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).

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)

More Photos

View of the beginner rope tow.

Looking up the beginner tow. President Frank Winters teaches a Hillmaster class at the beginner tow. Looking down the expert slope.

 

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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