One of the biggest, if not the biggest gripe against skiing is it has become a sport for the rich. This is based on the fact that the cost of entry into the sport is not cheap, with the average cost of new skis, boots, bindings and poles being ~$1500 and the average cost of a lift ticket ~$90, with some lift tickets soaring well over $120, if purchased at the window (which no one should ever do). A family of four can easily spend more than $500 for a day trip to their favorite mountain, assuming nobody needs to rent. That is an exorbitant amount considering the average weekly salary in the Northeast, prior to taxes, is $1021.24. Luckily, there are options where you can ski cheap and one such place is Ski Venture.
Ski Venture is located in Glenville, NY, a suburb of Albany and was incorporated in 1937 and has run continuously since that time, making it one of the oldest continually operating ski areas in the United States. In fact, I believe it to be the 2nd oldest continuously operating tow in the US, second only to Northeast Slopes in NH which has run since 1936. Ski Venture is tiny by anyones standards it has approximately 110 vertical feet with 12 trails that range from green circle to “black diamond”, the trails are served by two rope tows. The first and slower tow, serves the Bunny Slope which is a gentle pasture great for beginning kids. The second tow is a beast, it is a high-speed rope tow that is capable of burning through gloves and jackets. In fact, it is probably faster than any lift you have ever ridden, unless you have had the pleasure of cruising up and through the Alps on a funicular lift in Europe. The speed of the lift means you can ski lap after lap on this hill. So, why on Earth would you want to go here for 110 vertical feet, 12 trails and a high velocity rope tow? The reasons are many…
Ski Venture Main Slope
It is dirt cheap skiing! A family membership (e.g., Season Pass) will cost $100. Yes, your family can ski from late December through Early March for a “Benjamin”. Or you can purchase the Sustaining Membership for $125 and get discounted lift tickets at many commercial areas. Additionally, you get the satisfaction that you are helping keep a piece of skiing history alive.
You can ski whenever you want! The area is run by the members, so there are no employees that run the lifts. Instead, the lifts are run by Hill Masters, which are members that have gone through a 2-3 hour training to learn how to start, stop and troubleshoot the rope tow, turn on the lights and open and close the A-frame that serves as a lodge. This means that if you are trained as a Hill Master, which any adult can do, and you and your boys want to go skiing at 2:00am you can go and fire up the lift and lights and ski! - Can’t do that at Killington, Stowe or Sugarloaf. If you want to ski for 24 hours straight you could do it here.
Half the Mountain is glades! Keep in mind the place is small so you aren’t skiing the glades of Jay or Mont Sutton, but half the mountain is glade skiing, so you can dive into any stand of trees that exists between the boundaries of the mountain. While the runs are short, the glades exist on the steepest part of the mountain.
Liberal grooming policy! Ski Venture is a mountain for skiers (and boarders) that is run by skiers - which means it is clearly understood that powder days should not be groomed to corduroy. Therefore, on a powder day the skiers will ski out the powder before firing up the groomer (four wheeler pulling a grate with spikes).
Really good people! Lastly, the folks at the mountain are friendly welcoming and more than willing to help you learn how to master the high speed rope tow before burning through too many sets of gloves. Recommendation: Get leather work gloves.
What sets Ski Venture apart from other affordable and free ski areas is that there is some challenge to the terrain. Many affordable areas are not much more than converted cow pastures that are also used for sledding hills. At Ski Venture there is a decent pitch where you can link together some legit turns, ski some legit glades - all while making some new friends and sharing some brews at the A-Frame.
Lastly, there are other areas where one can ski cheaply, if not free, such as Dynamite Hill, Schroon Lake Ski Center, Indian Lake Ski Center and Northeast Slopes.
For more information on Ski Venture check out there website at: www.skiventure.org
