Skiers living on the East Coast often head for New England resorts for challenging terrain and a variety of on- and off-mountain experiences.
Chip Seamans, president of the Windham Mountain Club in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, wants to change that.
"For the last 10 years or so, we've really been focusing on the mountain, snowmaking, lifts, grooming to really improve what we call our 'product on the hill,'" he said. It's all been done in an effort to convince skiers that "they don't need to drive to Vermont, which is at least a couple hours further [for many on the East Coast], because our snow is just as good here," he said.
Accelerating that plan, Windham was purchased in 2023 by a group led by Sandy Beall, founder of the Ruby Tuesday restaurant chain, and Webb Wilson, a scion of the Holiday Inn family. They announced an investment of more than $70 million over several years that would add more automated snowmaking, upgrade lifts and refurbish the mountain's food and beverage offerings.
Ahead of the last winter season, the base area cafeteria was remodeled and renamed Food Hall, and all of the culinary outlets were refreshed and upgraded, including the base eateries Okami, a sushi bar, and Seasons, a Mediterranean restaurant. What had been a midmountain cafeteria became a cozy restaurant and bar called Cin Cin.
A renovated room at the Winwood Inn in Windham, N.Y. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Windham Mountain Club
Crowd control
But a significant part of Windham's plan is crowd management and a promise of minimal lift lines and uncrowded slopes. To do that, it's embarked on an ambitious plan to limit capacity and make the mountain more exclusive. Even down to its name: the word "Club" was tacked on to it last year.
It has limited overall capacity to 4,000 people per day and raised lift ticket prices. Lift-ticket pricing and availability changes often, but as of press time, a single-day lift ticket for Feb. 8 was $160 at Windham -- higher than at nearby Hunter Mountain, a Vail Resorts-owned ski area that is advertising one-day tickets for $119 (and less if skiers use its Epic Pass program).
And while more North American ski areas are now associated with major industry season passes, Windham said that starting with the 2025-26 season it will no longer be part of the Ikon Pass.
Windham also has a private membership base, a category it's had for more than 15 years but that it is significantly expanding under the new owners. That price is increasing, too: Lifetime membership costs $200,000, up from $25,000 when it began.
Perks were previously only winter season-related: valet parking, lockers, ski valet and access to a club at the base of the mountain with its own restaurant and bar. Under the new owners, membership benefits are expanding and going year-round. A members-only spa and fitness center were added to the base of the lodge this summer, and starting this winter, Cin Cin will only be open to members and their guests.
In addition, a host of new summer amenities will debut in 2025.
The bar at Windham Mountain Club's Cin Cin restaurant, usually members-only but available to the public as part of some lodging packages. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Windham Mountain Club
The promise of smaller crowds is appealing to anyone who frequents resorts within a couple hours of New York City, where lift lines and slope traffic on winter weekends can be daunting.
They weren't at Windham Mountain when I spent a Saturday and Sunday there last February. Aside from Wanderer, its popular 1.5-mile green run, the terrain was uncrowded.
And while the fun Cin Cin experience -- starting with a ride to the ski lift on a snow cat, followed by a short lift ride up to the restaurant -- is mostly members-only, some lodging packages have access to the restaurant and other members-only amenities. For example, this season, the Peak Escape at Windham Mountain Club package includes three nights at the Henson, a local inn, with full access to members-only restaurants and the new Wellness Club, among other perks.
Windham also gives local hotel guests guaranteed ticket access on any sold-out days. Nearby properties include Eastwind, the Hotel Vienna and the Winwood Inn, which is the only hotel Windham owns.
The property has undergone continuous renovation over the past decade and has free on-demand shuttle service to the mountain, which takes about five minutes.
Update: This article has been updated to include a picture of a renovated room at the Windham Inn.