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.
Please see the above "pros and cons".... Full Review
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.... Full Review
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. ... Full Review
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.... Full Review
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... Full Review
Anonymous
Holiday Valley is a great place to ski if you live in the Buffalo,. NY area. The resort does a great job at creating a fun place to ski by squeezing as much use as possible out of the limited space and virtical drops they have to work with.
What Holiday Valley needs to work on is grooming and enforcing safety. Trails are often sloppy with piles of snow and uneven terrain. On warm days the terrain smooths out but large patches of ice start to become an issue. Enforcement of safety needs to be stepped up as there has been an increase in collisions and close calls due to some skiers/snowboarders bombing down intermediate and beginner slopes at unsafe speeds. These issues detract from what could be a great on piste experience.
Holiday Mountain Ops if you are reading this please consider grooming the trails more regularly and if possible shut down some of the high traffic slopes mid day to reset and lay some fresh corduroy. Maybe around 3pm right before day skiing switches to night skiing. ... Full Review
Ryan
Great resort that's well kept & has nice staff who is helpful when needed! The quality of the snow is bolstered with Western NY Lake Effect in the early season, and the state-of-the-art snowmaking is impressive in the later season (it is worlds apart in quality from the man made snow when I started skiing in the 90s). Holiday Valley which is roughly a mile away from the resort adds to the places available to eat, drink, stay, and there are plenty of shops with a variety of fun things to do after finishing up on the slopes. Would highly recommend for people looking to have a great all around ski trip! ... Full Review
As a season pass holder for several years, I have found the enforcement of rules and safety protocols lacking in the safety patrols. It has been commented on in person and needs some attention by the management. The snow boarding is a problem area. I am an advanced skier. ... Full Review
captin bandwagon
60 trails, 5 main sections, always have balanced skill choices so there are greens and blues and blacks all over the 5 main sections. They have great grooming and usually very nice lake effect snow supporting vast snow making. 3 high speed lifts are excellent. Its my favorite east coast resort. The food in lodges is fairly priced too with decent value specials. The town is like Breckenridge of the East with many places to shop, eat and apres ski. Both Ellicottville and HV have numerous fun events year long. HV has a great value multi-day ticket good arrival eve, next full day, and the 3rd day till 4 pm. ... Full Review
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