th year, the ski area blossomed from a small operation beloved by the hardcore snow sliding community, to a pillar for people of all ages, types, and ability levels to discover their passion for skiing and snowboarding.

Although the ski area began in 1949, Belleayre’s history with skiing goes much further back than that. Setting the stage, New York State designated the Catskill Park, land designated as “Forever Wild,” to protect the water supply that flowed down into New York City. Within the borders of the park was Belleayre. People always had an eye for the potential for the mountain, and in 1929, the first known ascent and descent of the mountain occurred, when a man from Newburgh named Maltby Shipp hiked up and skied down alongside his son.

As the 30’s kicked off, word of blankets of powder among the trees covering the mountain’s flanks paired with the excitement of the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid to generate a flood of interest from the public to bring skiing infrastructure to the area. The 40’s saw another influx of excitement propelled by the returning 10th Mountain Division veterans of World War II. In 1945, a bill was created to allow the state of New York to create a developed ski area… Belleayre. Legislation passed in 1947 to begin construction, backed by a margin of over 618,000 votes – more than double than what was expected. Two years later, a crew of 135 men broke ground, building three main trails designed by Art Draper, also a 10th Mountain Division veteran. The footprint of these efforts can be found even today on trails such as Belleayre Run. The efforts also included a summit lodge, a temporary base lodge with a crushed stone floor, and more. Even back then, Belleayre pushed the limits of ski areas in New York State, as the initial construction also created a Roebling single, the very first chairlift in the state.

After a warm start to the winter season, Lieutenant Governor Joe Hanley pressed the button on January 22nd, 1950 to start that lift, even though there was not enough snow on the ground to ski that day. But support was there from day one, as several hundred of the 1,500 attending spectators got to ride that lift. The remainder of the 50’s saw rapid expansion, adding 12 new trails, 3 lifts, and a new permanent base lodge. The 60’s and 70’s saw snowmaking be introduced to Belleayre, and in 1977 the first iteration of “Lift 6” went in, replacing that first Roebling single chair, now following the same path where the Belleayre Express lift stands today. Despite continued efforts to bring improvements including a beginner lift for the lower mountain, the 80’s brought the first hardship as the ski area faced closure. Luckily, a group of dedicated Belleayre skiers came together, creating a petition that fell on Governor Mario Cuomo’s desk with 13,000 signatures advocating to keep the mountain open. Additional support came with newspapers such as the New York Post publishing editorials, and even government leaders from Long Island writing to Cuomo, despite never even visiting the mountain. Before the year finished, Cuomo reversed his decision, providing funding for Belleayre.

The next 20 years saw continued growth, including investments to necessary machinery and equipment, new lifts, and even constitutional amendments that would allow the ski area to both expand and widen current trails, along with creating new ones. A rebuilding of the Pine Hill Lake after a dam broke in 1992 brought the creation of the Belleayre Beach, which to this day is tapped as a snowmaking reservoir along with bringing in year-round activities.

Momentum did not stop in the 2000’s. The common theme of upgrading lifts went on in 2006, with the installation of the first iteration of the detachable Belleayre Express lift, which went by another name at that time. Throughout its history, Belleayre was managed by the Department of Environmental Conservation, but 2012 saw a shift in focus. That year, Governor Cuomo moved Belleayre to operate under the Olympic Regional Development Authority, who manages Gore and Whiteface Mountains to the north, along with the Olympic sites used in the 1932 and 1980 Winter Games.

With new leadership and vision, Belleayre launched into the modern era. The Catskill Thunder Gondola – the first and only gondola in the Catskills – opened in 2017, completely changing the landscape of how visitors can ski and ride Belleayre. It paired with the first phase of renovation and expansion of the Discovery Lodge, bringing current-day amenities to all kinds of snow sliders to the slopes. Since then, it has been full speed ahead with continued improvements to the skier and rider experience. A completely revamped snowmaking system now has the mountain open for winter activities 6 months out of the year consistently, while at the same time becoming more efficient than ever. Paired with an improved grooming machine fleet, it’s hard to find a day with poor snow conditions even when mother nature throws her worst. The new Overlook Quad which replaced the old Lift 7 Triple loaded its first passengers in November of 2023, and minutes later the very first tracks were made on the modified Goat Path trail, expanded to accommodate snowmaking and provide another intermediate level option off the summit of the mountain along with Deer Run and Roaring Brook trails.

Now kicking off its 75th winter, Belleayre continues to lead the progression of winter recreation in the Catskills. The Discovery Lodge, which serves as the primary arrival point for guests, is receiving a 28,600 square foot expansion along with a renovated food court and rental center. On the mountain, the first steps to becoming a lifelong skier and rider will become even more memorable with a new learning area being installed at the top of the mountain, both providing the incredible views that the fledgling snow slider dreams of, as well as allowing Belleayre to have beginner terrain open much earlier and later in the season than in seasons past. One of the mountain’s most popular and widest trails, Dot Nebel (named after the famed skier who managed Belleayre’s ski school) got a snowmaking overhaul with part of 30,000 feet of new pipe, and 20 fully automated SMI Super Polecat Fan Guns that can cover the entire trail wall-to-wall with snow in a short period of time.

From humble beginnings where people had to hike to ski, to the first chairlift in New York, to the current home of wintertime adventures, Belleayre has evolved into a proverbial northern star of snow-laden recreation, creating a lifetime’s worth of memories spanning multiple generations.