Read skier and snowboarder-submitted reviews on Holiday Valley that rank the ski resort and mountain town on a scale of one to five stars for attributes such as terrain, nightlife and family friendliness. See how Holiday Valley stacks up in the reviews, on and off the slopes, from skiing and family activities to the après scene. Read up on pros, cons and other comments in reviews left by fellow skiers and riders. Don't forget to submit your own Holiday Valley review! Scroll to the bottom of this page to let other travelers know about your skiing and resort experience.
Reviews for Holiday Valley
Total (3.3)
A ski resort's overall star rating displayed here is not calculated based on a simple average but takes several factors, including the age of a review, into account.
HV is overall a great resort that offers a good variety of terrain for its area. The trail design is great to face several directions and create different conditions in each one. Lodges have been updated which makes them comfortable although sometimes the mess gets ahead of the cleaning crew. On-hill staff are friendly and great at their jobs. Biggest downside this season is the RFID gates which nobody seems to like. The gates don't correctly scan all passes which means some types of season pass get stuck and need a manual scan every run. They also bottleneck people at just a few gates creating long lines that move slowly. On a busy day, the lines get backed up very far while chairs ride up only partly full because the lifties don't have singles to pull in since that line is also behind the gates causing the slowdowns. HV is still a great resort and fun place to ski, but I wouldn't suggest it for long weekends or any other weekend that is likely to be busy since you'll spend too long waiting because of the gates.
Saneka Chakravarty
Could be huge mountain of ice on bad days. Not groomed well, when we were there over the weekend.
Jack
Very solid mountain with some challenging terrain, but mostly intermediate and beginner stuff. Near multiple major cities, so easy to fly in.
Goofy Goober
As of early Jan. 2025, Eagle and Spruce lake lifts are closed, but most runs are open
Ben
Holiday Valley is a great place to ski with your family. A great place to learn with their four different beginner trails and three different lifts. The high-speed lifts are so nice to use. And the ultimate white pass is a great value. I love the Glades there as well. The only thing going against it is the vertical of the mountain. Snowmaking system is state of the art and groomers. Do a decent job.
Hugh Janus
Please see the above "pros and cons".
Lewis Carran
I haven't been to Holiday Valley n 40 years. Growing up in Cleveland, we thought Ellicottville was n the heart of the Rookies.
We (myself n six Brothers) LOVED Holiday Valley. We'd bomb up n down Champagne and Yodler all day long. We learned to become good skiers there.
We've all moved on to skiing out West being were all out of the area but pound for pound Holiday Valley stands up to any ski joint.
Kathryn
Wonderful hours and availability. Does a great job with snow no matter what weather brings. Great place to learn and prepare for bigger mountains, or just spend all season. Easy access from Buffalo, etc.
Bill Towers
Wish they would create safe and properly built terrain features on a downhill slope instead of the flat surface and dangerous setups currently up.
D Robinson
Amazing size, great amount of acreage for East Coast, extremely family friendly, tons of different types of trails/runs, efficiently run resort and night skiing as a bonus
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