Ski
Venture
Glenville, NY
1937-Present
Introduction ~ Trip Report ~ More Photos
Introduction
Ski Venture is a wonderful family and club ski area located in Glenville,
NY. It has been in operation since 1937, making it one of the oldest club
operated ski areas in the country. It offers extremely affordable skiing on
about 8 trails, 110' vertical drop, and two rope tows, one of which is faster
than a high speed detachable quad.
This report is more of a trip
report, and is not an official page of the club.
If you are interested in joining, or would like
more information, check out
Ski Venture's
Website, or contact President Frank Winters at
winters_frank@yahoo.com.
Author's disclaimer - I am a new member of the
club, and joined the day I visited.
Trip Report
Please note that you can click on all photos for a
larger version.
I had the wonderful
opportunity of skiing at Ski Venture, a private ski club area in
Glenville, NY on Saturday January 29th. I've been meaning to check it
out, as I'm only 25 miles away, and its the third closest ski area to
me. I had heard great things about it and finally got the chance to ski
it.
Ski Venture is a throwback to the days when a ski club or non-profit
group operated their own rope tow, usually for members and sometimes for
the general public. There are very few of these left. And while it is
for members, it is hardly an expensive membership - its just $60 for a
family for an entire season, $100 for a sustaining membership that gets
you discounts at Willard and Maple Ski Ridge. Those costs are per
family, no person - so for less than the price of one ticket at a big
mountain, a whole family can ski for the season at Ski Venture!
(Right - a view of the ski area from the
base - beginner tow on left, expert slope above, and intermediate trail
to right. Summit rope tow on far right, with easy slope just right of
that). |
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Here are some stats about
the area - it has a 110' vertical drop, about 8 trails (a beginner slope
from the summit, an intermediate slope from the summit, a steeper expert
pitches with scattered trees from the summit, a gladed run on the upper
half of the area, a trail to the parking lot, a cross cut trail, a
powerline trail, and a beginner slope). There is no snowmaking, it is
all natural here. Grooming is done once a week, usually on Thursday
nights to have the snow setup for the weekend. There are two rope tows,
one just under 500' long to the summit, about a 25 second ride at about
1200'/minute, faster than a high speed quad. The other is a 150'
beginner rope tow which is gentle and great for first timers. There is a
lot of variety in that 110' of vertical! The elevation runs from
740-850', and its located in the Glenville Hills, which tend to enhance
snowfall. There is a base lodge with a woodstove.
Using the summit rope tow (left), you can make at least a run a minute -
if you really go as fast as you can could do 15 runs in 10 minutes,
1650' vertical in 10 - not bad! Plus, you're constantly in motion so its
great exercise. |
Ski Venture is one of the oldest ski clubs/areas in the country, as it
was founded in 1937, and is completely member supported. Members help
out with maintaining the area, running the lifts, trail work, etc. There
are no paid employees. Members can become Hillmasters, which requires an
hour or so training course on how to operate the area.
Perhaps the coolest aspect of the area is that as long as there is a
Hillmaster and one other member, they may use the area any time they
wish, 24 X 7! So, if they want to ski at 2AM on a Tuesday, they can!
I got an excellent tour from Frank Winters, the President, and enjoyed
speaking with Ed Kudlacik, the Vice President who also does the
grooming. Everybody I spoke to was extremely friendly. There were
several families there, the kids clearly loved the place, and parents
could watch them from the deck on the lodge.
If you live in the Capital District - you should definitely be a member
of Ski Venture. The price is right, the trails are fun, and the vibe is
classic. NELSAP enjoys supporting smaller family ski areas such as this
that have and continue to play a crucial role in keeping skiing
affordable, and for being a feeder area for the larger resorts. And of
course, its really fun skiing there!
(Right - a view from the summit of the ski
area, showing the tow and intermediate slope) |
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More Photos
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| Top of the glades. |
Midway down the glades,
looking up. |
Top of the new
Powerline trail. |
Bottom of the Powerline
trail, fun quick turns! |
Last updated: February 2, 2011
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