The venues — Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, Gore Mountain in North Creek and Belleayre Mount in Highmount — will roll out their openings starting today.

“With the opening of these world-class ski areas, New York is entering into peak season for its $16 billion winter tourism industry,” Hochul said in a press release. “We have invested more than $550 million in our winter sports facilities, upgrading our infrastructure, preparing them for ski season, and giving them the lift they need ahead of the World University Games. I am thrilled to welcome visitors back to the slopes and encourage everyone to join us next year in Lake Placid for one of the largest winter sporting events in New York State history.”

Lake Placid’s 2023 FISU Winter World University Games will be held from Jan. 11 to 22 at various venues across the North Country, including Whiteface Mountain, Mount Van Hoevenberg and Gore Mountain.

ORDA continually improves its snowmaking systems at these venues. That means the ski centers can open earlier in the fall and stay open later in the spring.

“Our team has made terrific progress since snowmaking began, and we are ready to welcome our skiers and snowboarders,” ORDA President and CEO Mike Pratt said in a press release.

Snowmaking began at Whiteface Mountain on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 13.

The expected ski center opening dates are as follows:

– Friday, Nov. 18: Gore Mountain and Belleayre Mountain

– Saturday, Nov. 19: Whiteface Mountain

– Wednesday, Nov. 23: Mount Van Hoevenberg is expected to open 1.5 kilometers of its World Cup cross-country ski trails.

Gore, Whiteface, and Belleayre will be open through Sunday, Nov. 20, close mid-week for further preparation, and reopen on Friday, Nov. 25 for the season. Mount Van Hoevenberg will be closed on Thanksgiving day and will reopen for the season on Friday, Nov 25.

Whiteface Mountain will be opening two new trails this year — the Ausable Run, a beginner trail off the Warhorse Quad lift, and Yellow Dot, an expert trail connecting the top of Victoria to Lower Skyward. For its snowmaking operations, the ski center installed 35,000 feet of new pipe, 160 high-efficiency snow guns and 245 new hydrants. There are also two new Pisten Bully groomers. For more information, visit whiteface.com.

Improvements at the Mount Van Hoevenberg Nordic ski center were completed in 2020. It is now a world-class facility with 5 kilometers of World Championship-rated cross-country skiing trails for training and racing. The trail system includes snowmaking infrastructure with high-efficiency snow guns. For more information, visit mtvanhoevenberg.com.