December 8, 2011 Highmount, NY – After an unseasonably warm November and early December, at long last the lifts will start turning and Belleayre Mountain will officially kick off the 2011-2012 Skiing and Riding season this Saturday, December 10. Due to the delayed opening early season rates have been extended and midweek passes will be honored over the weekend as well. After receiving 6 inches of natural snow overnight, the temperatures finally returned to seasonal norms in the 20s and Belleayre snowmakers were able to continue where nature left off. As the last flakes were falling from the sky, the snowguns were fired up and continued to blanket the slopes to get the mountain ready for the latest Belleayre opening since the winter of 1998-1999.

Finish up the holiday shopping with unique handcrafted gifts while supporting local artisans. The Catskill Mountain Artisans Guild will be presenting a “Winter Showcase” of regional fine crafts and art in the Upper Lodge at the Belleayre Mountain in Overlook Lodge on December 17-18. Come browse a great selection of locally handmade crafts from the Catskill region including wooden toys, jewelry, handbags, scarves, gloves, soaps, pottery, folk art, photography, knitted items and more while enjoying the fun of skiing at Belleayre Mountain. The Guild’s cooperative gallery is located on Main Street in Margaretville, NY. With more than 50 regional artists, the shop has a wide variety of handcrafted items ranging from fine art furniture and leather coats, to pottery, jewelry and hand knitted items. The Catskill Mountain Artisans Guild also supports regional publishers, writers and musicians with a diverse collection of books, CD’s and DVD’s. The Catskill Mountain Artisans Guild will be back throughout the winter at Belleayre on January 21-22, February 25-26 and March 17-18. For information call 845-586-3443 or visit www.catsguild.org .