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Windham Mountain
Rating Details »
9 reviews for Windham Mountain
my inaugural ski experience, so i may not be the best rater,
...but I loved this place. Perhaps merely because this was my first time and I would have love it anywhere....
The group lesson included in my day-pass was awesome, perhaps because I was fortuitously paired with a Rastafarian instructor, and because my group consisted of only myself and two others.
The place was clean and for the most part well-run. (A notable exception being the two jaded teenage girls who were simply too cool to offer assistance to my clumsy-first-timer-ass visibly struggling to don board boots...)
Mountain was plenty intimidating enough for me, but not exactly a challenge for my experienced companions... nonetheless, we all had a blast.
Crowded, not the most helpful instructors
I was here yesterday, cuz Mount Snow had a lot down power lines in the area. So here's what happened:
I signed up for the Learn to Ride one day lesson for like $65. I got the equipment (boots, and snowboard), and they charge $1 for the equipment insurance. They are just re-doing their registers. They only had 2 working registers and everyone was backed up. I wasn't every sure if I would make the 10 AM lesson.
I finally got out there around 10:05 AM. I went up to the learning area and one of the instructors pointed me out to my Instructor, Jeremy. I went over to where he was, apparently, he started his lesson with his one other student area. I don't know when he started it, but it seen like at least 20 minutes ago (didn't the lesson start at 10?)
Anyyway, it was hard for him to teach 2 ppl that are at very different levels. I was an absolute newbie, the other guy took a few lessons b4 and watch alot of instructional videos on snowboarding. So after 90 minutes (length of their lesson), I was nowhere able to move around on my own on the snowboard. I got the general concept, but I cannot control either the Heel Side or Toe Side turn. This was pathetic. I have to say he tried, but there was alot of things that were not explained more thoroughly (like how to put on the equipment, the difference between goofy and standard, and how your snowboard is suppose to be adjust for either goofy or standard). I guess that's what you get for a 90 minute lesson.
The mountain overall isn't the most crowded. I found out that it can get super crowded after new years and every weekend and every holiday from that point on is crazy.
I did not have a good time here. I don't think I will be coming back anytime soon.
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I think Windham can be best described as "decent". Since the advent of global warming, this is probably the best ski resort in the Catskills, and for day trip skiing from New York City, this takes the cake. The snow is decent, though unfortunately most of it is man-made these days.
The mountain is pretty spread out, so you can actually get a good day's skiing in, even if you're an aggressive skier. There are some steep hills, though they're short n' sweet.
The facilities are good--typical mountain food (chili, burgers, pizza), and the rental shop is decent. They have some demos, though if you're a Type III skier who's renting, don't count on it as their selection of performance gear is small.
In all, if you're coming up from the city to ski, come here instead of Hunter. You feel even more like you're "getting away", and the terrain is just much better. Though it's still crowded, it's not AS crowded, and since it's more spread out, the lift lines are shorter.
Thanks to Emilio Ski Shop (http://www.emiliosskis...) my wife and I took a day trip to Wyndham on a Saturday. Two packed coach buses departing at 6:30 AM took skiing and snowboarding hopefuls to Wyndham Mountain around 9 AM.
Getting rentals for my wife consumed another hour of time. We also got the all day $5 bucket rental since the lockers ran out.
We spend the day taking it easy; (since it was the first time on the slope this season) we stayed on the lower east side of the mountain and only tried three trails: Wonderama, Lower Wipeout and Warm Up. Since I was out of shape I took a couple of bad spills. It was crowded and some parts of the trails were icy and treacherous.
When we were done, we put our equipment away and went upstairs and got a seat at the bar (singular, getting seats was difficult). Service wasn't great since everyone wanted to drink. Note: it was disturbing seeing children at the bar (even though their tired parents were standing, it was weird). Bartenders "X-ray" and Nicholas poured us our Blue Moon and served us a burger and lamb/beef gyro. The entrees were not so good. Nicholas told us afterwards that only the chicken (sliders) sandwich and sloppy joe were the only decent items on the menu... Thanks for nothing. At least we scored a few free beers due to their accounting errors (too busy attending to a crowded bar).
We were happy to get back on bus at 4 PM and get back to the city. It was another hour getting to the Bronx.
Overall we would do it again.
IFHTP 1
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I came on Saturday night for a couple of hours, and although it was night skiing, it was pretty quiet considering it was New Years weekend. I had a few really nice rides, but was slipped up quite alot by the ice which ruined most of the trail in some spots. I guess if you want to go to upstate or the Poconos, you deal with some ice. Otherwise, say your prayers for good luck, or just go to Vermont. Skiing there is like heaven. Had a good time overall though.
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Had the chance to hit Windham this past Saturday ... didn't think very highly of the place.
- We arrived late (noonish) & find out they don't sell half day tickets, so we didn't get the best deal
- The place was incredibly crowded ... parking lots were filled to capacity ... lift lines of at least 15 mins ... trails dotted with skiers & riders leading to a few near collisions ... lines for the bathrooms ... main arteries & pathways in & out of lodges stuffed with herds of people slowly making progress to their destination ... i could go on, but you get the picture
- Snow surface was not great, with glare ice in the middles of trails (too many people on too few trails = bad snow)
- Lots of smokers! blech!
So, if you are looking to do some skiing or riding in the Catskill region, maybe you should check Hunter or better yet, try Jiminy Peak in the Berkshires (which isn't too much further)
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Few realize that their are more ski areas in new york than any other state! Here is another one that sets itself apart with a ton of dank town houses and condos all slope side! I would ride hunter over windham most times.
But renting a house right on the slope with a group of friends is pretty much a slice of whatever after life you are lookin for!
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My friends and I arrived on a Saturday only one hour after they opened and it was already packed. We got there just in time for one of the last few spots in the parking lot, people left their belongings in the lockers without paying to lock them, and the lines for the lifts were so long! Not to mention, the bunny slope was a terrible one for our friend who just started skiing for the first time... it was basically flat! But, we did like the fact that there was a lodge up on the mountain where we stopped to eat and use the bathroom. It wasn't the cleanest but it was convenient. It took us 2 hours to get here from Denville and we paid $122 for two lift tickets ($61 each on a weekend from 8am-4pm).
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i just came back from a weekend trip up here and it was really fun! They used fake snow during one of the two days i was there, but you can't really fault them for that if mother nature wasn't cooperating. But going down the slopes with the fake stuff blowing in your face hurt... goggles recommended. Any way, this was the second time i've ever gone snowboarding, so i tried out the bunny slopes just to get my mechanics worked out before tackling the bigger beginner hills... it was so flat, that I couldn't generate enough momentum to keep going down the bunny hill. Then i finally got on the bigger hills and that was fun, but there are still parts where if you're not going fast enough, you come to a stop because it just levels out. I know i'm a newbie so maybe i just suck (ok, that's probably likely), but other people who were much better than i was had trouble. I got really exhausted just trying to move on flat ground. This place, i realized, is more for skiers. I was the only one in my group snowboarding and practically everyone else on the slope was a skier. And with hills that eventually level out, if you have poles, you can push yourself off. i have to unhook my snowboard and sit at the top of a hill and reattach the board to my feet.
