Several NELSAP readers first alerted us to this lost ski area in Addison. According to Jeff Arrison, the area was built in the 1960's as a state project to start a ski area in that portion of New York. Pinnacle was also known as the Addison Pinnacle.

The area was quirky, with a lodge at the top. A beginner area at the top was served by a rope tow. Several wide slopes near the top were served by a T-bar.

The most interesting part of the mountain was a poma that made a 90 degree turn! This started at the base and made a sharp turn 1/2 the way up. A zig-zagging slope was served by this poma, as were a few other trails.

As you can see on the right, the bizarre trail setup is shown clearly. Note the golf course at the summit, still being used today.

A topo map clearly shows the zig-zagging lift layout. The lower and middle thirds were served by the poma, and the top by the T-bar, though this map shows it all as one lift. Vertical is approximately 720'.

Unfortunately, several dry winters in the late 1970's brought the area to its demise. Today, the slopes are somewhat grown in. You can still visit the area provided you play some golf at the state run course at the top. If you want info on the golf course, please visit here.

Brian McBride sent us this map of the area today. Note that it is still being used by cross country skiers as well, and note the alpine trails still delineated. More of Brian's pictures are below.

According to Jeff Arrison, there are rumors the area may be reopened. We have not substantiated the rumors, but one never knows.

Year	Lifts	Trails	Other Info	Source
1960's	Unknown	Unknown	Ski area opens	Jeff Arrison
1977	2 T-bars, 1 rope tow. Note - One T-bar was likely a poma	12 slopes and trails on a 723' drop	"Medium" rates, open Wed, Sat, Sun, Tues-Sun nights. Ski rentals, snowmaking, cross country. Called Addison Pinnacle here.	Skiing USA
1980	Unknown	Unknown	Approximate year area closes	Jeff Arrison

Brian McBride:I took some photos (shown below) of the Pinnacle Ski area or what's left of it. He used to live at the base more or less but moved across the valley opposite of from the area. The distance shots are from his new front yard. I took a few shots from the top where the lodge used to be. Now it's a 9 hole golf course and the lodge is the clubhouse. The course is pretty nice for a state park muni. Not like Bethpage or anything but decent golf nonetheless. I took a shot from the first tee where the main slope would have gone down. As you may have guessed, this is one of those areas with the lodge at the top. Views are spectacular. I also took a shot of the cross country trails as well as found the Terraserver shot of the area.

The only information I have is that the area was open through the mid 70's. No real information when it opened or shut down. The trails are still visible from the road and there are t-bar towers barely visible in one of the shots looking down the slope. I have mountain biked this area and the pitch would have been decent! Not much vertical, 4-600 feet max. I am trying to find more information and possibly a brochure. My brother knows a few folks that may have worked there seasonally.

CB: This area was open for many years closes in the late 70's early 80's and is now a state park with a golf course but NO skiing. Located by Corning NY.

Doug Weeks: Pinnacle in Addison NY 600' vert. Lodge at top. T-bar top 1/2, Poma with a 90 degree turn in the middle on the bottom half. Golf course at top still open, owned by the state now.

Jeff Arrison: Born in the 1960s, our area didn't have a ski resort, and needed one. Although downstate didn't want to fund building a park for people upstate, fairness said "Do It!".

All of a sudden we had a park, complete with short ski runs, and a Golf course. The ski run was run by outside interests. Like I said it was a very small place, only five slopes, and several "trails". We had only one rope tow, and one T-Bar lift, and one Poma lift. We did have a heated clubhouse at the top, and another heated "rest area" at the base. We had a small chapter of "The National Ski Patrol" to manage safety. After I had learned how to ski, I joined the organization.

In approximately 1980 "The Pinnacle" shut down because of a series of extremely dry and warm winters. I miss that place. The golf course survived, and now it is just "The Pinnacle State Golf Course" and the slopes, and rusting remnants of my youth.

In May, 2004, Brian McBride visited this area and took some great photos. Here's a view of the area from across the valley. As you can see, the main trail zig zags across the slope, and is still fairly clear today.