HIGHMOUNT, New York — Belleayre will be a busy place this week and next as we prepare to kick off our annual Winter Festival Week this Saturday, January 23 with the Kids Winter Carnival and a Slopestyle Park Jam sponsored by Stoked Mentoring. All week, a variety of activities are slated in communities around the area including parades, bonfires, skating parties and more. And we will again offer the popular “Taste of the Town” on Monday, January 25. On top of that, all lift tickets will be only $20 with $10 rentals during Winter Festival Week which runs from Jan. 25 to 29.

Meanwhile, this coming week, we will be offering our Wednesday $20 lift ticket and $10 rental special to help ring in 2010 for the remainder of the month of January. Mother Nature added over five inches of new snow Sunday night to add to the snow depths all over the mountain. And to help make your visit to Belleayre more affordable, we are offering a kids ski free, stay free promotion for those 17 and under in partnership with the Belleayre Region Lodging and Tourism Association. Book your reservations with any BRLTA member and present your voucher on the mountain for your child’s free lift ticket. Visit www.catskillhighpeaks.com or www.belleayre.com for details.

Saturday, January 23rd is Belleayre’s 60th Birthday with a Kids Carnival at Discovery Lodge. There will be ice carving demonstrations and a Belleayre Birthday Rail Jam sponsored by Stoked Mentoring. Saturday night, be dazzled by the beauty of a Torchlight Parade down Yahoo.

Sunday is also Potter Brothers’ Flex Day at Belleayre so don’t forget to purchase your discounted lift tickets at any of the Potter Brothers outlets.

Monday the 25th is our seventh annual Taste of the Town featuring the culinary delights from the region’s best restaurants. This year’s theme is “Murder on the Mountain,” a murder mystery dinner at the Discovery Lodge. Tickets are $30 and include a Buy One, Get One lift ticket. For ticket information, call (845) 254-5600, ext. 1361. Don’t miss this one.

Saturday, January 30 is the annual Snowball dinner, dance to benefit the Belleayre Conservatory which sponsors the popular summer music festival on the mountain. This year, we honor the A. Lindsay and Olive B. O’Connor Foundation for improving the quality of life in the Catskills for more than 40 years. Tickets are available by contacting Donald Myers at 845-254-5600 ext 1361.

We have also added new terrain for your skiing and riding pleasure. At the top of Yahoo, you will literally be skiing and riding above the treeline on the giant head wall we’ve created. This monster mound of snow is so big, you will be looking down at the trees. Needless to say, this is not for the novice. Also try upper and lower Yahoo, the Goat Path and the transfer line, new terrain added for your skiing and riding pleasure.

Belleayre announces our new guided back country ski tours to Pine Hill on weekends. The tour starts at 1 p.m. on the Beast of Belleayre as it takes you from the summit over to the start of Cathedral Brook where you will ski down to the hamlet of Pine Hill. A shuttle will bring you back up to the mountain around 3 p.m. Space is limited so sign up for the tours at the Snowsports School Desk in the Overlook Lodge.

And Area 51 is in full swing so visit the terrain park and try out your best moves on some of the new, exciting features that have been added recently. So make plans to come visit Belleayre, New York’s Winter Snow Park and see what we have to offer.