This was the first new lift built at Belleayre under ownership of the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority, or ORDA for short, which acquired the resort in 2012. When first announced by then governor Andrew Cuomo, it was not particularly well received. It was seen as overkill, a vanity project that would do little to improve the ski experience. Despite the criticism, ORDA continued with the project, awarding the contract to Doppelmayr, who built the lift in 2017. The critics however could not have been more wrong. The gondola revolutionized the ski experience at Belleayre, greatly simplifying access to the west side of the resort, which also happens to be the true summit. From the Discovery Lodge, it used to take riding Lift 1 or 2 up, skiing down to the Superchief, riding that up, skiing down to Lift 7, riding that up, skiing down Tomahawk crossing to the Tomahawk lift, and then riding that up to reach the top. Now, it can be done in just one lift with the gondola. It also provided shelter from the elements on days with messy weather. More importantly, it put Belleayre on the map as a ski resort and greatly increased skier visits. The gondola was accompanied by the Lower Deer Run trail, which made it so the west side was no longer a dead end. You could ski directly down to the Discovery Lodge from the bottom of the Tomahawk lift. This also allowed for one to ski all of Belleayre's vertical at once. Another effect of the gondola was that the Discovery Lodge became truly the main lodge at Belleayre, and it was doubled in size in 2019, with the existing portion of the building getting a full renovation. This makes sense as the Discovery Lodge has the largest parking lot and is also the first base that most people see. This has unfortunately resulted in the Overlook Lodge being somewhat neglected. It was mostly not renovated, and the food court isn't always open now.
I think, it's allowed to be both. It simplifies access to the real summit but it is also ridiculously overkill. This is a symptom of Belleayre's poorly thought layout, with the mountain being split in 2 halves by the road up to overlook lodge.
@@CODobsessed IDK. I haven't been to Belleayre since before the ORDA takeover. I was there the other day and I thought the Gondola was awesome. Could they have had a similar effect with a high speed 6? Sure but on a windy cold day its great. I can see how its much more beginner friendly and it opens lots of possibilities for more summer activities.
Belleayre is a nice 🏔️ (have raced there several times and my ski trip Sophomore year in high school was to Belleayre also), but as far as the Catskills vs the Adirondacks go, I'll take the Adirondacks ANYTIME. 👍 Gore and Whiteface are just COMPLETELY better 🏔️'s.
This was the first new lift built at Belleayre under ownership of the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority, or ORDA for short, which acquired the resort in 2012.
When first announced by then governor Andrew Cuomo, it was not particularly well received. It was seen as overkill, a vanity project that would do little to improve the ski experience. Despite the criticism, ORDA continued with the project, awarding the contract to Doppelmayr, who built the lift in 2017.
The critics however could not have been more wrong. The gondola revolutionized the ski experience at Belleayre, greatly simplifying access to the west side of the resort, which also happens to be the true summit. From the Discovery Lodge, it used to take riding Lift 1 or 2 up, skiing down to the Superchief, riding that up, skiing down to Lift 7, riding that up, skiing down Tomahawk crossing to the Tomahawk lift, and then riding that up to reach the top. Now, it can be done in just one lift with the gondola. It also provided shelter from the elements on days with messy weather. More importantly, it put Belleayre on the map as a ski resort and greatly increased skier visits.
The gondola was accompanied by the Lower Deer Run trail, which made it so the west side was no longer a dead end. You could ski directly down to the Discovery Lodge from the bottom of the Tomahawk lift. This also allowed for one to ski all of Belleayre's vertical at once.
Another effect of the gondola was that the Discovery Lodge became truly the main lodge at Belleayre, and it was doubled in size in 2019, with the existing portion of the building getting a full renovation. This makes sense as the Discovery Lodge has the largest parking lot and is also the first base that most people see. This has unfortunately resulted in the Overlook Lodge being somewhat neglected. It was mostly not renovated, and the food court isn't always open now.
I think, it's allowed to be both. It simplifies access to the real summit but it is also ridiculously overkill. This is a symptom of Belleayre's poorly thought layout, with the mountain being split in 2 halves by the road up to overlook lodge.
@@CODobsessed IDK. I haven't been to Belleayre since before the ORDA takeover. I was there the other day and I thought the Gondola was awesome. Could they have had a similar effect with a high speed 6? Sure but on a windy cold day its great. I can see how its much more beginner friendly and it opens lots of possibilities for more summer activities.
Blech. Looking slushy!
Wow that’s so much snow loss I was there even just last Wednesday
We need more snow!
Belleayre is a nice 🏔️ (have raced there several times and my ski trip Sophomore year in high school was to Belleayre also), but as far as the Catskills vs the Adirondacks go, I'll take the Adirondacks ANYTIME. 👍
Gore and Whiteface are just COMPLETELY better 🏔️'s.