New York Ski Area "At A Crossroads" Due To Upcoming Insurance Payment

In order for a unique New York ski area to operate its lifts this season, they need help from the ski community. For the past couple of years, the folks over at the Hickory Ski Center have aimed to spin the lifts for the first time since 2015. However, in order to spin the lifts again, they need to pass state inspection and pay for a large insurance premium payment of $38,000.

This high insurance payment is due to the lapse in coverage that the ski area has faced since its lifts stopped spinning in 2015. While new activities have been added to support the mountain during the offseason, they do not have the money to pay for the $38,000 insurance payment.

The ski area is now asking for donations and for people to purchase season passes when they go on sale, likely later this week. If you purchase a season pass and they don’t reach that threshold, they will refund the buyers.

You can read their full press release below. If you’re interested in helping them out, click here. They will have season passes for this winter available on the website, likely starting on December 1st. In the meantime, Hickory has set up a GoFundMe. You can also make donations to their operations fund or purchase gear. If you have ever wanted to help out a small ski area, here’s your chance.

Hickory’s 2023-24 Ski Season (77 years from inaugural season)

We are at a crossroads. We have our lift inspections scheduled, sticks are on, the lodge is ready, the slopes are (almost) ready. What we are missing is liability insurance required for state certification of our lifts for operation.

Historically we have raised funds to cover insurance and other operating costs through the sale of season passes. We have been hesitant to do that given the challenges we faced with lift certification. We no longer have a choice. Our timeline is short. We have until December 15^th to raise sufficient funds to cover our full insurance premium payment of $38,000. Yes, it is outrageous, and we have explored all options over the last 2 years to lower this amount, with no success. We anticipate that this premium will be reduced in subsequent years because the cost reflects our lapse in insurance coverage, placing us in a high-risk category, and that we would be offered quarterly or monthly premium payment options.

We have been able to cover off-season operational expenses with events, the café, and access fees for hiking and skinning, and with financing from Bill Van Pelt and the Hickory Legacy Foundation. In addition, the Foundation has installed lighting for night skiing and the new disc golf course which will open in the spring. We appreciate all the support that has come from our extended Hickory Family, local businesses, and those organizations that have provided grant funding.

The Foundation continues to seek grant funding opportunities, events are being planned, we are collaborating with new partners, and without season pass sales now, we do not have the funds to pay the insurance premium.

We are now asking our Hickory skiing family to do their part in supporting our efforts to re-open the mountain for skiing with lifts operating by purchasing season passes.

We are finishing up the purchasing platform on our website skihickory.com. We will have individual passes for upper and lower mountain skiing, couples discount, family packages, and bundled as well as single day tickets available. We will publish pass prices when we go live for pass purchases, anticipated on December 1^st.

If the lifts don’t spin, we will refund season pass payments in full.

Email: hickorysc2@gmail for questions.

SKI THE LEGEND, The Hickory Team.

Anticipated Operating Schedule (Weather Dependent)