
Windham
285 acres, 54 runs 2.5 hours from NYC. Upscale Catskills resort, family-friendly, six terrain parks.
Windham Mountain's summit reaches 3,100 feet, dropping 1,601 vertical feet to a base at 1,499 feet across 54 runs spread over 285 acres in the Catskill Mountains, roughly two and a half hours from New York City. Terrain splits 48 per cent intermediate, 20 per cent beginner, 19 per cent advanced and 13 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 100 inches. Eleven lifts, including two quad chairs and one six-person chair, serve the mountain alongside one double chair, two triple chairs and five surface lifts.
Windham has cultivated a reputation as one of the Catskills' more upscale, family-oriented resorts, with substantial recent investment aimed at elevating the overall guest experience. The resort's proximity to New York City, combined with its premium positioning, has made it a popular choice for downstate visitors seeking a more refined mountain getaway.
New York's state assembly considered developing a state-run ski resort on the site, then known as Cave Mountain, in the late 1950s, but the project never advanced. Private investors instead purchased the land and opened Cave Mountain Ski Area in 1960, with ownership transferring to brothers Bob, James and Tom Sheridan three years later, who opened a lodge and introduced early snowmaking. In 1981, Irv Naylor, founder of Snow Time Inc., purchased the resort and renamed it Ski Windham, his third New York and Pennsylvania-area ski area alongside Ski Roundtop and Ski Liberty. The resort was renamed Windham Mountain in 2001.
In April 2023, Beall Investment Partners and Kemmons Wilson Hospitality Partners took majority ownership, with North Castle Partners, Cloverhill Group, and the McGuffog and Starker families remaining as existing partners. This new ownership group has pursued significant investment in the resort's facilities and guest amenities. Adult daily tickets run from 99 to 149 US dollars.
Windham Mountain covers 285 acres (115 hectares) in the northern Catskills, with 54 runs falling about 1,600 ft (488 m) from a 3,100 ft (945 m) summit to a base at 1,500 ft (457 m). Nearly half the terrain is intermediate at 48%, with 20% beginner, 19% advanced and 13% expert. A six-seat chair, two quads, two triples, a double and five surface lifts serve the slopes, and the Ikon Pass tie-in brings plenty of visitors from the New York City area at weekends and holidays.
Wheelchair, Upper Wipeout and Wedgie are among the trails you will see on the map, and Wooly Bear is a beginner slope that gives learners a gentle start. Six progressive terrain parks range from the small features of Wraparound Park to the bigger jumps of Whirlwind Park, so riders can step up gradually. Windham suits intermediates cruising long groomers, families, and freestyle riders who like a park progression. Advanced skiers can lap the steeper upper pitches, though the mountain feels more polished than rugged. It is a good fit for a day from the city.
The 2025-26 season at Windham Mountain ran from 28 November 2025 to 29 March 2026, a roughly eighteen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 100 inches. Extensive snowmaking supplements natural snowfall to support the resort's early opening and consistent conditions throughout the season.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Windham's intermediate-weighted terrain. Given the resort's roughly two-and-a-half-hour drive from New York City and its premium, family-oriented positioning, Windham draws substantial weekend and holiday visitation from the downstate metropolitan area throughout the season.
Following the April 2023 ownership change, the resort has pursued significant guest-experience investment, an approach that continues to shape its seasonal operations and positioning relative to other Catskills resorts. School holiday periods bring substantial family visitation given the resort's varied terrain and upscale amenities.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Since the resort's renaming from Ski Windham to Windham Mountain in 2001, and its subsequent 2023 ownership transition, the mountain has continued building on more than six decades of Catskills skiing history dating to its 1960 origins as Cave Mountain Ski Area. Windham's premium, family-focused character remains central to its seasonal identity.
Windham Mountain sits in the Catskill Mountains of New York, roughly two and a half hours from New York City, with a base elevation of 1,499 feet and a summit at 3,100 feet across a 1,601-foot vertical drop over 285 acres. This proximity to the metropolitan area has long supported Windham's role as a leading downstate ski destination.
The village of Windham and the broader northern Catskills region offer lodging, dining and additional recreation within a short drive of the resort. The Hudson Valley lies between the mountain and New York City, providing further stopover options for visitors making the drive from the metropolitan area.
New York State Route 23 provides direct access to the resort through the northern Catskills. Winter driving conditions on this route can include snow and ice, and visitors travelling from the New York City area should allow extra time given typical weekend traffic volumes. There is no direct public transport service to the mountain, though its proximity to the city supports considerable day-trip and weekend visitation by car.
Specific nearest commercial airport details are not confirmed in available resort information, though Windham's roughly two-and-a-half-hour drive from New York City places it within reach of the metropolitan area's major airports for visitors flying in from further afield.
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A large avalanche struck near Laguna del Inca adjacent to Ski Portillo on Saturday afternoon, killing four people and injuring four others. The group were day visitors mountaineering in the backcountry after reportedly being warned about elevated avalanche risk by resort staff.

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Mt Hutt is getting busier, and its base lodge is about to catch up. NZ$12 million goes into a heated sun deck roughly three times the current size (430 m² to 1,300 m²), plus a new toilet block, heated steps down to snow level, extra storage and a new food and beverage outlet. Building starts after the 2026 season, with everything due for winter 2027.

Vermont's season is slow to take shape. Stratton is tentatively targeting 18 November and Sugarbush 21 November, while Pico has Friday 11 December on the calendar. Killington never sets a date and opens when the snowmaking allows, and Vail Resorts has yet to name days for Stowe, Okemo and Mount Snow. The forecasts disagree about snow, and the main El Niño worry for the Green Mountains is warmth.
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