ELLICOTTVILLE, New York — Dennis Eshbaugh, Holiday Valley’s General Manager, announced today that the opening day of the 2009-2010 season will be Thursday, December 10, weather permitting. Three quad chairlifts and up to 10 slopes will be open from 9 AM to 10 PM. “Conditions have been excellent for snowmaking since last Friday and we’ve been making snow 24 hours per day since then”, remarked Eshbaugh. He continued, “The weather from Thursday forward will give us a good taste of winter with lows at night in the teens and snow squalls, just the way we like it!” Lift tickets on Thursday will be $47 for adults and $37 juniors for an 8 hours lift ticket and $30 for adults and $22 for juniors for a night ticket. Snowmaking will continue as weather permits with the goal of all 56 slopes and 13 lifts open by Christmas or before.

The 2009-10 season will mark a major expansion for Holiday Valley Resort with the completion of the Tamarack Club condominium-hotel project. The first rental guests will stay at the Tamarack Club on December 18. This impressive $40 million 166,000 square foot building at the entrance to Holiday Valley contains 138 condominiums and hotel rooms, a 3200 square foot spa, a 138 seat restaurant and bar, conference rooms, an indoor/outdoor heated year round pool and 2 outdoor hot tubs. The project increases the bed base of Holiday Valley and the fractional ownership aspect will encourage visitors to the Ellicottville area on a year round basis. The Tamarack Club will employ up to 170 people. In addition to the Tamarack project, Holiday Valley has made many improvements for the upcoming season including a new Mountain Top Warming Hut, snowmaking improvements, a new grooming machine and new swimming pools for summer visitors.

Recently readers of SKI Magazine rated Holiday Valley Resort as the 4th best winter resort in eastern North America. This ranking places Holiday Valley among the top ten in the East for the 6th consecutive year. Holiday Valley, located in Western New York’s snowbelt, is 50 miles south of Buffalo and offers 56 slopes and thirteen lifts, lodging, dining and a full spectrum of winter activities in the lively Village of Ellicottville.